The Journal, Tuesday, 12/27

Hey Folks, Rolled out a little before 3 this morning, checked email and Facebook, coffee in hand. I also spent some time in thought. I wrote most of the stuff below between about 3:30 and 7, then worked on a friend’s website to create a new page. Then I made a horribly unhealthy (but delicious) breakfast for myself and my grandson, then came back to finish writing the stuff below. Now, at 10 a.m., I’m moving … Read more

The Journal, Monday, 12/26

Hey Folks, Well, probably another nonwriting day. I’ll get at least some editing done, but we’re still making adjustments due to the recent 1/3 increase in size to our family. (grin) Switching around some furniture and so on. Making everything as close to “normal” as we can for ourselves (Bryan, Mona, me) and for the kits and the pup. Indeed, another nonwriting day. But today I had stirrings of a story within me. It (the fiction … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, 12/25

Hey Folks, Merry Christmas, everyone, and whatever you believe Him to be, God’s blessings on all of you. Topic: Blessings (in part, copied from a friend’s post on the Internet) I am thankful for my blessings: For the wife who says it’s hot dogs tonight, because she is home with me, and not out with someone else. For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes because it means she is at home, not on the … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, 12/24

Hey Folks, Well, I now have a grandson living with me. He needs a little help, and I suspect it will help me as much as it helps him. I mention this only because my schedule will inevitably change. I will continue to write (and for now, edit), of course. And I will try to remember to post this Jounal each day. If I happen to miss a day now and then, just know I’ll be … Read more

The Journal, Friday, 12/23

Hey Folks, Just a placeholder post today. A family situation came up in New Mexico, so I have an unscheduled road trip today. Nothing bad, but a blessing in thick disguise. Sure glad I built up a slight lead in the edit. After today I’ll have a small deficit, but nothing I can’t make up in short order. I hope you all have a wonderful day. Back tomorrow. Of Interest Check out Dean’s 12/22/16 Daily (http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/122216-daily/). … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, 12/22

Hey Folks, Well, a really blah day out here today. Probably today I’ll just edit and build that bank. I’ve pretty much written off the rest of December for writing fiction. Not officially but just in a “don’t sweat it” kind of way. It’s something I tend to do, and I’m not sure why. A year ago (or so, at the end of a 12-month period) I was closing in on 750,000 words for that year. … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, 12/21

Hey Folks, Not sure what today will entail. Editing for sure, and probably writing. Otherwise who knows. Well, I took an unscheduled trip to the grocery, a pure pleasure in my “new” 1995 Toyota Taco(ma) pickup. Then back here to post a photo of the pickup on Facebook. Then I wrote the topic below, and finally moved to the edit. It’s 11:30 a.m. already. * * * Well, I edited off and on while playing with … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, 12/20

Hey Folks, Probably today will be a nonwriting day, and possibly a non-copyediting day as well. My son will be here in a couple of hours to help me buy, register, etc. a Toyota Tacoma 4WD pickup. I suspect much of the day will be devoted to that and visiting. I don’t get to see my children nearly as much as I like. Still, for resources alone, this is a Journal entry you don’t want to … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, 12/18

Hey Folks, Rolled out at 3, and by 4 the baby wanted to go outside for awhile. We did, and then (around 5) I put her in the house and went to the Adobe Hovel to explore writing some fiction. I started a magic realism story. I didn’t get very far (only a few hundred words) before my cigar was finished and I headed back to the house. Then an unexpected trip to the store for … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, 12/17

Hey Folks, When discussing consistency in a seminar I taught a year or two ago, I mentioned as an example, that the writer should use either “toward” or “towards” throughout the manuscript. I also said, almost in passing, that “toward” is the American version of the word and “towards” (most often pronounced “t’ords”) is the Brit version. I wasn’t talking about the use of the word by a particular character or in a writing set in … Read more