In today’s Journal
* Quotes of the Day
* Note: Gilbert Bassey
* I’m writing again
* Dean’s at it again
* Sorry about the snow and ice
* The Numbers
Quotes of the Day
“Story is about emotional manipulation.” Gilbert Bassey
“[S]tories are the most powerful creations of mankind.” Gilbert Bassey
“In an era when Woke culture apparently has the power to turn business executives of all sorts into quivering and spineless pools of goo, a morals clause can be dangerous to a traditionally-published author’s financial and emotional health, both presently and in the future.” The Passive Guy
and yet another broad statement from someone who obviously hasn’t met everyone…
“[Y]ou may not want to admit [it], but you really care about selling books.” David Farland Sigh.
Note: Gilbert Bassey is a writer, filmmaker, and story consultant dedicated to telling great stories and helping other writers do the same. I’m hoping he will be an exciting new source for valid writing advice.
You can subscribe to his free Storycraft newsletter and get a free PDF copy of the happy-sad ending builder. I subscribed and I recommend it. Sounds as if there are gems to be mined here if you remember to keep what works for you and toss out what doesn’t.
Well, I finally decided to stop whining, get over myself, and start my next novel. As I suspected it might, it will be Book 7 in the Future of Humanity (FOH) series.
Part of my problem was that I’d just finished writing a very different science fiction novel, one in which time travel via portals played a major role.
That’s very different than writing all the stories that crop up on a generation ship on a 140-year journey into the future with no time-warp portals included. (grin)
So for a couple of days I was Thinking (oops, conscious critical mind) about maybe writing another time-travel novel in that world, or maybe writing another installment of the FOH series, or maybe writing an installment of the FOH series that included time travel somehow, and on and on and on.
Finally yesterday morning I remembered to stop Thinking and just write. And I had a pretty good first day on the new novel. Shows what can happen when you stop whining and start writing. (grin)
Dean’s at it again, chronicling in his blog “How to Write a Novel in Half a Month.” If you follow along, you probably will pick up some gems along the way about scheduling and perseverence and especially “keep coming back.”
I’ll follow along and add the posts to “Of Interest” below.
I realize I’ve been remiss in not mentioning the plague of snow and ice storms across the US over the past week or so.
Although I don’t watch television news, I’m in touch with enough writers from diverse parts of the US to know that much of the nation has been and is currently suffering various outages due to bad weather, specifically snow storms and ice storms.
I am fortunate in that I am not, but I empathize. Been there, done that. I wish you all electricity, warmth, and a return to whatever is normal for you in the nearest possible future.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “Day One: Writing a Novel in Half a Month” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/day-one-writing-a-novel-in-half-a-month/.
See “Story Resolutions: Mastering the Happy-Sad Ending” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/story-resolutions-mastering-the-happy-sad-ending/. I recommend clicking through to the OP.
See “Writing a Bestseller Novel in Three Easy Steps” at https://mystorydoctor.com/writing-a-bestseller-novel-in-three-easy-steps/.
See “How Getting Canceled on Social Media Can Derail a Book Deal” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/how-getting-canceled-on-social-media-can-derail-a-book-deal/. See PG’s very important take.
See “Yesterday’s Absence” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/yesterdays-absence/. In which PG denigrates false skiiers.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………………… 610 words
Writing of The Journey Home: Part 7 (novel)
Day 1…… 6065 words. Total words to date…… 6065
Total fiction words for February……… 67867
Total fiction words for the year………… 165344
Total nonfiction words for February… 13210
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 38540
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 203884
Calendar Year 2021 Novels to Date…………………… 3
Calendar Year 2021 Novellas to Date……………… X
Calendar Year 2021 Short Stories to Date… 1
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 57
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 215
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31