Fun with Aphorisms

Hi Folks, Taking a little break today for a short post and some fun. At least I hope you’ll find it fun. “Aphorism” is defined by dictionary.com as “a short pithy saying expressing a general truth.” My aphorisms sometimes come out as definitions (ala Ambrose Bierce) and are most often satirical. Here are a dozen of mine. Remember, these are tongue in cheek: apology, n. A device intended to soothe wounds and thereby put a victim … Read more

The Journal, Monday, 11/30

Hi Folks, Last day of the month. I’m hoping for a really good day to close this one out and give me some momentum going into the last month of the year. But it’ll be what it’ll be, and I’m not overly worried about it. The novel’s moving along smoothly and that’s all that matters. I’m also going to work walking back into my schedule. I always get lax when the weather turns colder, and I … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, 11/29

Hi Folks, Well, four good days in a row thus far. Before today. Missed my daily goal of 4,000 words per day on all four days, so not excellent, but good. With over 3,000 words per day on those days, that’s failing to success. Maybe I’ll tip 4,000 today. I’ve found that several times in the (now) five days I’ve been writing this novel I’ve had to remind myself that it isn’t important. It can be … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, 11/28

Hi Folks, Not really much going on today, as you’ll see below. I almost let my head back into this one for a little while. You know the drill. Feeling like I needed to “figure out” something or other. Ugh. Anyway, it turned out it was two of my characters (from different parts/times in the story) vying for my attention. (More on this below.) Once I remembered there was nothing for me to “figure out,” that … Read more

Going on the Cheap

Don’t do it. There. End of lecture. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that’s all it took? If you’re a writer and if you’re serious about your work and if you want others to take you seriously, invest in your product (your writing, your cover, your book). The rest of this post is assuming that you already are investing time and money into learning your craft (writing). But the actual writing is only the beginning of the … Read more

The Importance of Setting (and How to Write It): Part Two

Hi Folks, Okay, here is Part Two of what might be the most valuable post you’ll ever read about writing fiction. Again, I’m not kidding. (Even got the same pic in case you want to share.) The necessary preliminary stuff was in the previous post, so if you missed that one, I suggest you go back and read it first. In summary — To write a story (any length) you need only to write an opening. … Read more

Choices, and a Toast

Hey Folks, Well, here’s another interim blog post. Part Two of the writing setting posts will be here on November 11. In the meantime, two quick notes: Dean Wesley Smith, in the Topic of the Night in his Blog Post From Yesterday, which I finally found early this morning, wrote an excellent, brief article about making choices. In addition to talking about making choices, he provides a technique that really works to help you find “extra” … Read more

A Flash of Genius

Hey folks, This is one of those interim posts. This one is on continued learning. Plus it contains a news flash regarding Amazon. I even moved it up one day to get it to you a little sooner. One hallmark of a professional writer is that he or she continues to learn. Always. Often at the least likely moment, a blast of insight smacks you right between the eyes. This morning, as I write this, was … Read more

The Importance of Setting (and How to Write It): Part One

Hi Folks, This might well be the most valuable post you’ve read about writing fiction. I am not joking. I even put a picture on here so you could share it to Pinterest if you want. (grin) Okay, first, the necessary preliminary stuff. To start a story of any length, you have to write an opening. The opening most often will consist of 300 to 500 words. In the opening, you introduce a character, give him … Read more

Write What You Know — Seriously?

Howdy Folks, How many times has some pundit told you to “write what you know”? Uh, no. That is bad advice. Maybe the baddest advice ever, and I mean that in the old sense of “baddest,” before we started dumbing down the language. I mean “worst.” It’s bad advice because the connotation is that you should write ONLY what you know. So what? You’re supposed to write what you DON’T know? Yes. Of course. You should … Read more