Hey Folks,
A few days ago, a friend sent me an email: “You think too much.”
I could only respond with a smiley face.
I do understand why “you think too much” would appear to readers of this Journal to be true. After all, the point of the Journal is to bare the most intimate details and thought processes of my writing life, with the ultimate goal of maybe cutting the learning curve a bit for you, the subscribers.
But I assure you, I only think “too much” here, in this Journal. And really, I don’t know that I’m thinking too much as probably sharing too much.
I’m very aware that one of my weaknesses has been conveying too much information (TMI), whether speaking aloud or in nonfiction writing like this Journal. I’ve been that way since my early childhood, so I doubt I’ll change now.
For example, my wife often says I’m “too specific.” When she asks where something is, I might say it’s “near the back right corner of the third drawer from the top in my desk.”
I just can’t bring myself to offer up a soup sandwich like “It’s in my desk” or “It’s in a drawer in my desk.”
I actually want to say “…the third drawer from the top in the pedestal in my desk” but I assume the prepositional phrase “from the top” adequately implies that the drawer is in the pedestal. (grin)
Of course, I’m joking. But I’m not exaggerating. I DO think like that, but I would elaborate on it only here. You know, by way of explanation.
And, as Bill Shakespeare might say, “There’s the rub.”
That “by way of explanation” thing is why I elaborate to such an elaborate degree (isn’t English wonderful?). I prefer to leave no room for misunderstanding, a hopeless goal where human beings are involved if ever there was one.
So think too much? Maybe, maybe not.
Share too much? Definitely. If I didn’t, there would be no basis to believe I think too much. (grin)
***
Thanks to my friend, Robert Sadler, for the excellent poem he wrote as a take-off on my “desk” essay from a few days ago. Absolutely excellent.
I almost wrote a few days ago that Dean seems as stalled as I am. Kind of eerie. You can see the culmination of that in https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/auction-and-other-fun-things-today/.
Then today, he began offering a new nonfiction book (this after he has planned to write two novels in December). This will be an important book for some of us, especially given the gems Dean often drops along the way seemingly without even realizing it.
Dean’s new offering will be a book for writers on ways to beat critical thinking. To see the announcement and the introduction, please visit https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/beating-critical-voice-for-fiction-writers/. He plans to post succeeding chapters on his blog, so I hope you’ll follow along.
IMPORTANT: If you don’t already visit Dean’s site every day as part of your routine, and if you’re serious about your writing, please do so. The existence of this Journal (and by extension, my “Of Interest” section) is not guaranteed.
I probably won’t be back with another edition of this Journal unless and until I start writing fiction again.
Finally, in lieu of the “Of Interest” section, for an excellent article on scene structure, see “A Scene Template For New Writers” (don’t let the title throw you) at https://killzoneblog.com/2017/12/a-scene-template-for-new-writers.html.
IF YOU HAVEN’T established a habit of visiting the sites I mention regularly here, you can always find them in my Quick Links (left sidebar of my main website) and/or on the Writer Resources page on that site.
Fiction Words: XXXX
Nonfiction Words: 600 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 600
Writing of “”
Day 1…… XXXX words. Total words to date…… XXXX (done)
Total fiction words for the month……… XXXX
Total fiction words for the year………… 453762
Total nonfiction words for the month… 1960
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 177513
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 631275
Calendar Year 2017 Novels to Date………………………… 9
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 27
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 4
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……………………………… 182