The Journal, Friday, October 19

Hey Folks,

Today’s post at the Kill Zone blog is a Reader Friday thing. I don’t often mention them, but today’s post is about cartoons and comics. It was fun looking back. See “Of Interest.”

And regarding Lee Lofland’s posts… they’re full of great information for writers, but each post most often is a story of sorts in its own right. Just as writers can learn hard, cold facts from the posts, they can also learn descriptive techniques (writing setting).

Today’s post is particularly interesting. Lee writes a great hook (in this case, the first paragraph), then not only mentions a worn-out clichéd myth (never start with the weather) but disproves it with his own opening. (grin)

It’s a great post. I hope you who are not specifically “crime” writers won’t pass it up.

So what’s the key to writing a great opening? There’s only one test: Does it pull you into the story and make you want to keep reading? Then it’s a great opening.
***

A short while back, I wrote either a topic here or a post on the main site about Taking Your Time with your writing. (It’s on the main site, not scheduled to post until mid-December. I’ll update it with the information below.)

Today as I was writing, I realized, if you allow your characters to tell the story (their story, after all), you will have no choice but to take your time.

This is important. Writers who control their characters and the story they’re trying to tell often see, hear, smell, etc. things in their mind that never make it onto the page.

If you allow your characters to tell the story, and especially if you cycle back through what you wrote during your last session before you begin the next session, that won’t happen.
Your characters won’t leave out any important details because they’re actually living the story. They know what matters, and they know what will matter later.
***

To the Hovel and the novel way late at 9 a.m.

I knocked out a little over 1100 words in the first session, then took a break to visit with the babies up at the house. When my little girl curled up for a nap, I went back to the Hovel.

The novel is going very smoothly and closing in on the climax. After another day or two, it will be finished. I will be sad to see it end. I kind of hope Nick and Marie will tell me another story I can carry into the future. (grin)

Back in the Hovel, I looked around for a minute and decided to go ahead and rearrange my office. I realized I could do most of it with only my right arm and a little leverage.

I’m still not supposed to put any stress on my left left chest for another week or so. And I’m being a good, obedient patient. Mostly.

As it turned out I was able to do it all. Patience and a little leverage. So that clears the weekend for other things.

Back to the novel at 1 p.m. I got some more words, ran out of steam and headed up to the house to post this.

Talk with you again soon.

Of Interest

See “Comments Have Been Interesting” (subtitled “Best Advice I Can Give”) at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/comments-have-been-interesting/.

And please see the comments at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/because-of-last-nights-comments/#comments.

See “Murder on a Hot Day: Weather is a Character” at https://www.leelofland.com/murder-on-a-hot-day-weather-is-a-character/.

For fun, see “Reader Friday: Cartoons” at https://killzoneblog.com/2018/10/reader-friday-cartoons.html.

Fiction Words: 2682
Nonfiction Words: 560 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 3242

Writing of Nick 3 (novel, tentative title)
Brought forward from September………… 21695

Day 10… 1736 words. Total words to date…… 23431
Day 11… 1468 words. Total words to date…… 24899
Day 12… 2796 words. Total words to date…… 27695
Day 13… 1719 words. Total words to date…… 29414
Day 14… 2677 words. Total words to date…… 32091
Day 15… 2682 words. Total words to date…… 34773

Total fiction words for the month……… 13078
Total fiction words for the year………… 349804
Total nonfiction words for the month… 9190
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 142286
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 491840

Calendar Year 2018 Novels to Date………………………… 7
Calenday Year 2018 Novellas to Date…………………… 2
Calendar Year 2018 Short Stories to Date……… 11
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 33
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 6
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………………… 193

Days of writing fiction……………………………………… 5