The Journal: I’m Back

In today’s Journal

* Quotes of the Day
* Of Interest
* The Numbers

Quotes of the Day

“If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. Or, if proper usage gets in the way, it may have to go. I can’t allow what we learned in English composition to disrupt the sound and rhythm of the narrative.” [emphasis added] Elmore Leonard

“Without translation, we would be living in provinces bordering on silence.” George Steiner (just beautifully written)

I’m Back

It’s been a struggle, and it isn’t over yet, but I’m over the hump. I won’t bore you with details, BUT: if any of you are enduring a similar struggle and want to email me about it, I’d be happy to share what I can that might help.

Thanks to my friend Gary V for the book he sent me. Striking to me that McMurtry wrote a trilogy over a span of 28 years. Of course, he wrote a lot of other things (including Lonesome Dove) in the meantime, but still, I have to wonder how that worked. Did the idea for the second novel simply not occur to him until 16 years after the first was published? And did the idea for the third not occur to him until 12 years after that?

The first novel in the trilogy, The Last Picture Show, was published in 1971; the second, Texasville, was published in 1987; and the third, Duane’s Depressed, was published in 1999.

Wow. It occurs to me that some writers might find that completely natural. Not me. All I can say is “different strokes” and “every writer is different” and all that, for sure. I’ve written other things between series novels, but the gap was only months, never years.

Speaking of that, I plan to start a new novel in the next day or two. Maybe even today. Or I might write an exploratory short story or two. Much easier (the short story is about One Event only) but I really prefer the novel form. When I’m writing a short story I’m fretting the whole time about how quickly it will be over.

As part of this weird transition, I probably won’t go back to posting the Journal every day. But when I do post, I’ll have something to say. And that probably will be more often than I’ve been posting recently.

I’ll keep up the running Numbers count below, too, not as a means of bragging but as an incentive: If I can do this, so can you. That’s always been the purpose of me posting my numbers; well, that and in the beginning to hold myself accountable.

Talk with you again when I can.

Of Interest

See “Conflict Thesaurus Entry: Public Humiliation” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/conflict-thesaurus-entry-public-humiliation/. A few years ago, this is the sort of thing I sought, and when I found it, I studied it, expanded lists, etc.

See PG’s take on “It’s Time to Radically Rethink Online Book Events” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/its-time-to-radically-rethink-online-book-events/.

The Numbers

Fiction words yesterday…………………… XXXX
Nonfiction words today…………… 480 (Journal)

Writing of (novel)

Day 1…… XXXX words. Total words to date…… XXXXX

Total fiction words for the month……… XXXXX
Total fiction words for the year………… 309655
Total nonfiction words for the month… 1260
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 132420
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 442075

Calendar Year 2020 Novels to Date…………………… 5
Calendar Year 2020 Novellas to Date……………… X
Calendar Year 2020 Short Stories to Date… 12
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 50
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 208
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31