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Archive for the ‘Writing’ Category

That’s a Lot of Books

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on July 31, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Ever wonder what kind of books get assigned in college courses? Wonder no more!

Open Syllabus: Galaxy

This plot shows the 1,138,841 most frequently assigned texts in the Open Syllabus corpus, a database of 7,292,573 college course syllabi.

The books are grouped by field and sized by the number of syllabi on which they are assigned. Click for details, browse from archaeology to information science to writing and more, and have fun. 

You will have to do a lot of zooming, however. There are a lot of books in this graphic!

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Photo by Shiromani Kant on Unsplash

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Poison Garden

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , on July 30, 2025| Leave a Comment »

A random guide that may or may not be related to the last scene I wrote: A Naturalist’s Guide to the World’s Most Lethal Plants

Not every threat in nature has fangs. Some sit quietly, rooted in soil, dressed in flowers, laced with poison.

And since we’re on the topic, what about the (mostly but not entirely historical) trend of poison gardens, and how are they related to the history of medicine?

Welcome To The Poison Garden: Medicine’s Medieval Roots

Visitors to the Poison Garden are allowed to look but not touch, says head gardener Trevor Jones. “They’re not allowed to stand too close to the plants. They’re not allowed to smell them or touch them or taste any of them, because they do all have the ability to kill you.”

In this as in so many other cases, knowledge is power!

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Photo by Bobby on Unsplash

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Creativity: A Tip

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , on July 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“Instead of looking at things, look between things.”

— John Baldessari

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Photo by Joakim Honkasalo on Unsplash

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At the Top of the List

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , on July 27, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I had the interesting experience of trying to explain my latest writing project to someone at a party last night. In French.

Do I speak French? I do not!

It was a hilarious experience (what exactly is “ethical thief” in French?) and I learned a lot. The best part was just diving in and figuring it out.

Did I get everything right? 100% no.

Did I get enough right to make it work? Yes.

And that’s what mattered. It also helped me think through what was important about the story and what could fall by the wayside.

So if anyone out there is aiming for perfection ? (And I include myself in this.) Maybe just don’t. Instead, focus on the important bits.

And having a good time is right at the top of that list.

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Photo by Darlin Gonzalez on Unsplash

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Aim Higher

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , on July 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

True strength lies in admitting weakness, and then working to fix it.

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Photo by Intricate Explorer on Unsplash

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Now, I Think

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on July 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

There is no perfect moment to begin.

— Seth Godin

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Some Day Is Today

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , on July 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Not getting everything done you’d hoped? Life intruding into your carefully made plans? It happens. Some days are weird.

And some days you just need to give yourself a break.

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Photo by Ekaterina Z. on Unsplash

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The Secret to Speculative Fiction

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on July 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Why Tolkien thought “sub-creation” was the secret to great fantasy and science fiction

There is something about great fantasy that emboldens the spirit and gives fire to the fight. It is found not only in the words and plot but in its atemporality. It tells us that there is something universal to the human condition that ought to be celebrated. It is something as true for Anglo-Saxons in their snowy mead halls as it is for office drones changing their login passwords.

It says that no matter what monsters we face, we shall overcome and live on. We shall not be defeated.

That’s a pretty good secret.

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Do and Dare

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on July 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“Dare to be strong and courageous. That is the road. Venture anything.”

— Sherwood Anderson

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Photo by James Smith on Unsplash

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Art’s Enemy

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on July 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“For only after, can one nail down, examine, explain. To try to know beforehand is to freeze and kill. Self-consciousness is the enemy of all art, be it acting, writing, painting, or living itself, which is the greatest art of all.”

― Ray Bradbury

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Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash

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