A Couple'a Notes, an' a Sale
In Today's Journal
* Quote of the Day
* Focus
* Serious Note 1
* Tongue-in-Cheek Note 2
* An Easter Sale
* Update on Novel Serialization
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Quote of the Day
"Failure will never stand in the way of success if you learn from it." Hank Aaron
Serious Note 1
In Dean's post (see Of Interest), as a stretch goal for his Poker Boy Kickstarter he's offering a "focus bundle to learn characterization."
Characterization is important. As you know, I do not advocate doing character sketches or otherwise 'trying to learn' (thinking about) characters in advance. (I don't think Dean does either.)
I advocate treating characters in your fiction the same way you treat characters in real life:
meet them for the first time,
get to know them as they reveal different aspects of their personality over time, and
decide whether you like them or don't like them.
However, no matter how you choose to learn about your characters, focus is important in description. It's important in setting description and it's equally important in character description.
Bear in mind that I talk a lot about focus in my book, Writing Better Fiction. (See a special offer below.)
Tongue-in-Cheek Note 2
Also in Of Interest, Kobo Writing Life offers advice on "prepping for your next book release." I offer it up to you just in case you're interested.
However, my immediate first thought was that prepping for a book release is time that might better be spent, um, writing the next book.
Then I realized I DO prep for my book releases, and I do it in exactly that way: I write them. And verily, the writing begets the cover and the writing and the cover beget a promo doc and whammo! that all begets the release.
book release, n. in fiction writing, the freeing into human existence of various characters and their story that were previously confined (duh) in a possibly dank, dark other existence, (e.g. a separate plane, alternate universe, or a human subconscious) where they were forced to mix with unsavory Others. v. the granting or enabling freedom to those characters and their stories.
Your results might vary.
If you're publishing your one and only novel, maybe a book release like the KWL article presents would be worth your time. If you're publishing a novel or two per year, ditto.
But if you're releasing (meaning writing and publishing) four or more novels per year, you might want to skip the brie and wine and those silly little crackers and rethink your definition of 'prepping for a book release.'
I have no time to devote to such silliness. If you wanna be like your Uncle Harv, skip the book release stuff.
Prep for your book release by writing the book.
Then release it.
Then prep for your next book release by writing your next book.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
No, I didn't leave a comment to that effect on the Kobo Writing Life site. I could just imagine someone replying, "Um, what does writing have to do with prepping for a book release?"
I think my head might've exploded.
Okay, back to the real deal:
An Easter Sale
I did a little math recently. I have around 200 TNDJ subscribers. Writing Better Fiction has received 597 views. Yet it's had only 23 orders.
So for the next 13 days, I'm having an Easter Sale on Writing Better Fiction. To get your copy of WBF for 33% off the cover price, click Writing Better Fiction. Then, during checkout, enter this coupon code: VCP2YKDNDD.
Looking for Fiction?
During this Easter Sale, you can also get any Omnibus Novel Collection for 33% off.
Visit Omnibus Novel Collections and make your selection(s). During checkout, enter this coupon code: 4ZNAIG7TDF.
Both coupons begin at 12:01 a.m. on April 8 (so about 3.5 hours ago by my reckoning) and expire at 11:59 p.m. on April 20.
Update on Novel Serialization
Yeah, I'm gonna do it. I'm working out the details
If you're interested in serializing your own longer works, key "serialized novel platforms" into a search engine and go nuts.
Vin Zandri checked out Ream and I checked out Laterpress. We compared notes and, for various reasons, we both chose to go with Substack instead. Again, your results might vary, and there are other platforms out there too.
Of Interest
Farewell from your ROTTING DONKEY
Prepping for your next book release: a practical guide
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………… 720
Writing of Blackwell Ops 41: León Garras
Day 1…… 1847 words. To date…… 1847
Day 2…… 3410 words. To date…… 5257
Day 3…… 3452 words. To date…… 8709
Day 4…… 2915 words. To date…… 11624
Day 5…… 2311 words. To date…… 13935
Day 6…… 1610 words. To date…… 15545
Day 7…… 4129 words. To date…… 19674
Day 8…… 3889 words. To date…… 23563
Day 9…… 3313 words. To date…… 26876
Fiction for April……………………….. 24915
Fiction for 2025………………………. 291865
Nonfiction for April………………........ 5790
Nonfiction for 2025…………………… 87320
2025 consumable words…………….. 372675
Average Fiction WPD (March)……... 3559
2025 Novels to Date…………………….. 7
2025 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2025 Short Stories to Date……………… 17 updated
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………..... 111
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 287 updated
Short story collections……………………. 29
Disclaimer: Whatever you believe, unreasoning fear and the myths that outlining, revising, and rewriting will make your work better are lies. They will always slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.
Writing fiction should never be something that stresses you out. It should be fun. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Because of WITD and because I endeavor to follow those Rules I am a prolific professional fiction writer. You can be too.
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Questions are always welcome at harveystanbrough@gmail.com. But please limit yourself to the topics of writing and publishing.
Sorry, Harvey, but I now have an image of you firmly ensconced in the hovel with a cheese plate and a glass of wine on your tea table (which I guess the glass of wine makes obsolete).
Great quote by ol' Hammerin' Hank, Harvey. Failure can be a great teacher if you let it.