“Never try to discourage thinking, for you are sure to succeed.” — Bertrand Russell
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Archive for the ‘Writing’ Category
Just a Thought
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, Thoughts on April 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Safe Travels, Winners!
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #wotf, books, contests, Fiction, science fiction, Thoughts, Writers, Writers of the Future, writing on April 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Congratulations to the latest class of Writers & Illustrators of the Future winners! Their workshop week in LA just ended and I’m sure they are chock full of interesting observations and ideas for future projects. They will certainly have met some terrific fellow artists and had a fascinating experience. (I’m also betting they’re exhausted because that week is intense, but they can sleep on the way home!)
I look forward to reading volume 42!
If 42 is the answer, these stories ask the questions worth thinking about.
Discover fifteen unforgettable science fiction and fantasy short stories—illustrated in full color—featuring twelve emerging voices alongside three acclaimed masters of the genre. From visionary sci-fi to emotionally rich fantasy and quiet horror, this collection delivers bold “what ifs” that linger long after the final page.
What if a perfect rescue went catastrophically wrong?
What if the “better you” doesn’t want to share your life?
What if love could survive inside a virtual reality?
Inside, you’ll encounter a flawless time-rescue gone wrong, a beauty treatment with terrifying consequences, a detective hunted by a body-hopping killer, and a homesteader uncovering a truth that rewrites Earth itself. You’ll also find dragons that defy myth, fairy-tale chaos, supernatural horror, and high-concept science fiction that blends heart, humor, and imagination.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Well, that sounds interesting, and also I am not a professional (yet) and might qualify for this competition,” I say go for it. The contest is free, accepts entries quarterly, and can be excellent as a motivating deadline. (And who knows, you may find yourself in a room with the writers of some of your favorite childhood books. Now that’s magic made real.)
Writer Contest | Writers & Illustrators of the Future (illustrators too!)
Enter a short story science fiction, fantasy, light horror.
Up to but not exceeding 17,000 words.
Free to enter and entrants retain all publication rights.
Enter 1 story per quarter, up to 4 per year.
Anonymous judging. This is a merit-based competition.
Here’s to this new round of winners, and to artists everywhere!
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Tax Day the First
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #recommendedreading, #wotf39, taxes, Thoughts, Writers, Writers of the Future on April 15, 2026| 2 Comments »
A brief reminder: Today is tax day in the United States! (Canada’s day comes later to extend the fun.)
If you’ve finished your taxes, bravo. And if you have a little time for reading and relaxation, let me once again recommend David Hankins’ very funny book, Death and the Taxman!
After sharing an ill-advised cup of tea with IRS auditor Frank Totmann, Grim finds himself trapped in Frank’s life amid a world of dangers: love, betrayal, reckless cabbies, implacable demon hunters, and the incessant needs that keep his body ticking . . . for now.
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Be Tenacious
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, doing stuff, inspiration, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on April 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” — Amelia Earhart
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Why Stop?
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on April 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »
A little advice from Guardian columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, to an artist feeling the pressures of AI and social media.
With the advance of AI, I feel my work as an artist is no longer respected. Should I just give up?
“Should I keep making art?” Even though it might not make money? Even though the algorithm might not value it? Even though all around me the slop marches on, I feel a growing carelessness in the culture, an indifference to craft – should I keep making art? To that, you might well answer: why would I stop?”
What she said.
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Grounding the Reader
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, learning stuff, podcast, practice, where who what, Writers, writing, writing advice, Writing Excuses on April 8, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Every writer has strengths and… not strengths. One of the areas I personally like to work on is grounding, which is where you invite readers into a scene and help them feel at home in your story.
In this episode of the long-running podcast Writing Excuses, Erin Roberts, DongWon Song, and Mary Robinette Kowal focus on ways to do just that.
Writing Excuses 21.09: Grounding The Reader
Grounding a reader starts in the very first lines of a story. Where are we? Who are we with? What kind of story are we in? Our hosts explore how emotion, context, and sensory detail work together to create immersion, and why action alone isn’t enough without an emotional lens.
It’s only 20 minutes long and includes a helpful writing exercise to get you going.
If you’ve realized that (for example) just being dropped into the middle of a gunfight wasn’t enough to engage your audience, or your reader said “I wasn’t quite sure where I was at first,” this advice could help!
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Experts Have Thoughts
Posted in Entertainment, Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, accuracy in fiction, Andy Weir, books, movies, ryan-gosling, science, science fiction, space, Thoughts, Writers, writing on April 7, 2026| 1 Comment »
Since my recent posts have spent a lot of time in space, let’s take a slight break from the nonfiction drama of NASA’s Artemis II mission and shift over to the fictional world of space adventure.
In his books, Andy Weir (The Martian) works hard to bring scientific accuracy to his fiction. The challenge is balancing the demands of a thrilling story with the science that grounds it in reality.
How did he do? Experts weigh in.
How plausible is ‘Project Hail Mary’? Experts have thoughts
While “Project Hail Mary” has its share of explosions and catastrophes, it’s the thinking that’s thrilling. Grace and Rocky must come together, with tools and whiteboards, craft and ingenuity, to solve a seemingly insoluble problem. They make mistakes, but they learn from those mistakes and from each other.
And an astrophysicist also has thoughts:
Project Hail Mary is packed with hard science. An astrophysicist breaks it down
… when I walked out of a recent preview screening of the film adaptation of Andy Weir’s 2021 science fiction novel Project Hail Mary, I had tears of joy in my eyes. The filmmakers had done justice not just to the original story, but also to the science at the heart of it.
From NASA, with lots of interesting subsidiary links:
The Science Behind ‘Project Hail Mary’ – NASA Science
Let NASA shed some light: Explore the resources below to learn the science facts fueling the science fiction.
(Wait, Tau Ceti was also featured in fiction by Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert, Robert Heinlein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Kim Stanley Robinson? And was the setting for Barbarella? This planet gets around!)
The final assessment of the science? Not perfect, but good. And precisely accurate or not, this promises to be another very entertaining movie. (I’ve read the book but haven’t seen the film yet. Yes, I am a little behind the curve!)
Since we’re here, how about an article on the movie as a climate parable? (warning, spoilers!)
AMAZE AMAZE AMAZE! Yes, this is an article about Project Hail Mary as climate parable
And what the heck, here’s the movie trailer just for fun.
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Permission Granted
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, art, creativity, inspiration, life, Thoughts, Writers, writing on April 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“I gave myself permission to care, because there are a lot of people in this world who are afraid of caring, who are afraid of showing they care because it’s uncool. It’s uncool to have passion. It’s so much easier to lose when you’ve shown everyone how much you don’t care if you win or lose. It’s much harder to lose when you show that you care, but you’ll never win unless you also stand to lose. I’ve said it before. Don’t be afraid of your passion, give it free reign, and be honest and work hard and it will all turn out just fine.” ― Tom Hiddleston
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First Things First
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »
This is one of those quotes I may have posted before, but I don’t see it in a search and (importantly) it’s the sort of advice you can’t hear too much of as a writer, I think!
“If you’re going to be a writer, the first essential is just to write. Do not wait for an idea. Start writing something and the ideas will come. You have to turn the faucet on before the water starts to flow.” ― Louis L’Amour
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In Art and Life
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »
This quote is from a musician, but I think it applies to all artists and heck, to people in general. Be you!
The only way you can move someone is by being someone. —Jacob Collier
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