Harvey Stanbrough

My Updated Fiction Length and Price List for 2017/2018

Hi Folks, First, a few explanatory notes — 1. In everything below, I’m talking about indie publishers, like you and me. All signs indicate the traditional publishing model (the agency model) is dead or dying across the board. I’m also talking here about ebooks. If you want to deal with print, see my excerpt from Dean’s post at http://hestanbrough.com/the-journal-friday-106/. And remember that DWS’ pricing guidelines are for trade paperback books, not mass-market paperback books. 2. As … Read more

Write. What. You. Mean.

Hey Folks, For many years I’ve kept a running list of awkward expressions, misplaced modifiers, and other syntactical anomalies that run the risk of distracting a reader. And by “distracting the reader” I mean jerking the reader out of the story. Most often, this is a result of inserting unintentional humor into a serious scene. If the scene is also meant to invoke feelings of sadness or despair or tension, the inadvertent insertion has an even … Read more

Using Italic Attribute in Fiction

Hi Folks, This is a bit of an embarrassment for me. I used to actively teach that the writer should use italics to indicate the characters’ unspoken thoughts. When I was actively editing for other writers, I applied that erroneous rule. One time, I even passed up doing an edit for one writer because she adamantly refused to allow me to change characters’ unspoken thoughts from normal typeface to italics. I felt like she was paying … Read more

Buyer (Writer) Beware

Hi Folks, Today I’m going to write about an old saying: Let the buyer beware. Basically the saying means the buyer should perform a reasonable level of due diligence before committing to buying a product. And in the case of instruction, “buying” has a dual meaning: 1. purchasing, trading money for; and 2. believing. You know what I mean. Many of you have heard me say before, “If any writing instructor says something to you that … Read more

A New Baker’s Dozen: Thirteen Traits of a Wannabe Writer (No, this is humor… really.)

Hi Folks, Well, a little fun this time, at least for me. 🙂 A long while back, I listed The Thirteen Traits of a Professional Writer. I am constantly amazed at all the flak I attract for offering people something that might help them if they’ll only try it. But really, seriously, I promise, whether or not you choose to try Heinlein’s Rules or anything else I put out there is strictly up to you. I … Read more

Human Parts Do Not Have Human Traits

Hey Folks, To follow up on last week’s post, this truism doesn’t favor any particular body part, really. And most of these aren’t as humorous as “her eyes drifted around the room and eventually lit in the corner on a barrel of nails.” But some of them are pretty good. Basically, any time any body part is the subject of a sentence, you probably need to recast the sentence. At least in the example that got … Read more

Beware of Rights Grabbers

Hi Folks, I really hope I’m preaching to the choir here. Forgive me if that’s true, but better safe than sorry. And if you aren’t currently in the choir, this should convert you. A new literary acquaintance I’ve never met, Linda Maye Adams, commented on Dean Wesley Smith’s blog post  one day awhile back: Just passing along another rights grab I ran across. It’s a writing contest sponsored by a non-profit [Story Shares] who is trying … Read more

HarveyStanbrough.com — A New Look

Hey folks, Some of you might have noticed the website has a new look. If you haven’t, check it out at http://harveystanbrough.com. I’m slowly transitioning the website. Well, expanding might be a better term. The site will continue to be a valuable source for writers. I’ll continue the weekly posts each Tuesday on topics of interest to writers, and the Writers’ Resources listed in the left sidebar will remain. I’ll also continue to offer writer services … Read more

Trust Your Professional

Hi Folks, Note: This post was originally scheduled for 5/30/2013. It didn’t post to MailChimp, so I’m posting it again now. I’ve revised the original post so it’s up to date. First, find a professional you can trust. For example, I am a professional fiction writer as well as a copyeditor. For details, or just to learn what comprises a good copy edit, please visit Copyediting. It costs less than you think. Thomas D. Morrow wrote … Read more

On Challenges, Part 2

Hi Folks, Note: This follows on a topic I wrote for The Daily Journal. If you haven’t read it, you can find it at http://hestanbrough.com/the-journal-friday-915/. At the beginning of the calendar year, I challenged myself to write 15 novels during the year. Later, after an intended novel fell short and ended as a novella, I adjusted the goal to 16 novels or novellas. That should have clued me I was in trouble. It didn’t. I plunged … Read more