In today’s Journal
* Quotes of the day
* DWS Announcement
* The Prolific Writer podcast
* In the first link below, Dave Farland
* Today
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Quotes of the Day
“Writing is not magic. It’s a combination of art and craft.” Laura Benedict
“For most of Earth’s history, Venus may have been the nearest habitable planet and possibly even home to a thriving biosphere. … They may even have very occasionally exchanged life….” David Grinspoonin an article for Nautilus
In the February 5 post on his website, Dean Wesley Smith announced, “[I]f you are thinking about the mentor program with me, when this Kickstarter is over, that’s the end of them. I won’t offer them again. … Questions, feel free to write me.” Just wanted to let you know. If you’re on the fence about taking a mentorship with him, I suggest emailing him.
I visited The Prolific Writer website this morning and was dismayed to see that the main page hasn’t been updated.
That’s all well and good. I understand the owner, Ryan J. Pelton, has decided to move on once his current stock of interviews is depleted. But I thought he would add the new interviews to his main page as a nod to those he interviews. Apparently I was wrong.
My interview was Episode 113. The last episode showcased on the main site was Episode 111 from October 11. So my interview is available only to those I told about it, most of whom don’t need it because they hear from me enough already. (grin)
Still, I only consented to do the interview in the first place because I thought it might serve to help me find a broader audience. Which it won’t and can’t because it’s buried in the site. That being said, I have friends in the same boat, so I want to help get the word out at least a little.
When I went to the original link to my episode to see whether it was still there (it was), I also clicked “Episodes > All Episodes” in the upper right hand corner and came across Episode 115, in which my friend Phillip McCollum was interviewed. I encourage you to give it a listen. It’s the third link in “Of Interest” below.
In the first link below, Dave Farland talks about several “senses.” He talks about the same five physical senses good writers use in every major scene: how a setting looks, feels, tastes, smells and sounds filtered through the POV character’s five physical senses. I enjoyed Dave’s take on the other “senses” too, which I’ve always recommended injecting via the POV character’s OPINION of the setting.
Filter the setting through the POV character’s physical senses AND provide his or her opinion and you’ll pull your reader deep into the story.
I rolled out late this morning but finished the short story by 7:30, then headed to the house for a break. I was pretty sure this short story wouldn’t turn into a novel, and it didn’t. It wrapped in just over 4000 words. Oh well. On to the next story.
The break turned into a trip to the grocery for necessities. I might or might not write anymore today.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “Appealing to the Senses” at https://mystorydoctor.com/appealing-to-the-senses-2/.
See “That’s All, she wrote” at https://killzoneblog.com/2020/02/thats-all-she-wrote.html.
See “Phillip McCollum on 52 Stories in 52 Weeks” (podcast) at http://theprolificwriter.libsyn.com/tpw-115-phillip-mccollum-on-52-stories-in-52-weeks. The interview begins at about 6:02. (Thanks for tne nod, Phillip.)
See “What is an Epilogue — and How To Write One Readers Won’t Forget” at https://blog.reedsy.com/what-is-an-epilogue/.
See “What He Said” at https://prowriterswriting.com/what-he-said/.
See “The Romantic Venus We Never Knew” at https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-romantic-venus-we-never-knew. (Maybe a story or stories idea for a long-past solar system?)
See “21 Phrases You Use Without Realizing You’re Quoting Shakespeare” at https://getpocket.com/explore/item/21-phrases-you-use-without-realizing-you-re-quoting-shakespeare.
The Numbers
Fiction words today…………………… 803
Nonfiction words today…………… 620 (Journal)
Writing of “No Attention At All” (short story)
Day 1…… 3404 words. Total words to date…… 3404
Day 2…… 0803 words. Total words to date…… 4207 (done)
Total fiction words for the month……… 6913
Total fiction words for the year………… 72457
Total nonfiction words for the month… 2590
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 33850
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 106307
Calendar Year 2020 Novels to Date…………………… 2
Calendar Year 2020 Novellas to Date……………… X
Calendar Year 2020 Short Stories to Date… 4
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 47
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 200
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31