Echoes of Hemingway Results
In Today's Journal
* Quote of the Day
* The Novel Wrapped
* Writing Publishing Streak Extended
* Echoes of Hemingway Results
* The Numbers
Quote of the Day
"What the herd hates most is the one who thinks differently. It is not so much the opinion itself, but the audacity of that one wanting to think for himself, something the members of the herd do not know how to do." after Arthur Schopenhauer
The Novel Wrapped
The novel wrapped yesterday at a little over 37,000 words with what my first reader called "a very pleasantly surprising ending." I'm pleased to report it was a surprise for me too.
If I may celebrate publicly for a moment, as the 12th novel on the year, Blackwell Ops 45: Sam Granger | Continuing Along the Ghost Trail also preceded a new achievement for me.
In years past, I think I've never written more than 12 novels in a year. So unless I lock up the Hovel and go fishing through the end of the year, the next novel I write will extend that number to 13 on the year and set a new personal benchmark.
Anyway, BO-45 will release to the general public in all venues on July 5 for $5.99. It's available now for only $5 at my StoneThread Publishing discount store.
Writing Publishing Streak Extended
The release of this novel will extend my streak of releasing a new novel every two weeks to 20 novels in 40 weeks.
If I can keep that streak alive for only six more novels, it will have run for a year beginning with the release of The Case of the Wayward Accountant (Stern Talbot) on October 19, 2024.
Plus I'm on pace to complete 24 novels (of a 22 novel goal) this calendar year. Cool.
Pop. Sizzle. An ice-cold Negra Modelo. Woohoo. Now back to work.
Echoes of Hemingway Results
You guys were almost mean to me. (grin)
This is probably the roughest time I've ever had judging a contest. Every story I accepted was at least good and entertaining.
Every story I accepted also won the writer at least $10.
And I decided to award a 4th place cash prize too. Three stories tied for that honor. It isn't much, but I guess it's better than a stick in the eye.
Here are the final results of judging:
1 ($100): Erin Donoho, for "My Old Man"
2 ($65): Catherine Mesick, for "Shadows"
3 ($35): Kathryn Kelly, for "Wishing Time Backward"
4th Place is presented in alphabetical order by last name.
4 ($15): Balázs Jámbor, for "Emptiness"
4 ($15): Christopher Ridge, for "Hills Like Monsters"
4 ($15): Dave Taylor, for "Like Father, Like Son"
Congratulations to all of those writers and to those who tied for 5th place and won the $10 prize. Please watch your PayPal account or email for your prizes.
The Next Steps
Please read this carefully:
1. As a bonus for those who entered the contest, over the next day or two I'm cycling back through every story.
Yes, cycling. I'm allowing your characters to use my fingers to provide you with a light "edit" of your story(ies). We (your characters and I) did some of that yesterday. I'll send those out today, and others will be forthcoming today or tomorrow.
2. What you do with those edits is completely up to you, no strings or editing fees attached. And yes, I'm available for questions re the "edits." You only have to email me.
3. But all authors MUST email me with either the 'new' version of their story(ies) OR send me a note saying you want the story(ies) to be published as you first submitted them.
4. I'll announce later whether I will release the stories in an anthology. If I do, all included authors will get a free copy of the anthology in electronic format in .pdf, .mobi, and .epub. I'll probably ask you to "buy" it from my discount store, but I will provide a 100%-off coupon code for you.
Thanks for entering!
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………… 680
Writing of
Fiction for June………………………. 24036
Fiction for 2025………………………. 487488
Nonfiction for June………………....... 8900
Nonfiction for 2025…………………… 135050
2025 consumable words…………….. 616028
2025 Novels to Date…………………….. 12
2025 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2025 Short Stories to Date……………… 27
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………..... 116
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 297
Short story collections……………………. 29
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.
Congrats on getting to your record Harvey! Why do I suspect novel 13 will be done before the end of the year? 😄
Congratulations to the winners! I got my edits this morning and I’m actually excited to see what Harvey had to say :) This was my first writing contest in some time so the whole experience was exciting for me.