In today’s Journal
* Quotes of the Day
* Started a new novel
* From David Farland (Dave Wolverton)
* The Numbers
Quotes of the Day
“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. Mark Twain (via The Passive Voice)
“This is what Stephen King would write like if Stephen King could really write.” One reviewer of a Richard Bachman novel
“‘Master your instrument,’ Charlie Parker once advised. ‘Master the music and then forget all that and just play.'” Michael Hall in Texas Monthly
Got started on the new novel yesterday. Not a big start, but a start. A little under the weather and it’s bitter cold in the Hovel, so I worked a couple of hours then took the rest of the day off.
I received this notice from David Farland (Wolverton) in my email yesterday. Just passing it along:
Senior Editor Wanted:
Small publisher seeks a senior editor to help create biographical books with strong political content. This person will lead a team of writers in gathering and verifying information, then craft an elegant narrative to engage and entertain a national audience. The successful candidate needs to be highly intelligent and capable, able to recall facts and work with people, with strong writing and editing skills.
Full time, salary negotiable.
To apply, send a brief resume to Dave Wolverton at mystorydoctor@gmail.com.
That’s it for today. Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “Crowdfunding Your Fiction” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/crowdfunding-your-fiction/.
See “Known Alias: How Stephen King Was Outed as Richard Bachman” at https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502166/how-stephen-king-was-outed-richard-bachman.
See “Self-Employed Freelance Taxes: Everything You Need to Know” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/self-employed-freelance-taxes-everything-you-need-to-know/.
See “Trigger: The Life of Willie Nelson’s Guitar” at https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/trigger/. Something for guitar players.
See “Fun Hunting A Killer” at https://killzoneblog.com/2021/03/fun-hunting-a-killer.html. Nothing about writing but maybe fun for people who enjoy games.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………………… 310 words
Writing of The Journey Home: Part 9 (novel)
Day 1…… 2019 words. Total words to date…… 2019
Total fiction words for March……… 39007
Total fiction words for the year………… 238015
Total nonfiction words for March… 13230
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 59260
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 297278
Calendar Year 2021 Novels to Date…………………… 5
Calendar Year 2021 Novellas to Date……………… X
Calendar Year 2021 Short Stories to Date… 3
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 59
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 217
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31
Disclaimer: In this blog, I provide advice on writing fiction. I advocate a technique called Writing Into the Dark. To be crystal clear, WITD is not “the only way” to write, nor will I ever say it is. However, as I am the only writer who advocates it both regularly and publicly, I will continue to do so, among myriad other topics.