Hi Folks, While glancing over the internet awhile back for items of interest, I checked in on a blog I’d saved in my bookmarks but hadn’t looked at recently. When I save one in my bookmarks, it’s because I hope it will provide valuable, or at least valid, information. A writer posed this implied question: I have trouble trying to figure out when to begin and end paragraphs and when to have dialogue included in the … Read more
Hi Folks, Reedsy puts out a weekly newsletter with writing prompts. Sometimes, the prompt is an actual story idea. Other times, it’s only a prompt. What’s the difference? Here’s a story prompt: A person coming home late from a New Year’s Eve Party stops by a McDonald’s. A person staying home for New Year’s Eve goes to McDonald’s for a late night snack. And here’s a story idea: As the countdown on New Year’s Eve reaches … Read more
Hi Folks, I did a post on Writing Off Into the Dark here some time back. Then recently (as I write this) I got into an email discussion with a fellow novelist who also writes off into the dark. The upshot was, he wondered whether maybe — when a character does something that’s unexpected and out of character — it’s all right or even necessary to create a history for that character that would explain the … Read more
Hey folks, Recently I engaged in a disagreement with a bestselling writer who is also a mentor of sorts. The disagreement had to do with whether, when a reader is ejected from a story because of a fake detail or other inanity, that is the result of the reader’s taste. I argued that it’s the fault of the writer. I do understand my mentor’s point. If something simply isn’t to your taste as a reader, there’s … Read more
Hey Folks, Dangerous as it sounds, sometimes I feel as if I’ve been through it all as a writer. I say “dangerous” because such a feeling is the surest way to stop learning and reach a plateau. Which is to say it’s the surest way to death as a writer. When we reach a plateau, a flattening-out of the attempt to keep learning, little things we’ve learned but haven’t yet tried tend to sift down through … Read more
Hey Folks, Last night I got started setting up the website for Pro Writers Writing. There isn’t much to see yet, beyond Robert Sadler’s excellent design for the logo that stretches across the top. I anticipate launching the new site in mid-March or a little later. Pro Writers Writing will be a blog similar to the Kill Zone blog. However, whereas TKZ authors are all traditionally published, our group will focus on successful independent writing and publishing. … Read more
Hey Folks, I’m taking “applications” for first readers, for my current work in progress (WIP) and in general. If you’re interested, email me directly at harveystanbrough@gmail.com. But first, you might want to read the rest of this post. (grin) Being a first reader is yet another way you could support this blog and get to read some great stories to boot. What I Write I write war/action-adventure, black-ops stuff, crime stuff, detective stuff, SFF (science fiction/fantasy) … Read more
Hey Folks, Recently I received an email in which a writer wrote (toward the end of some lengthy praise of my “process”) “I only wish I could write like you.” During an exchange of emails, I eventually determined the writer was talking about my ability to turn out a lot of quality short stories and novels fairly quickly (though I’m pretty much a slug by old pulp standards). And what the writer really meant was that … Read more
Hey Folks, Today I feature a guest post from Dean Wesley Smith, republished here with permission. Enjoy. Say your goal is to walk across the United States. About 2,800 miles. So say your writing career (in a modern world) lasts over forty years like mine and gets you 280 books written. Got to make the numbers round for this metaphor. (grin) So every 100 miles is a novel in your hike across the United States. So … Read more
Hey Folks, I have a real treat for you today, via my friend, writer Christopher Ridge. Chris brought to my attention a presentation by Ray Bradbury to participants in a university writing program. You can find the link toward the end of this post. The video is almost an hour long, but it’s Ray Bradbury, for goodness’ sake. Who can’t listen to Ray Bradbury for an hour? On writing? Of course, I was hooked at the … Read more