Hi Folks, I’ve long needed a specific incentive to do anything, to strive toward any goal, to achieve any level of success. I love telling stories. But that doesn’t provide me with the appropriate incentive to spend hours in the chair writing. I’d also love to make a good living with sales of my fiction, but because I’m a realist, that doesn’t provide even the slightest impetus. The fact is, these things take time, and frankly, … Read more
Hey Folks, I’m sending this to all subscribers to the Pro Writers blog and the Free Story of the Week posts. The Pro Writers posts will resume on Tuesday, June 27. This is a special post to notify you of updates and some exciting news. The Free Story of the Week will be supplanted with the challenge I outline below. Basically, I’m decluttering and revamping my websites, and I’m prepping to begin a new long-term writing … Read more
Hey Folks, Well, I’m back in St. David. Left Alamo this morning around 2:30 a.m. and got here at around 8. It was a good trip, and very enjoyable, but I need to get back to what I do. Although I hoped to write while I was gone, it just wasn’t in the cards. For one thing, on the travel days I was tireder than I used to be after a trip like that. On the … Read more
Hey Folks, Well, zero fiction writing yesterday. Frankly, the trip took more out of me than I expected it to. No AC in my pickup currently, so it was six hours of heat, being buffeted by the wind, and noise. (grin) A true adventure. And it was only six hours, but it’s been a long time since I did a road trip of any significant length. Anyway, so last night, after squaring away a few things … Read more
Hey Folks, Traveling a bit later today, so I’ll post this early. If I have a chance to update it later, I’ll do so. If not, well, at least there’s this. I expect to write the whole time I’m gone. Well, each day that I’m gone. That will provide a bit of a challenge in itself. I think maybe I’m gonna put together a Kickstarter campaign. Definitely going to look into it. I have an idea … Read more
Hi Folks, Recently I undertook a personal challenge in my writing. In writing, challenges are often attached to goals. This one was no different. The challenge was to write at least one short story every day for the month of June 2017. Additionally, almost as an afterthought and to make the challenge a little more difficult, I decided to undertake it “in public.” A few decades ago, Harlan Ellison set up a desk in a storefront … Read more
Hey Folks, Well, I’ve taught my grandson Bryan about as much as I can teach him. I expected the situation to resolve this week one way or the other. But my part in it resolved yesterday. At my son’s invitation, Bryan chose to go north with him to Flagstaff, a much larger area with great opportunities. If Job Corps calls and he decides to still go with them, I’ll arrange to get him to Tucson. If … Read more
Hey Folks, Okay, first, Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. I hope you have a great day. I’m sending this out early, and then I plan to have a good day myself. Topic: Website Stuff This morning I worked to revise the postings on my new Writing in Public blog at hstanbrough.com. I deleted the old email plugin and added a new one. Then I scheduled Jobs Like That (the novella) to repost … Read more
Hey Folks, My son is down from Flagstaff, so I thought this would be a nonwriting day, but it doesn’t feel like a nonwriting day. So I guess we’ll see. Topic: Falling Off Heinlein’s Rules Wow. I’m so close to falling off Heinlein’s Rules it isn’t even funny. And not the ones you would think of first (Rules 1, 2, or 3). I’m all set to fall off of Rule 4. Frankly, it would be a … Read more
Hey Folks, I’m adding this note late: I’ve decided to serialize my novella, Jobs Like That, over on the Writing in Public website at http://hstanbrough.com. If you’d like to receive an email each time a new installment is posted, drop by there and sign up for a free subscription. This thing is heavy on detail and grounding the reader in the scene. For genres, it’s heavy on action-adventure with a considerable chunk of romance tossed in. … Read more