Writing Off Into the Dark, Revisited

Hey Folks, I encourage you to read this post even if you think you’ve heard it before. Especially if you don’t get it. I’m coming at it from a new direction. When I was a GED/college instructor, and later when I taught writing seminars, I soon found that not all students “got it” when I approached a topic from a certain perspective. So I soon learned to gauge student reactions, most notably their eyes or the … Read more

The Journal, Monday, 3/13

Hey Folks, Well, both yesterday and this morning I thought I’d finish this short novel today. Ain’t gonna happen. It’ll wrap tomorrow, though, no problem. This is kind of a “pulp detective” novel. A lot of tension, a lot of detail. So a lot of cycling. Thank goodness for computers, eh? The old pulp guys wrote on typewriters and they were paid by the word. So they learned their craft. They didn’t have cycling, and they … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, 3/12

Hey Folks, I talk a lot in this Journal about Dean Wesley Smith and his lectures and workshops. One reason for that is that he (along with his wife, Kristine Kathryn Rusch) is a long-term fiction writer who has made his living with his writing for about four decades. Lest you think they write only SF, they don’t. Both of them write across all genres. And unlike most writers in their position, they (and especially Dean) … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, 3/11

Hey Folks, Wow, announcement remorse, eh? Yesterday I announced I plan to do a seminar and a workshop in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas and in Cochise County Arizona. I believe I was thinking out loud. When I read the announcement myself in the post, I finally got a clue. If I do that, it will be in the future. Far enough in the future so I can set up a large venue and Fill … Read more

The Journal, Friday, 3/10

Hey Folks, Well, like the man said, Another day, another two dolla’s an’ fo’ty cent. I’ve learned a great deal about the craft of writing over the past couple of years. In that time, I stopped teaching seminars in order to focus more tightly on my own writing. Also in that time, I’ve written 22 novels, 2 novellas, and over 160 short stories. I’m currently working on my 23rd novel, and before this month is out, … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, 3/9

Hey Folks, Well, I should have mostly a full day of writing today. Still having a little trouble actually writing the whole time I’m in the chair. (grin) Just gotta keep working on it. Today, and Writing Rolled out at 3:30 and made it out to the Hovel by 7:30. Jumped right back into an unfinished scene from yesterday. Also wrote a reverse outline for what I’ve done so far. Wow. Cycling, and by 10 I … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, 3/8

Hey Folks, Not much of a journal up here today. Everything’s in the “Today and Writing” and “Of Interest” sections. Today, and Writing Rolled out a 4. Didn’t get out to the Hovel until a little after 8. But at least I’m awake, showered, fed etc. and expecting a good day on the novel. To the novel around 8:20. Cycling ’til around 9:30, a break, then writing/cycling ’til around 10:20, break to get some more tea. … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, 3/7

Hey Folks, Well, my grandson is off today unless he gets called in. So he’s up at the house working his way through his GED book. I, on the other hand, am out in the Hovel where I shall endeavor to persevere in the insane challenge I set for myself a few days ago. (grin) A few thoughts on getting up early… It isn’t really necessary to my writing, as I long since gave up on … Read more

Write Honest Dialogue, You Racist Swine

Hi Folks, The following is a guest post by my friend, professional fiction writer and ghost writer Dan Baldwin. Billy Ray Watkins stood in the doorway of the old shack where the unfortunate sharecropper was kept prisoner. Watkins, 300 pounds of angry bigotry and hate, pounded his fist, sneered and wiped the chewing tobacco spittle from his lips. He grinned and said, “You lacking-in-a-proper education, fatherless son of the African veldt, I’m going to smack the … Read more

The Journal, Monday, 3/6

Hey Folks, Okay, venting alert. But this also morphs into a kind of topic. Down in the “Of Interest” section, you’ll find that Dean and Kris are bringing Pulphouse magazine back. Stage One of my automatic response was good for them. I was glad to hear it. Still am, actually. An additional publication = another stream of revenue for them. And during Stage Two, which I admit followed closely on the heels of Stage One (because … Read more