inspiration | J.R. Johnson

Posts Tagged ‘inspiration’

We’re Going Into the Woods!

Posted in Other, tagged inspiration, Thoughts, quotes, nature, #365Ways, #365Ways2026 on June 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” ― John Muir

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Love Made Real

Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, cool projects, creativity, inspiration, star wars on May 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »

I love seeing people bring joy to life, whether it be through writing, art, food, or… cardboard? Yes, cardboard!

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Make the Good

Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, graduation, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers on May 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »

“I don’t think fantasy really works except when Gandalf says, ‘You don’t get to choose your moment, you just have to live it… He was right—you don’t get to choose the moment—we’re here, we have to live it… by the time you are my age, a lot will have gone down. I want you to focus on the good and to try and make the good in a team effort.” — Kim Stanley Robinson, 2026 Middlebury College Commencement Address

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One Small but Important Thing

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, creativity, inspiration, non-fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing on May 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Today I want to share a fun non-fiction essay by one of my favorite fiction writers, T. Kingfisher. It’s about history and gardening and passion, real-life inspiration for fiction, and heroes saving one small but important thing.

History, Discovery, and the Quiet Heroics of Gardening – Reactor

So what does all this mean, for a writer? Well, it may not be holding the bridge at Thermopylae, but I keep coming back to how many gardeners end up saving a small piece of the world. Whether it’s a food from a lost homeland or a cultivar that is about to vanish from the earth, so often it comes down to one person who kept something small but important from being lost forever.

May we all be so heroic.

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It’s Never Too Late

Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, do good things, inspiration, Thoughts on May 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »

I find this inspiring:

“You don’t do good things because you are a good person. It’s the other way around. You become a good person by doing good things.” — Rutger Bregman

It shows you the path, and tells you that it’s never too late to walk it.

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Tools Come in All Shapes and Sizes

Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers on May 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

“Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency.” — Rebecca Solnit

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What’s for Dinner?

Posted in Food and..., Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, food, inspiration, InterestingAndUnusualOrganizations, Thoughts, writing on May 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »

I like reading interesting nonfiction, not least because it’s a great source of ideas for stories. I ran across this oddly fascinating article a while back:

Italy’s undercover pizza detectives

…the AVPN intermittently dispatches secret pizza agents on espionage missions to clandestinely spy on the restaurants.

Excellent title!

In related news, I might be hungry.

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What to Write Next

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, art, creativity, inspiration, Writers, writing on May 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Write what you love to come upon. —Anne Lamott

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What If They’re Already Here?

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, aliens, inspiration, science, self-reflection, writing on May 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Recently, Neil deGrasse Tyson visited Stephen Colbert to talk about aliens and his new book Take Me To Your Leader: Perspectives On Your First Alien Encounter. He discussed aliens, why you probably shouldn’t shake hands, and how they might mirror what they see of humanity.

It made me think of the story I wrote on that topic, and how I hope that humanity does more good than not. I’ve re-posted before but I like the story, so here it is again. Click through for the full piece.

We Are Mirrors | J.R. Johnson

You and Yours

I came from the stars to meet you. I was happy. Excited, even. First contact with your verdant world. Think of all that we could share with you.

“You” could have meant a lot of things. I started with one of the most populous. An insect.

I remember little of what it was like, a flash of light, a warm wriggle in a puddle after rain. The feel of wind in my wings.

It’s embarrassing to say this now, but I was promptly eaten.

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