The Sentence

In today’s Journal

* Quote of the Day
* The Sentence
* Of Interest

Quote of the Day

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” James Baldwin (the original quote)

Confused much? Here’s a translation into active voice:

“You can’t change every problem you face, but you can’t change any that you don’t face.” James Baldwin (paraphrased into active voice)

The Sentence

I really didn’t expect to post this. I looked up and there it was. I’m reminded of a line uttered by Pacino (as Michael Corleone) during a scene in Godfather III: “Just when I think I’m out….”

I enjoyed a tongue-in-cheek “argument” yesterday with another commenter on a post on The Passive Voice. You might like it.

To begin, see my comment at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/and-dont-start-sentences-with-a-conjunction/#comment-467129.

Then see Mr. Hershberger’s response just below that, and then my blog-post length final retort.

Barring a discussion of “the sentence vs. the period sentence,” in the past I might have asked, “Can anyone refute the definition of the sentence?” It’s such a simple concept, I wouldn’t have thought so.

But today, as with almost all other topics, I would have to ask, “Can anyone REASONABLY refute the definition of the sentence?”

Then again—and again as with almost all other topics in this topsy-turvy, me-me-me new world—it really doesn’t matter as long as a basic understanding is there.

But really, we can leave spats over whether or not a particular grouping of words is a sentence to people who enjoy employing one-upsmanship and those who enjoy slapping them down. For fiction writers, if a thought is complete In Context, that’s good enough. We’re going for Story, not Typing.

I didn’t write yesterday.

Talk with you again soon.

Of Interest

See “Thinking About Next Year” at https://deanwesleysmith.com/thinking-about-next-year/.

See “10 English slang terms you need to know in 2022” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/10-english-slang-terms-you-need-to-know-in-2022/. I don’t like other people presuming to know what I “need.” Anyway, unless we’re writing something that includes a Brit character, I’m not sure why we “need” to know these, but whatever.

See “9 British slang words you need to know” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/9-british-slang-words-you-need-to-know/.

The Numbers

The Journal…………………………………… 340 words

Writing of Santa Fe (novel, tentative title)

Day 1…… 3877 words. Total words to date…… 3877
Day 2…… 3460 words. Total words to date…… 7337
Day 3…… 2011 words. Total words to date…… 9348
Day 4…… 1050 words. Total words to date…… 10398
Day 5…… 3673 words. Total words to date…… 14071
Day 6…… 2501 words. Total words to date…… 16572
Day 7…… XXXX words. Total words to date…… XXXXX

Total fiction words for December……… XXXX
Total fiction words for the year………… 214974
Total nonfiction words for December… 1070
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 199150
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 414124

Calendar Year 2022 Novels to Date…………………… 2
Calendar Year 2022 Novellas to Date……………… 0
Calendar Year 2022 Short Stories to Date… 0
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 68
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 217
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31

Disclaimer: In this blog I have shared my experiences, good and bad, as a prolific professional fiction writer. Because It Makes Sense, I trust my characters to tell the story that they, not I, are living. This greatly increases my productivity and provides the fastest possible ascension along the learning curve of Craft because I get a great deal more practice at actually writing.