The Journal, Wednesday, 2/15

Hey Folks, Well, another slow start to the day. I slept too long. But if the writing day turns out as well as yesterday did, I’m all in. I realized this morning I have all of my novels in BundleRabbit, but none of my short stories. Reckon I’ll add some of those as time allows. They can’t be included in bundles if they aren’t available. Duh. But as always, writing new stuff takes precedence. If you … Read more

The Source

Jonathan Kirski worked hard all day in sub-zero weather to mine the bodies—the source of the calcium extract—from his claim in the Siberian burial field. The reality of the claim was very different from what was depicted in the training films. In the films, there were no mouths frozen open, no severely discolored and ice-burned skin. There were no extra body parts stuck to the outside of the wrong body when the one next to it … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, 2/14

Hey Folks, Happy belated St. Valentine’s Day. I was thinking only yesterday that I needed to buy my wife a card because I was vaguely aware this day was coming up sometime or other. Yes, I post a Daily Journal, meaning I’m pretty much always aware of the day and date, yet somehow “vaguely aware” is my standard. Sigh. * * * I spent a couple hours just reading selected articles on various newsletters. There are … Read more

Excuses and the Fine Art of Self Sabotage

Hi Folks, Happy St. Valentine’s Day. Today we have a guest post by professional fiction writer Dean Wesley Smith. Dean has made his living as a professional fiction writer for four decades. This post was originally published on his website on January 23, 2017. Here we go. Excuses… Last week I came to the sudden realization that most of us modern writers are lazy. While at the same time convincing ourselves we are not. We convince … Read more

The Journal, Monday, 2/13

Hey Folks, This Journal is kind of a social thing for me, isn’t it? I enjoy chatting with my friends each day. Thanks for being there. If you didn’t read the topic in yesterday’s Journal you might want to read it before reading the one below. Just sayin’. You can find it at http://harveystanbrough.com/daily-journal/the-journal-sunday-212/. * * * Very strange night here. One of the things that annoys me most are when people say, “One thing about … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, 2/12

Hey Folks, I encourage you to read the topic below, and tomorrow’s topic as well. Both rehash things I’ve talked about before, but in a different way. Topic: Writing Off Into the Dark, Revisited 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 … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, 2/11

Hey Folks, Well, I have to go grocery shopping sometime today, and Mona and I might make a trip of it. So I want to get some writing done early. I’m also feeling a little pressure (so good pressure) to write more. I’d like very much to finish this one and be well underway on the next one before Teacher Man has to make an appearance. (If that doesn’t make sense, read yesterday’s post at http://harveystanbrough.com/daily-journal/the-journal-friday-210/.) … Read more

The Journal, Friday, 2/10

Hey Folks, Today in my writing I’ll begin with more cycling and a little more stitching. I could have maybe done another hour yesterday and finished that up. A big part of the reason I didn’t is in the topic below. This has been a physical trial of sorts, and to a greater degree, a mental and emotional trial. You’ll see what I mean. I hope within a couple of days I’ll be back to my … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, 2/9

Hey Folks, Not a long post today. A little under the weather again here. During my morning reading, I got stuck for a little while on an opinion columnist named Ian O’Doherty. He writes for the newspaper, Independent Ireland. I enjoy his columns not because I agree with everything he says (I don’t) but because his arguments are well-reasoned and well-written. In case you’re interested in a foreign perspective, I’ve included a link in “Of interest” … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, 2/8

Hey Folks, Welp, I lost a subscriber. Either too little in yesterday’s Journal or too little about writing. Mea culpa. Sorry. I hope the guy will occasionally drop by the website to see what’s there. That being said, I can’t be ‘on’ all the time. Been there, done that, got the shirt. Maybe somebody can, but I can’t. So…. I’m expecting the novel to break loose and run any time, especially now that it’s taken on … Read more