Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, impostor syndrome, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“Are you writing a book and worried that it’s awful and you suck and everyone who said they liked it is lying to you? Welcome to being a writer!
— Jessie Mihalik
I’d say most of us struggle with those feelings, even people who are highly successful. Keep going, you’ve got this.”
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, inspiration, Saturdays, Thoughts on August 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“I cannot go to school today,”
— click through for the full poem from one of my favorite childhood authors
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
“I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps…
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, Fiction, ideas, quoteandaprettypicture, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“To invent you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
― Thomas Edison
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #wotf39, creativity, David Hankins, genre fiction, Kickstarter, Sarah Morrison, Writers, Writers of the Future, writing, yay on August 8, 2023| 1 Comment »
As regular readers of the site know, Tuesday is my busiest and least fun day. Usually, anyway. Today I am pleased to support a Kickstarter by a fellow Writers of the Future cohort member.*
Death and the Taxman – A Novel by David Hankins (illustrations by Sarah Morrison)
The Grim Reaper, trapped in an IRS agent’s dying body, must regain his powers before he faces Judgement for his original sin.
Did I love the short story? I did. Am I looking forward to the full novel? Yes, indeed. And are Sarah Morrison’s illustrations a captivating riot of color, character and motion? They are!
If humor and good writing and fun fantasy are your thing, check out this Kickstarter!
* Yes, another one. What can I say, they’re awesome.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #wotf39, Affinity Photo, art, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, Writers, Writers of the Future, writing on August 7, 2023| Leave a Comment »
The week-long Writers of the Future workshop included a number of interviews touching on topics ranging from our work, how we made it to the contest, to what it was like to win. One of these interviews was for the contest’s own podcast, and we were asked to do an episode.
Constant blogging aside, I’m actually a bit shy, and I was not looking forward to talking for an hour All About Me. As I headed up to the interview room, I realized that there were already three other winners inside. It was my lucky day: all four of us did the interview together and it was terrific. If you follow this site you’ve seen Elaine’s work before, but here she talks about her history and her writing. Sarah and April are both brilliant illustrators, and it was fascinating to hear more about that side of the contest, as well as their experiences on the way to becoming winners.
Chatting with such interesting and talented women was a great experience. Hope you enjoy the interview too.
Stream episode 237. 4 Award-winning authors and artists discuss their journeys to winning
— Elaine Midcoh, author of “A Trickle in History” (elainemidcoh.wordpress.com)
— J.R. Johnson, author of “Piracy for Beginners” (jrjohnson.me)
— Sarah Morrison, illustrator of “Death and the Taxman” (sarahmorrisonillustration.com)
— April Solomon, illustrator of “Moonlight and Funk” (AprilSolomonArt.com)
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Posted in Likes, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, inspiration, quotes, Thoughts, Writers on August 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“Stuff your eyes with wonder,” he said, “live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.”
― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, genius, inspiration, Motivation, myths, productivity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“The more shots you get at the target, the more likely you’ll eventually score a bull’s-eye, but the more misses you’ll accrue as well. The bull’s-eyes end up in museums and on library shelves, not the misses. Which, when you think about it, is a shame. It feeds the myth that geniuses get it right the first time, that they don’t make mistakes, when, in fact, they make more mistakes than the rest of us.”
― Eric Weiner, The Geography of Genius
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #ottweather, writing on August 3, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Today’s warnings:
- Risk of a tornado
- Wind gusts up to 100 km/h.
- Toonie to golf ball size hail.
- Localized heavy downpours.
Dear Weather Gods,
Please chill.
Thank you.
Your humble servant, etc. etc.
Am I posting this now in case the power goes out? I am. Now it’s back to work for as long as I can.
Stay safe out there, everyone!
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Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, STEM stuff, Thoughts, writing on August 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »
All good advice, and the world needs more inventors because the world needs more solutions. But if you’re not into soldering or whatever and still want to create, remember kids, writing fiction is always an option!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #wotf39, free fiction, genre fiction, Writers, Writers of the Future, writing on July 31, 2023| Leave a Comment »
One special part of the Writers of the Future experience was meeting other writers. I’m sure other cohorts were good but our group was (obviously;) the best.
I’ve already introduced you to Elaine Midcoh, but here’s another piece by fellow volume 39 writer, Grand Prize winner and all-around nice guy David K. Henrickson.
Living Space by David K. Henrickson – Factor Four Magazine
Picking up stakes wasn’t easy for the dead. The older you got, the more connections you made. I had friends in the city I’d known for decades, some even before my death. It made relocating elsewhere difficult.
He also wrote an essay about his path to publication, appropriately titled Old But Not Too Old to Succeed!
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