Harvey Hey Folks, NOTE: I just popped back in at 6:20 to add this and the next two paragraphs to today’s Journal. If you want to learn a TON about writing, please consider buying THE BLACK LIZARD BIG BOOK OF PULPS. You can find it at Amazon, in paper or Kindle, at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307280489/. This is nothing short of incredible, even if all you read are the foreword and the three introductions. But there are also at least a … Read more
Hey Folks, Wow. I almost forgot to even post a Journal entry today. When I know I’m going to be busy later in the day, I usually post early rather than late. So hardly anything here today. I did some reading. I’m enjoying this reading down-time a great deal, but I’ll be back up and running soon. If I’m not writing fiction by tomorrow, I will be by Monday. My back taught me a new lesson … Read more
Hey Folks, Getting a slow start on March, but that’s all right. I’m enjoying my reading. Today I have a full day. If a story idea hits and the mood to write strikes, I’ll start something. If not, I’ll continue reading. Tomorrow (Saturday) will almost certainly be a reading day. I’d like to attend the self-publishing expo in Tucson, but other non-writing things take priority. My grandson goes to work at 10 tomorrow and works until … Read more
Hey Folks, I almost started this with “Not much here today,” but I happened on a topic so…. Still reading today. No writing, though I was kind of jonesing to write earlier this morning. That’s okay. The feeling will just be stronger tomorrow. I spent most of the day reading several of the Nick Carter crime/detective/mystery pulp novels of Frederic van Rensselaer Dey. It’s obvious the guy was paid by the word (hence, a lot of … Read more
Hey Folks, Well, I promised myself yesterday I was going to take the day off to read some pulp fiction today. So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m even posting this way early so I’m not tempted. (grin) I have several PF novels in the genre that most interests me and a few in my second choice. So today will be a day filled with reading. I don’t read all the time, at least not … Read more
Hey Folks, Well, I finished the novel. A very strange process on this one that I hope I will never repeat. I think taking the day off yesterday helped a lot. I almost took today off too. I was thinking about writing a short story today, but then a transition for the current story came to mind. Kind of a missing link. (grin) I sat down, applied the transition, then just kept typing. And as has … Read more
Hi Folks, This post first was published in a slightly different version on October 10, 2016 over on the Daily Journal. I’m reposting it here because I felt it needed a broader audience and might help some of you. Got a great email from a respected writer friend recently (Thanks, JGV!) regarding my current WIP (back in October, 2015). He wrote What about doing away with the specific dimensions and leaving the images of the structures, … Read more
Hey Folks, More than likely this will be a nonwriting day. Trying to stay true to my word and just stay away from the novel today. It isn’t as easy as it sounds. But I think I can do it. It’s really weird though, taking a day to just do nothing. I’ve been spending some quality time with my Toyota 4-Runner (finally located a back window glass), chasing down an errant package online, etc. Anyway, I … Read more
Hey Folks, I’ve finally seen a pattern developing. Originally, I wanted to rise hyper-early so I could use that quiet time to write. But most early mornings I check email first in case anyone (especially any writer) needs anything. Then I visit Facebook and scroll my notifications for items of interest. (I don’t use the “newsfeed” feature.) I try to at least Like anything friends post, and comment when appropriate. After that, depending on my mood … Read more
Hey Folks, In my WIP, things are bogged down. When that happens, I’ve either written past the ending (I didn’t in this case) or I took a wrong turn. Either that or there’s just something I’m not seeing. So today I’m going to backtrack in the actual novel (vs. the reverse outline) to try to find where I took an oblique. From there I’ll read over what I wrote just before that, then take off with … Read more