Welcome to November!

November 1, 2024 by Harvey

In Today’s Journal

* Quote of the Day
* First, a Caution
* Welcome to November, and an Update
* Writing Better Fiction
* Of Interest
* The Numbers

Quote of the Day

“No big challenge has ever been solved, and no lasting improvement has ever been achieved, unless people dare to try something different.” Tim Cook, Apple CEO

Note that Mr. Cook didn’t say ‘something hard.’ He said ‘something different.’ If you want to solve the challenge of writing fiction, dare to try writing into the dark. Just sayin’.

First, a Serious Caution About the November Challenges

As a stark, serious reminder, we all lead different lives. We all have different past experiences, different personalities, and different health conditions and concerns.

If participating in this Challenge has the potential to actually harm you physically or mentally, Please Don’t Do It.

My only intention with issuing these silly challenges is to enable you to push yourself a little in doing something I assume (because you’re reading this) you enjoy doing anyway: writing fiction.

But writing fiction should never be something that stresses you out. It should be fun.

As I wrote above, we’re all different. I’m aware I have a strong personality. Don’t let my love and enthusiasm for writing fiction push you into doing something you don’t want to do.

If writing fiction stresses you out, my advice is this:

• If you love telling stories but doing so is stressful, find another way to tell stories. Writing into the dark generates better fiction and is stress-free.

• If you don’t love telling stories, then simply don’t tell stories. Nobody will care, and if they say your lack of story output matters to them in the slightest, they’re lying. Live your own life.

You don’t have to ask me to remove your name from the list or anything like that. The whole purpose of the challenge is to push yourself a little to have fun with your writing.

The world won’t end if you don’t participate in the challenge or if you do participate but don’t do well.

Seriously, if writing fiction isn’t fun for you, don’t do it. And if striving to write 1000 words per day stresses you out, either lower your goal or enjoy doing something else instead.

Life is ridiculously short. Please don’t waste a second of it.

Chances are, you’re already spending part of it doing things you don’t like but that you “have” to do. Don’t make writing fiction one of those. Spend it doing things you enjoy.

Okay, if you’re still in, read on….

Welcome to November, and an Update

Welcome to November and the Stephen King Challenge to write 1000 words per day every day during November. Several more folks jumped into the Challenge this morning. Welcome aboard.

I also offered a NaNo Challenge (to write 1667 words per day). One or two writers signed up for that one this morning. Which is fine.

I guess you know if you’ve done the math, if you want to join NaNoWriMo and write a 50,000 word novel in a month, you’ll have to average 1667 words per day for the month anyway.

But doing it on your own is good too. Less for me to keep track of. Besides, as you all probably know, I absolutely hate giving away my nonfiction books and novels and audio courses as prizes. (grin)

Because I’m asking everyone to report on Sunday (November 10, 17, 24 and December 1) or first thing Monday morning, there are two extra days in the first week.

So there’s still time to jump into the Challenge until November 3 and still be on schedule. Give it a shot! You have nothing to lose and some great prizes to win.

Keep track of your daily fiction writing, then report it to me once a week on the dates above. Please don’t report your daily numbers to me.

If you hit or surpass 7000 words in a week, despite how you did on each day, you win a free book of your choice, fiction or nonfiction, from my canon of books.

Anything you want. Any nonfiction books, any novels or novellas, and any short fiction collections. Visit https://stonethreadpublishing.com to make your selections, then email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com to let me know.

But best of all, if you hit 30,000 words on or before December 1—no matter what you did on individual days or weeks—you get your choice of

• one audio course worth over $100 (select between Course 1 and Course 6) OR

• any TWO courses from among Courses 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Visit https://hestanbrough.com/of-value-to-writers/ to make your selections, then email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com to let me know.

For everyone in the Challenge, good luck! To everyone else out there, I just hope you’re writing and I hope you’re enjoying every minute of it.

Writing Better Fiction

A reminder that Writing Better Fiction is on sale right now for only $10.50 (25% off), only at https://payhip.com/b/5xEOp.

Then again, you can claim it free on any week when you hit your weekly goal for the Challenge.

(Sigh… When I went to grab that link, I peeked. The book has 382 views, and only 16 sales. Unfreakin’ believable. That’s why I usually don’t look at numbers.)

Talk with you again soon.

Of Interest

Mary Shelley wrote “Frankenstein” after being challenged by Lord Byron And she was only 20 when it was published.

The Numbers

The Journal……………………………… 900

Writing of Blackwell Ops 30: John Quick Returns

Day 1…… 2155 words. To date…… 2155
Day 2…… 3930 words. To date……. 6085
Day 3…… 3042 words. To date……. 9127
Day 4…… 3057 words. To date……. 12184

Fiction for October……………………. 92567
Fiction for 2024……………………….. 837132
Nonfiction for November……………… 900
Nonfiction for 2024……………………. 335320
2024 consumable words……………… 996491

Average Fiction WPD (October)……… 3085

2024 Novels to Date……………………….. 15
2024 Novellas to Date……………………… 1
2024 Short Stories to Date………………… 18
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………..……. 97
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………. 10
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………..… 255
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.

If you are able, please support TNDJ with a paid subscription. Thank you!