Bradbury, Setting Goals, and Writers Ask

December 30, 2024 by Harvey

In Today’s Journal

* Quotes of the Day
* The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting
* Writers Setting Goals
* Nonfiction Book Giveaway
* Writers Ask
* The Writing
* Of Interest
* The Numbers

Quotes of the Day

“I’ve learned much more from my clients than I’ve been able to teach them.” Dr. Mardy Grothe in his Quotes of the Week on “New Year’s Resolutions” (Dec 28, 2024)

True ‘dat. So keep those comments and emails coming in folks. You are the lifeblood of TNDJ.

“No one ever regarded the First of January with indifference. It is that from which all date their time, and count upon what is left.” English writer Charles Lamb (1823) (via Dr. Mardy)

“Regular birthdays tell us how far we’ve come. The arrival of January 1st tells us how much further we need to go. That may be why we make resolutions on January 1st rather than our actual birthdays.” An anonymous client of Dr. Mardy Grothe, via Dr. Mardy and slightly re-paraphrased by me

And most appropriate for writers, these three quotes:

“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.” Brad Paisley, in a Dec. 31, 2009 Tweet (via Dr. Mardy)

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” Rudyard Kipling (via 1440 Daily Digest, a free, unbiased newsletter)

“Always let the characters show you who they are. They’ll do it if you listen. And they WILL surprise you.” KC Riggs, in a comment on TNDJ

Again, just like in real life.

As we look forward to 2025 and think about setting our writing goals, I could have stolen quotes from practically all of Dr. Mardy’s newsletter this week. If you missed it yesterday, you can read it here.

The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting

The whole point of the Challenge is to have fun and grow as a writer.

There is no cost. The only requirement is to write at least one short story per week.

During the past week, in addition to whatever other fiction they’re writing, the following writers reported these new stories:

• Vanessa V. Kilmer “Soldier’s Song” 3984 Dystopian

• Adam Kozak “Not A Light Touch” 2294 Crime/Detective Fiction

• Harvey Stanbrough “Fireball” 909 Fantasy

• Dave Taylor “The Experiment: Quant #3” 7,215 Sci-Fi/Time Travel

We’re glad to see Adam Kozak back. Once a streak is broken, it’s easy to have good intentions re starting again (or continuing, albeit with a hitch) and then not actually doing it. I fell victim to that myself back in the day.

But Adam, having completed 55 short stories in 55 weeks (Total Win!) and then coming down with a bug that prevented him from writing his 56th in time to submit it for the Challenge, is back this week. From here forward his intention (goal) is to write another story either every week or every two weeks.

Congrats, Adam!

Also, former Bradbury participant Alexander Teut reported having finished a new novel: Ermine in the Misty Land 47,072 words.

If memory serves, Alexander finished his previous novel only a month or two ago. The man is KICKIN’ it! Congrats, Alexander.

Writers Setting Goals

Awhile back I mentioned you could email me with your goals if you like. A couple of writers have done that.

One of them (Thanks, TG) set a goal that enables her to ramp up through the quarters. She’ll write

• 100,000 words in Q1 (1667 wpd),

• 115,000 in Q2 (1917 wpd), and

• 142,500 words in each of the final two quarters of the year (2375 wpd).

Another writer (Thanks, KR), in addition to setting three writing goals, set seven publishing goals. She mentioned her three writing goals in a comment:

• Write Fiction for 30 minutes first thing every morning, not including cycling.

• Write 1000 words of fiction each day Monday through Friday

• Write 500 words of fiction each day Saturday and Sunday

Congrats to both of them.

If you want to share your writing/publishing goals with me, you’re still welcome. Email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com.

Nonfiction Book Giveaway

I mentioned this in yesterday’s post. Thus far only a handful of writers have taken me up on it. I wouldn’t be giving it away if I didn’t think it would help.

I’m looking forward to revising my book Creating Realistic Characters. But for now, you can get it completely free by emailing me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com. Please put Creating Realistic Characters in the subject line.

By return email, I’ll send you a PDF of Creating Realistic Characters as well as a PDF document titled “Cliché Traits, Character Arcs, Rooting Interest Techniques” and a PDF document entitled “Partial Listing of Character Traits.”

There are no catches here folks. Get it while you can.

Writers Ask

A writer and friend (Thanks, PD) sent me this great comment and question:

“Everything I know about writing sub plots comes from outlining advice. Have you given or shared information about how to deal with sub plots when writing into the dark? One of my goals this year is to actually write a novel. Into the dark. But I realize that most novels have subplots.”

Here’s my enhanced response:

All stories have plots, and sure, because of their length, many novellas and novels have subplots.

But plots and subplots are primarily devices that readers and critics look for.

Despite all the advice out there on the ‘value’ of plots and subplots, the necessity of constructing them (conscious, critical mind), and how to do that, they derive from deconstructionism: They derive from critics and others taking stories apart to look at the inner workings. After the fact, not before.

The truth is, plots and subplots and how few or many there are has nothing to do with the writer/recorder/presenter. In other words, plots and subplots are none of our business as fiction writers.

Those who can, write; those who can’t become critics.

Remember that ‘plot’ (and so, subplot) is a RESULT of the characters running through the story, not something to be laid out in advance. And that’s from Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, and thousands of other prolific professionals, not just me.

In any authentic story, any twists or turns or subplots or whatever else happen naturally, just as they happen in real life.

Trust the characters to live their own life. If you only write what happens and how the characters react in word and deed as you run through the story with them, you will have written the plot and any subplots without even realizing it.

But test it for yourself.

Write a short story or novella or novel WITHOUT “figuring it out” and “plotting” it in advance. As you consider that, if you feel tense or anxious or sweat beads break out on your forehead or cheeks, that’s a fear response: your conscious, critical mind stopping you from writing.

Force your way through the fear. There are no real-world consequences. Don’t bend or bow to it. Shrug. Just tell your characters’ authentic story. It really is that easy.

The Writing

The novel continues to come along nicely. I doubt it will wrap today, and I only hope it will wrap tomorrow. To do that, it will have to reach and then speed through the final push.

That’s possible. I wish I could say it’s probable, but I can’t. Like everyone else (including the characters), I just have to wait and see what happens. Not a big deal.

Then again, remember that both December 31, 2024 and January 1, 2025 really are ‘just another day’ in the life of a fiction writer.

Also, I’m pleased to report that December is the first time in recent memory (since January 2024) when I exceeded 100,000 words of fiction in a month. I intend to exceed it every month through 2025.

Talk with you again later.

Of Interest

Last Day [of the 50%-off sale]

Selling Books From Your Own Website

The Numbers

The Journal…………………………… 1190

Writing of “Fireball” (a short-short story)

Day 1…… 909 words. To date…… 909 done

Writing of The Intermittent Ghost: Temple’s Way (BO-31A)

Day 1…… 4202 words. To date…… 4202
Day 2…… 3055 words. To date…… 7257
Day 3…… 3412 words. To date…… 10669
Day 4…… 3352 words. To date…… 14021
Day 5…… 1153 words. To date…… 15174
Day 6…… 1785 words. To date…… 16959
Day 7…… 4638 words. To date…… 21597
Day 8…… 3278 words. To date…… 24875
Day 9…… 3830 words. To date…… 28705

Fiction for December………………… 101711
Fiction for 2024………………………. 847811
Nonfiction for December…………….. 28770
Nonfiction for 2024…………………… 391340
2024 consumable words…………….. 1,239,151

Average Fiction WPD (December)…. 3507

2024 Novels to Date…………………….. 19
2024 Novellas to Date…………………… 1
2024 Short Stories to Date……………… 33
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………..… 103
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 270
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.