The Journal, Thursday, 9/17: Critical Mind. Ugh.

When asked what advice he would give new writers, Ray Bradbury said, “Write at least a thousand words a day for ten years. Write at least a short story every week of your life, or its equivalent in essay form, play form or the novel. … Habit is everything. Learning one’s craft is locked into habit.” So there you go. Got a good night’s sleep last night despite the idiot dog across the way doing his bark-at-nothing … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, 9/16: Challenges

Well, rolled out a little before 2 this morning. I was wide awake when I got up, but I’ve been tired most of the day. My hobby is photography. I started it mostly so I could take my own cover shots for my books. I have a decent DSLR (Sony SLT A65) and some limited knowledge how to take good pics. Like writing, it takes practice more than anything else. But I have very limited technical knowledge … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, 9/15: Have Fun

Up right at 2 this morning at my little girl’s insistence. It’s all good. She’s a good baby. I’m being lazy this morning. It took me over an hour to email a response to a lady who runs a nonprofit. Stuff about how to do things on her WordPress website. Yep, I still haven’t learned. Well, they either take the advice or they don’t. It isn’t like I’m getting royalties. Yawn. I saw a video (posted … Read more

The Journal, Monday, 9/14: Farewell, Smashwords, and Why

Up a little before 2 this morning. Email responses and playing catch up with a little reading filled the first half-hour of the day. I didn’t drop by Dean’s site a second time yesterday so I did that as part of my waking up ritual this morning. By the way, if you haven’t heard of Storybundle.com, check it out. I don’t buy every bundle that comes out, but every now and then they have one I … Read more

News of Import to Authors

Hey Folks, This is not part of the usual sequence and it will be very short. If you’re a writer and/or an indie publisher, this is some VERY exciting news. The 2015 Author Earnings Report just came out. It turns out ebooks are NOT declining as reported by traditional publishing’s “Big 5.” Ebook sales by traditional publishers are declining. It turns out, indie published ebooks are on the increase. They also are taking a lot larger market share. … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, 9/13: Writing When You Can

Up right at 3 this morning. The writing and tending to the kitten took their toll so I slept longer than usual, but she seems to be doing much better this morning. She spent a lot of time yesterday and last night resting and healing. It’s odd how much she can put up with and how stoic she is about it. Humans could learn a great deal from little wonders like my girl. I’ve learned tons … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, 9/12

Up a little before 2 this morning. Writing before 3:30. A little delay this morning because I was (and am) tending to my kitten. Yesterday, something outside scared her badly. She raced in, then through the house looking for a place to hide. For some reason she didn’t hide in her safe place under the bed. Instead she ran back into the kitchen, up on the counter, then up on the cabinets. The tops of those … Read more

The Journal, Friday, 9/11: Going On the Cheap

Up right at 2 this morning. Again, by 3 a.m. I was writing. That’ll work. The retraining continues. I’m noticing I seem to have less self-discipline the older I get. Is that how it’s supposed to work? No walking today. With over 7 miles two days ago and almost 6 miles yesterday, I’m taking a day off from walking. Okay, got a lot of writing done today as well as a cover for “Finding Harold.” It … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, 9/10: Life Happens

Checked email first thing this morning per usual. I received a request to write a foreword for an anthology being published by Creative Writing Institute. I’ve told them I’ll do it. Rolled out a little after 2, and by 3 a.m. I was writing. Woohoo! The retraining is in progress. I wrote awhile with a couple breaks, then went to walk a local arroyo about 6. Again left my camera in the pickup and just walked. … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, 9/8: Challenges

Rolled out a little before 2 this morning. I think I’m almost caught up on my rest. Still, not much in the mood to write, although I’d better GET in the mood as the clock is ticking for the next short story. (grin) Again I didn’t do much this morning but catch up on more of my preferred reading. Later I also opened all the pics (over 400) from the Gila trip. I separated out the … Read more