Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #YesIt'sZombiesAndYesIt'sScary!, creativity, dreams, horror, six-word story, Writers, writing on August 15, 2026| 1 Comment »
I may have mentioned before that I had a transformative encounter with a scary movie as a child (and still don’t like Dutch Colonial architecture) and don’t enjoy horror. I don’t often read it or write it, at least not on purpose, but my sleeping mind sometimes forgets that.
I woke this morning with a six-word story in my head.
Go away! We buried you yesterday.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, free fiction, literature, MacKenzie Scott, novels, publishing, Writers, writing on August 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Before MacKenzie Scott became one of the world’s most generous philanthropists, she was a novelist. Turns out she still is.
MacKenzie Scott has given away $26B. Now she’s releasing a novel—but you won’t find it on Amazon
Scott is releasing her new novel piece by piece, having dropped the title, epigraph, personae, and contents on Saturday, the prologue on Sunday, and the first chapter called “Monday” on Monday. It appears the entire novel will be out by Aug. 31.
Interestingly, the story is being serialized on Substack and is still being released, but this link takes you to the main page.
Start with the August 8th post, “Last Days in Two Nations.”
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #ThankACanadian, Auroras, awards, sci-fi, science fiction, Writers, writing on August 13, 2026| 1 Comment »
Well, this is cool. Robert J. Sawyer, who I believe is still Canada’s most decorated sci-fi author, just won the Aurora Award for Best Novel for The Downloaded 2: Ghosts in the Machine.
Sci-fi author Robert J. Sawyer among winners of the 2026 Aurora Awards | CBC Books
In the book, a starship crew and ex-convict Roscoe Koudoulian upload their digital consciousnesses into cyberspace as an asteroid is about to crash into the earth. While in the digital world, they come face to face with ghosts from their past — and learn that the existence of the human race could soon be destroyed.
I’m looking forward to reading this, and the rest of what looks to be a very promising slate of science fiction and fantasy!
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged writing, maps, #365Ways, #365Ways2026, mapping fiiction on August 10, 2026| 5 Comments »
To continue yesterday’s theme of literary cartography, here’s a closer look at a map of the locales in classic American literature.
American literature, charted in one monumental map – Big Think
From Stephen King’s Maine to Steinbeck’s California, Big Think’s “A Literary Map of the United States” charts the stories that changed how we see a nation.
They’d love to sell you the map, but there’s also an image you can expand to see the detailed poster, and examples of the stories and the places that shaped them.
Ah, geography!
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, Fiction, fun on the internet, inspiration, mapping fiction, maps, travel, writing on August 9, 2026| 2 Comments »
I like books and I like maps, which is why I was excited to run across this website combining the two:
Reading Maps – Maps & Travel Routes from Books & Films
The site’s tagline is “Journeys from fiction drawn on the real world.” That won’t be much use when it comes to Middle Earth or Star Wars, but is very cool when considering more local stories. Like Homer’s The Odyssey. Or Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Or Little House on the Prairie, which was somehow not where I expected it to be!
They have lots of classic books and also movies (like Raiders:). Have fun!
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Posted in Entertainment, Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, designers, games, inspiration, Jimothy, Writers, writing on August 7, 2026| 1 Comment »
Maybe you’ve heard of Jimothy, the Seattle native and short-spined raccoon who has captured the hearts and minds of the internets, but if you haven’t, this critter has inspired creatives far and wide.
Art, tattoos and now a video game for Jimothy | KNKX Public Radio
That includes Chris Pirillo, a designer who has created not one, not two, not three, but four ! arcade-style video games starring the adorable little raccoon. If you need a bit of a break today, you can check them out here:
Jimothy: Every Free Game and Toy Starring Seattle’s Raccoon
Have fun, and remember, inspiration is everywhere!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, inspiration, quotes, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“To begin anything — a new practice, a new project, a new love — is to cast upon yourself a spell against stagnation. Beginnings are notation for the symphony of the possible in us. They ask us to break the pattern of our lives and reconfigure it afresh – something that can only be done with great courage and great tenderness, for no territory of life exposes both our power and our vulnerability more brightly than a beginning.” — Maria Popova
That said, finishing is good too!
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, art, creativity, imperfection, inspiration, life, perfection, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 2, 2026| 1 Comment »
Imagine a world in which
you were actually perfect.
Finished.
Done.
With nothing to chase
nothing to walk toward.
How boring.
God, how boring.
— Arthur Brooks
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, connection, creativity, emotion, Thoughts, Writers, writing on July 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“Why else do we write but to make people feel, and perhaps even think a little?” — Gail Carriger, The Heroine’s Journey
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, hope, inspiration, joy, Thoughts, Writers, writing on July 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Today in happy history: On July 29, 1954, The Fellowship of the Ring was first published.
What did past generations of my fellow nerds get excited about before then? No idea! But now I’m happy to share my love of Tolkien’s books with the world.
“[The fairy tale] does not deny the existence of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance. It denies (in the face of much evidence, if you will) universal final defeat…giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy; Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien
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