Challenges, Characters, and Mentorships

In Today's Journal

* My Quote of the Day
* TNDJ Thus Far
* Low Participation in the Challenges
* Regarding Characters
* Mentorships Are Open
* A Final Note
* Of Interest
* The Numbers

My Quote of the Day

"Don't worry about 'interrupting' me. You can't interrupt someone who writes into the dark. There is no train of thought to derail."

TNDJ Thus Far

even though I announced a short while back that I will publish TNDJ less frequently, I've posted every day since then.

Please don't trust that. I've been posting every day because thus far I've had something to say that I thought some of you might find of value.

There are days when I will not, and on those days I won't post.

Also, if you're following along in Facebook, know that I don't always post these to Facebook.

If you don't want to miss something important, subscribe and then follow along in your inbox or at the Journal website.

For the several new subscribers, the website is also where you can find the downloadable, searchable, and free Journal archives. Or you can use the Search box in the sidebar on the site to search for any topic.

Low Participation in the Challenges

Thus far, there has been very low participation in the Stephen King and Run With Harvey challenges.

If you aren't aware of those, for the rules and prizes, click The TNDJ 2025 Challenges.

You might also look at Using the Challenges as a Challenge.

Feel free to email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com with any questions or if you'd like some personal guidance.

Oh, and if you decide you want to buy any of my fiction or nonfiction books, always check my discount store first.

Regarding Characters

In today's Of Interest, an author talks about 'fixing' characters who do not evoke emotion in the reader.

She talks about 'beta readers' and other things I don't believe in, and often says you should 'give your characters' one thing or another.

In every case, my mind defaulted to 'Or just let them be who they are and be sure to put it all on the page.'

I saw nothing in the article I haven't seen in almost every other article and book on characters. Still, the article is something to maybe consider and add (or not) to your tool chest.

I'll talk a great deal more about characters in tomorrow's post. You don't want to miss it.

Mentorships Are Open

Even with my writing schedule (a new short story every week and a new novel every two weeks) I've decided to open up mentorships again.

We will discuss, in-depth and via email (so you can copy/paste and refer back to it in the future), whatever you want to discuss about fiction writing. Here are the 'rules':

1. The mentorship will run month by month for as long as you want it to run.

2. The mentorship will focus on your writing in particular, including how to apply specific techniques or whatever else you want to talk about.

3. The cost of the mentorship will vary from person to person. What's important to me is that you get the information. To that end, the mentorship will never cost more than you can comfortably afford each month.

4. All current paid subscribers are already in a mentorship of sorts. You may ask anything at any time. I usually respond promptly.

5. Don't worry about 'interrupting' me. You can't interrupt someone who writes into the dark. There is no train of thought to derail.

6. All of that said, even if you aren't a paid subscriber, a question now and then is fine. But if you are able, at least switch to a paid subscription before you bombard me with a series of questions. Thanks.

A Final Note

Yesterday, in a rare after-the-fact cycling session of Blackwell Ops 36, I added another 600+ words. I'll talk more about that in tomorrow's post on characters too.

I adjusted the totals in the listing for Day 12 (yesterday) of BO-36 and below that in the cumulative numbers.

Yesterday I also finally started the new novel. I think this one's gonna go really smoothly now that it's off the ground. But a very slow start.

I routinely write one or maybe two openings, but this one didn't take off until the fifth opening. So around 5,000 words flew out the window. Go figure.

It'll build up a head of steam, probably today.

Talk with you again soon.

Of Interest

INK & GRIT: Masters of Pulp Fiction - The Lee Child Edition Hard to believe Lee Child wrote only 30 novels, but there it is.

Ate the Elephant For a Time

Restarting Numbering Each Month

Ways to Fix Writing Mistakes: Oversimplified Characters Just in case you find something of value.

The Numbers

The Journal…………………………… 780

Writing of Blackwell Ops 37: Temple-Schiff

Day 1…… 2012 words. To date…… 2012

Writing of Blackwell Ops 36: Temple's Dream (adjusted)

Day 12…. 1908 words. To date…… 38348 done

Fiction for February………………….. 7492
Fiction for 2025………………………. 157127
Nonfiction for February…………….... 3500
Nonfiction for 2025…………………… 35570
2025 consumable words…………….. 157907

Average Fiction WPD (February)…….. 2497

2025 Novels to Date…………………….. 3
2025 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2025 Short Stories to Date……………… 3
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………..... 107
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 274
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.