Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, creativity, Thoughts, today not so much, Writers, writing on March 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »
It’s the weekend and I feel I should be using my time for creative work, but instead I have a long and growing list taking up space in the back of my mind (and on Post-its fluttering from desk to pocket to pile). This list includes both the ignorable (“clean basement, for real this time”) and the not so much (“Taxes!”).
So I’ll just go take care of that, shall I?
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, persistence, some days, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 28, 2024| Leave a Comment »
“Thankfully, persistence is a great substitute for talent.”
― Steve Martin
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, espionage, Fiction, how to, master of disguise, spies, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Today’s Now I Know (a fun free newsletter, recommended) talks about some of the fundamental elements of being a successful spy. Essentially, the key is to play a character as truthfully as possible.
When I moved to Canada I was suddenly surrounded by people and places that were just subtly different from what I was used to. The way people dress, talk, eat, smile, and yes, stand, are all signifiers of culture and place. It made me more conscious of what was the same and what was different, or what made me look at an actor in a commercial and immediately say, “Sooo Canadian!” when Mr Man didn’t register a difference.
Here’s the video referenced in the article, with Jonna Mendez, former CIA agent and Chief of Disguise:
What makes a character look “right” or not, or act as if they are rooted in a particular time and place? Understanding those fundamental cues is a great way to think about adding depth to stories and the characters who drive them.
While we’re here, Mendez also has a fun video critiquing scenes in spy movies, useful to anyone writing a story with espionage:
Alias for the win!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, drabble, genre fiction, Thoughts, writing on February 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »
One of my first drabbles, originally published in Grand Science Fiction. Scroll right to read it in full.
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, courage, creativity, fear, inspiration, persistence, Thoughts on February 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »
For anyone facing a challenge today, two quotes:
“…very often a risk is worth taking simply for the sake of taking it. There is something enlivening about expanding our self-definition, and a risk does exactly that. Selecting a challenge and meeting it creates a sense of self-empowerment that becomes the ground for further successful challenges.”
— Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way
“So do it. If you win, you win, and if you lose, you win.”
— Jake La Motta, Raging Bull
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, creativity, genre fiction, inspiration, Thoughts, writing on February 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »
“Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.”
― Terry Pratchett
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Posted in Entertainment, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, #FTRWeek, libraries, reading, Thoughts on February 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »
It is Freedom to Read Week here in Canada. What is it, you may ask?
Freedom to Read Week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom.
Well, I am all about that. The more readers in the world, the better.
And while we’re on the topic, if you happen to live in a place where access to books is not what it could be, allow me to introduce you to the Open Library.
Open Library is free and open to anyone. Some features require that you have an Open Library account.
Have an email address? You’re in.
And welcome. We’re glad you’re here.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, cognitive behavior, creativity, genre fiction, science, Thoughts, writing on February 19, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Today, an essay by Cecilia Tan in Uncanny magazine: A Novel Is an Empathy Engine.
The idea that story can have an effect on the humans that consume it is not new. It’s well accepted across many cultures, and well supported by studies, that children’s development is aided by hearing stories, with benefits ranging from emotional development and improved communication skills to increased vocabulary and social maturity. But adults are also affected and changed by story.
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Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, books, free fiction, genre fiction, Mars, movies, Writers on February 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »
In a recent chat with my mother, I mentioned that I thought she would enjoy the movie version of The Martian. I don’t know if she was convinced by my sales pitch: “An astronaut is stranded alone on Mars and has to find a way home before he dies a horrible death. It’s hilarious!” but I hope she’ll watch it.
Andy Weir’s book is also a lot of fun. It was published ten years ago this month, and to celebrate he wrote a new chapter and shared it with us all.
Enjoy!
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Posted in Entertainment, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, #BlackAsSFF, genre fiction, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers on February 16, 2024| Leave a Comment »
I just finished the third book in N.K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth trilogy and have to agree with this article:
Dear Hollywood, Where Are the SFF Book-to-Movie-TV Adaptations From Black Writers?
Since 2014, approximately 500 books of all genres have been adapted to film or television. In total, just over four dozen of those books adapted were written by Black authors. Only four of those 50+ Black adaptations were speculative works.
Just saying.
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