Hey Folks, Today, as it turned out, is another nonwriting day. But read on. There are good things in this edition of the Journal. Windy here. Big wind. Strong stinkin’ wind. Even the cats don’t want to go out. Windy in New Mexico too. Two large trees hit my son and daughter’s house in Roswell. Damaged the roof and cut the electricity. Sigh. While visiting Amazon yesterday to place my short story and novella in their … Read more
Hey Folks, Last night after I sent off the Journal I wrote “Wow. I hope I’m ABLE to push aside the critical mind stuff and turn to writing when I’m through editing for the day.” But that’s just silly. I’ve experienced this kind of thought off and on (mostly on) for the past two years, yet I’ve accomplished more in that time than many do in an entire career. (grin) I always end up pushing down … Read more
Hey Folks, Got up late at 4 and went outside to get pics of the second supermoon in what, two months? Anyway, that took some time. Had to replace a battery in one camera, etc. Then I sipped hot coffee and hunted my kitten, who had jumped the fence while Dad was busy staring at the sky. Found her, got her back in and got some exercise to boot. The cultural editor of the Mexican magazine … Read more
Hey Folks, I’m about to embark on an interesting experiment. Yesterday I received a 200,000 word creative nonfiction manuscript to copy edit. First “real job” I’ve had in a while. It’s going to be interesting, to say the least, how this meshes with my writing. Notice that my concern is how the work meshes with my writing, not how my writing meshes with my work. Priorities. The two shouldn’t clash at all, and one shouldn’t create … Read more
Note: This is a guest post by my friend Dan Baldwin. (Thanks, Dan.) Hi Folks, You know more than you know, you know? Hemingway wrote, “A writer, of course, has to make up stories for them to be rounded and not flat like photographs. But he makes them up out of what he knows.” That’s wonderful advice, but there’s a trap in it. I have encountered many writers who have shied away from a project due … Read more
Hey Folks, Rolled out at 3 this morning and started reading over an excerpt a friend sent me from his next novel. It’s gonna be a good story. The little girl is in the house this morning, though tapping on a glass pane near the bottom of the door now and again. She wants out, but there are two owls perched out there in the darkness. Uhh, no. When the moon set and the owls quit, … Read more
Hey Folks, Wow. This is gonna be almost just a placeholder post. I rolled out around 4, did not much until around 7, helped clean house for awhile (sort of). Then I wrote a bit, then went to Sierra Vista for some stuff, then back here to write a bit more. A really flat day. Just not a lot going on. I’ll try to get back on task in the next day or two with a … Read more
Hey Folks, Well, after the usual morning routine I remembered to update my Short Fiction page at HarveyStanbrough.com. So a bit of admin stuff to begin the day. There are now 160 short story covers on the page that appears when you click the Short Fiction tab on the site. Another sort-of milestone. A short post today. After yesterday, I thought you might want a break. (grin) Of Interest Some good comments on Dean’s Belief and … Read more
Hey Folks, Rolled out at 4 this morning. The usual early routine, then to the story from yesterday. It’s a weird little thing, fun to write, but I’m already glad this one will be finished today so I can get on with writing something else. Today a true American hero passed from our lives. John Glenn went off-planet for the final time at 95 years of age. I still have some old 3-cent Mercury postage stamps … Read more
Hey Folks, Well, I lost a long-time subscriber to this Journal yesterday. Being a kindly and gentle woman, she gave her reason for leaving as “too many emails.” I appreciate that, but I admit thinking for a second, “Then why not delete some of the others?” (grin) Seriously, I appreciate all of you who choose to hang in there. Whether you read or skim the Journal every day, “save” it and read it once a week … Read more