The Journal, Tuesday, May 1

Hey Folks,

Well, day 3 or 4, still sick. I can literally feel the writing days and hours slipping away, and I have to tell you, it’s annoying.

I went out to the Hovel this morning and managed about 500 words in two hours. That while alternately wiping my watering eyes, repeatedly blowing my nose, etc. Maddening. I’ll wait to report those words when I’m back actually writing. Accomplishing a half-hour’s work over a 2-hour period is not something to brag about.

So I’m gonna spend the balance of today like I spent much of yesterday, trying to be patient and rest so this crud will go away.

In the meantime, I’m taking care of a few things that aren’t as involved as writing a story. I turned around my first ever first-page critique this morning, and yesterday I looked over a segment of a copyedit I did recently. I got both of those sent out.

Of course, that’s all conscious-mind stuff, so interruptions really don’t matter. It’s all facts, and facts don’t change when you’re away for a few minutes or an hour.

***

On Facebook earlier today I saw the upteenth post from a good writer whose hawking a mystery she wrote. I feel bad for her. Never have I seen so plainly delineated the difference between a Writer and an Author.

A writer is a person who writes. An author is a person who has written.

When the writer finishes a project, s/he does what’s necessary (per his/her own path to publication), then begins the next story.

When the author finishes a project, s/he hovers in place over the “accomplishment” and becomes a marketer.

Each time I see another post of that sort (which seems always in an online FB writers’ group, as if a fiction writer attempting to sell fiction to other fiction writers is a good idea), I wonder how many more books that person could have written since s/he finished the one over which s/he’s hovering.

Fortunately, no Author’s (or other writer’s) actions directly affect this writer’s bottom line or time off, so it’s only a matter of vague curiosity for occasional consideration.

***

Ugh. Due to a formula screwup, I have been reporting an erroneous combined total for fiction and nonfiction on the year. I think it’s fixed now.

See you tomorrow. ​

Of Interest

See “MADE IT! 30 Stories in 30 Days” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/made-it-30-stories-in-30-days/.

Fiction Words: XXXX
Nonfiction Words: 350 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 350

Writing of The Storytellers
Brought forward………………………………………………………………… 1304

Day 2…… 2966 words. Total words to date…… 4270
Day 3…… 4475 words. Total words to date…… 8745
Day 4…… 1718 words. Total words to date…… 10463
Day 5…… 3825 words. Total words to date…… 14228
Day 6…… 3328 words. Total words to date…… 17556
Day 7…… 3899 words. Total words to date…… 21455
Day 8…… 1227 words. Total words to date…… 22682
Day 9…… 1135 words. Total words to date…… 23817
Day 10… 1108 words. Total words to date…… 24925
Day 11… XXXX words. Total words to date…… XXXXX

Total fiction words for the month……… XXXX
Total fiction words for the year………… 161286
Total nonfiction words for the month… 350
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 49820
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 210836

Calendar Year 2018 Novels to Date………………………… 3
Calenday Year 2018 Novellas to Date…………………… 1
Calendar Year 2018 Short Stories to Date……… 0
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 30
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 5
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……………………………… 182