Hey Folks,
Just in case it wasn’t obvious to anyone out there, my previous Journal entry was a sarcasm-laden spoof.
Upright is not a matter of degree. Neither, at least for me, is it a perpetual state. But like a goal, it’s something I strive for.
There’s a fine line between encouraging false hope and preying on those who fall for it, and encouraging writers to believe in themselves and their own abilities.
Anyone who promises to solve all your problems and make you a success (for a fee in real life or free in politics) is probably a scammer.
Those who attempt to help you along on your journey, offer encouragement to believe in your own abilities and explain that you still have to do the actual work yourself are probably legitimate.
By the way, I adapted the title of one of Howard Nemerov’s poems for the title of one of my spoof blog posts in yesterday’s Journal. A link to the poem is in “Of Interest.”
One commenter on the post containing Nemerov’s poem wrote (anonymously) “This had nothing to do with making big money.” Here, I’ll just write (grin), but when I read that comment I actually chortled. I’m not entirely sure I’ve ever chortled before, and I have to admit I found it a great stress reliever.
On a more serious note, Howard Nemerov was among the world’s greatest poets. His “Collected Works” won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize one year (I believe it was 1978). Along with Yeats and Frost, he formed my personal triad when I was learning how to write blank verse.
Just more copyediting for me today. I hope to finish this one by close of business tomorrow. Then I have another, much shorter copyedit to do. After that, it’s back to my own writing. I hope that will happen no later than Monday.
See you soon.
Of Interest
See “Make Big Money at Home! Write Poems in Spare Time!” at http://poemhunter.blogspot.com/2007/08/make-big-money-at-home-write-poems-in.html.
See “All July Workshops Started” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/all-july-workshops-started/.
See “The Procrastination Habit” at https://killzoneblog.com/2018/07/the-procrastination-habit.html.
See “Too Busy for a Book Club? Join an Online Version” at http://www.thepassivevoice.com/too-busy-for-a-book-club-join-an-online-version/. Hmmm. Maybe I should start something like this.
Don’t forget that Kris Rusch is still posting a free short story every Monday (this week it’s “The Silence”) on her site at https://kriswrites.com/2018/07/09/free-fiction-monday-the-silence-2/. There isn’t a better contemporary master of short fiction.
Fiction Words: XXXX
Nonfiction Words: 410 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 410
Writing of
Day 1…… XXXX words. Total words to date…… XXXX
Total fiction words for the month……… 2946
Total fiction words for the year………… 237162
Total nonfiction words for the month… 7740
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 86916
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 323828
Calendar Year 2018 Novels to Date………………………… 5
Calenday Year 2018 Novellas to Date…………………… 2
Calendar Year 2018 Short Stories to Date……… 11
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 31
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 6
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………………… 193