The Journal: The Origins of Rider Jones

In today’s Journal

* The Origins of Rider Jones
* Of Interest
* The Numbers

The Origins of Rider Jones

Well, I hadn’t planned to write anything while I’m “off.” But it’s difficult to plan not to do something you do pretty much every day.

And Dean exacerbated things. In his introduction to my short story, “Rider Jones and the Portal,” in the forthcoming (May 2021) Cave Creek anthology Bitter Mountain Moonlight, he wrote in part

“Harvey Stanbrough is giving me a run at being a top productive writer in this modern world. And he might be as nimble across genres as I try to be.
Maybe better.”

He also wrote of “Rider Jones,” “If that’s not a series character name, I don’t know what is” got me. So I started what I expected to be a new short story titled “The Origins of Rider Jones.” I like origin stories.

Only thing is, as often happens when writing into the dark, now I’m not sure whether the thing will wrap as a short story, or maybe continue to be my first novella of the year, or maybe continue to be my 8th novel of the year and my 62nd overall. Whee!

I just know it’s a great story and it’s exciting to run through it with the characters as it unfolds.

So a heads-up to my first readers: if it wraps as a short story, I’ll send it to you (and my donors) as sort of a gift. And if it continues and wraps as a novella or novel, well, then I’ll be begging your able eyes once again as first readers.

Either way, I’m glad my plan to not write anything fell through. I’m having a ball.

Talk with you again soon.

Of Interest

See “Interrobang” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/interrobang/.

See “Writing Wisdom from Gary Provost” at https://killzoneblog.com/2021/04/writing-wisdom-from-gary-provost.html. Every writer is different. I can see how this might work for some writers as an outline. I can also see how any of these might work as story starters. I believe I could literally write a short story based on any of these.

See “The Power of Writing by Hand” at https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/benefits-writing-by-hand/.

See “What to Say When Someone Is Gaslighting You” at https://lifehacker.com/what-to-say-when-someone-is-gaslighting-you-1846703809. Story ideas, mystery, psychological suspense.

See “The runaway digital subscription train shows no sign of slowing” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/the-runaway-digital-subscription-train-shows-no-sign-of-slowing/.

See “Naming Fictional Characters: 10 Tips to Avoid Pitfalls” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/naming-fictional-characters-10-tips-to-avoid-pitfalls/. Maybe of value to some.

See “How to Write Science as Entertainment” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/how-to-write-science-as-entertainment/.

The Numbers

The Journal…………………………………… 440 words

Writing of The Origins of Rider Jones (short story, maybe longer)

Day 1…… 4293 words. Total words to date…… 4293

Total fiction words for April……… 60021
Total fiction words for the year………… 347098
Total nonfiction words for April… 11900
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 79300
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 426398

Calendar Year 2021 Novels to Date…………………… 7
Calendar Year 2021 Novellas to Date……………… X
Calendar Year 2021 Short Stories to Date… 3
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 61
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 WITD both publicly and regularly, I will continue to do so, among myriad other topics.