Hey Folks,
Topic: On Original Thought
Know what? Anyone who wants to be a writer should strive, every day, to have at least one original thought. On politics, religion, social hot buttons, or whatever.
To become a successful writer — by which I mean a writer who turns out work regularly and that work is regularly sold and read — the writer should strive ALL day every day to have original thoughts.
If you’re mimicking the sound bites that pass for news and social repartéé — well, good for you. But chances are, you won’t be successful, or not as successful as you could be.
So strive to have original thoughts. Then put them in your writing.
Don’t utter them aloud unless you’re among like-minded friends. Or maybe even then.
Really, there are no “like-minded” friends. If the collective of humanity had to be described by only one phrase, it would be “herd mentality.” If by one word, it would be “cliché.”
The cliché — well, you all know what a cliché is. And the herd mentality is an ugly, puke-grey-green-with-yellow-streaks-and-blotchy-pink-splotches communicable and highly contagious disease. It issues forth into the collective from an individual desire for acceptance.
See? Now that’s an original thought. It’s somewhat repulsive, but it’s also enticing. But I’ll bet you’re still reading.
Probably you’re thinking ‘Welp, Harvey’s off on another rant.’ To accompany that, you’re either grinning and wondering whether I’m about to write something with which you’ll agree.
Or you’re frowning a little and wondering whether what I’m about to write will be worth a counter argument on your part.
So you’re either about to have a little party in your mind or you’re girding your loins, so to speak, for battle.
But you’re wrong. That isn’t what this is about at all.
I actually have zero interest in causing you to think a certain way, to abide by a certain philosophy.
My only interest is that you be successful. That you experience for yourself a series of one-off thoughts that nobody else who has ever lived on this planet has experienced.
And who knows? Maybe that’s an even better definition of success in general than the one I offered earlier.
Today, and Writing
Probably no writing today. Striving to finish a copyedit of a novel today.
I actually wrote a little today, but just another opening that didn’t work. So I’m not counting it. (grin)
See you tomorrow.
Of Interest
From Digital Book World via The Passive Voice, see “8 Top Publishing Lessons Authors Need To Know” at http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2017/8-top-publishing-lessons-authors-need-to-know/. (Be careful not to swallow this article whole.)
DWS continues to impress with his current challenge. http://deanwesleysmith.com.
Fiction Words: XXXX
Nonfiction Words: 450 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 450
Writing of
Day 1…… XXXX words. Total words to date…… XXXXX
Total fiction words for the month……… XXXX
Total fiction words for the year………… 337957
Total nonfiction words for the month… 2730
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 110560
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 448517
The Daily Journal blog streak……………………………………… 588 days
Calendar Year 2017 Novel Goal (15 novels or novellas)………………… 7 novels or novellas
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 25
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 4
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……………………………… 179