The Journal: What the Journal Is All About

In today’s Journal

* I lost a whole day
* What the Journal is all about
* A new comment policy
* About Atlas Obscura
* Today
* Of Interest
* The Numbers

I lost a whole day yesterday, but I brought it on myself. I’m out here in public, an easy target for anyone who wants to snipe, but that doesn’t mean I have to belabor you with the specifics.

You might take a lesson from all of this though: People who don’t know you will hear whatever they want to hear, whatever suits their purpose and gives them ammunition. Be careful out there.

I had to remind myself this Journal is all about moving forward, not standing still or looking back.

I talk here about my own writing process (writing into the dark) and of course, I recommend it. Just as David Farland and most of those on the Kill Zone blog and dozens of others recommend outlining, rewriting, etc. And I often share their posts with you in “Of Interest.”

And why wouldn’t I recommend WITD? I want to pay it forward, and afford every writer who follows me at least the opportunity to enjoy the freedoms afforded by the process. Of course, whether or not you try it and whether or not you stay with it if you do try it are completely up to you. Really. I did my part in making you aware of it. I’m not tied to outcome. So that’s all I’m going to say about that.

But the Journal is about a lot more than WITD.

For example, it’s about learning specific new techniques and applying them (practicing them) in your next story. I’ll be sharing a lot of specific techniques in topics here in the future, including some I’ll copy over from my former “big blog” at HarveyStanbrough.com.

It’s also about being excited about creating something brand new where there was nothing before (no matter your process of creation). And realizing that creating something new is all within your grasp and in your hands.

And finally, it’s about letting you see what’s possible when you sit down, put your fingers on the keyboard, and write. Some of you don’t need that. Some of you do, maybe. Up to you. But that’s why I share my short story or novel progress and my monthly and annual numbers below.

I’ve instituted a new comment policy on all websites for which I’m the administrator. I won’t allow negative or hateful or baiting comments through, even if the author is obviously (to me) joking.

If a comment is otherwise positive or helpful or worthwhile, I’ll let through an edited version with either “[edited out]” or a different word substituted and set off in brackets [] for any material I consider offensive toward anyone.

If you don’t yet subscribe to Atlas Obscura, you might consider it. It’s a wealth of bite-sized information and story ideas. Visit “Atlas Obscura” at https://www.atlasobscura.com/.

In just today’s issue, they have articles on a 272 year old philosopher, “A Hard Dung’s NIght,” and an article on the ruins of the oldest oilfield boomtown in California, among others.

For the record and just to be absolutely clear, I’m not “mandating” that you sign up for the free Atlas Obscura newsletter. I’m only mentioning it as something that might interest you.

Today, I finally got to the novel at around 4:30. Before I looked up at 6, I’d written a little over 1700 words. The count surprised me. I like surprises like that. A good start on the day.

After breakfast, I returned to the Hovel, still in my sweats. My jeans recently have been cutting me in two.

For those who like personal tidbits…

My back makes it difficult to walk any distance—I’m not complaining; it’s just what it is—so I’ve been gaining weight again over the past couple of months. My feet have started to swell too, indicating I’m moving back into heart failure.

So I have no realistic choice. I’m gonna have to take my cane and start walking distance again. (But don’t worry. I don’t plan to update you on miles walked, etc.)

I’ve got to get my weight down again. Which is one reason I’ve been going so hard at the writing lately. I’d prefer to have at least my 3000 words done for the day before I go walk.

End of personal tidbits and back to the novel.

I managed over 3200 words and plan to walk for awhile.

Talk with you again soon.

Of Interest

See “That’s Unreadable – Lessons for Unruly Writers” at https://prowriterswriting.com/thats-unreadable-lessons-for-unruly-writers/.

See “The Biggest Mistake New Novelists and Memoirists Make” at https://annerallen.com/2020/03/biggest-mistake-novelists-and-memoirists/. I don’t agree with all of this post, but there’s a lot of gold in it.

See “Something Fun…” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/something-fun/.

See “Deep Dive into Craft: First Page Critique” at https://killzoneblog.com/2020/03/deep-dive-into-craft-first-page-critique.html.

See “Author Blogging: 5 Reasons to Start and 3 Ways to Do It Right” at https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2020/03/author-blogging-5-reasons-to-start-and-3-ways-to-do-it-right/.

See “Dynamic Character vs. Static Character: Definitions and Differences” at https://blog.reedsy.com/dynamic-character/.

See “22 Specialized Manuscript Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions” at https://www.authorspublish.com/22-specialized-manuscript-publishers-that-accept-direct-submissions/.

See “Simon & Schuster Is Up for Sale” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/simon-schuster-is-up-for-sale/. I recommend you read this as a precursor to the Business Musings post you’ll see on Thursday from Kris Rusch.

The Numbers

Fiction words today…………………… 3285
Nonfiction words today…………… 870 (Journal)

Writing of The Othgygnrkthers (tentative title, novel)

Day 1…… 3863 words. Total words to date…… 3863
Day 2…… 2408 words. Total words to date…… 6261
Day 3…… 3116 words. Total words to date…… 9377
Day 4…… 3051 words. Total words to date…… 12428
Day 5…… 3285 words. Total words to date…… 15713

Total fiction words for the month……… 21653
Total fiction words for the year………… 158348
Total nonfiction words for the month… 11090
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 65570
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 223918

Calendar Year 2020 Novels to Date…………………… 3
Calendar Year 2020 Novellas to Date……………… X
Calendar Year 2020 Short Stories to Date… 6
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 48
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 202
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31