Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, Ken Liu, Uncanny Magazine, Writers, writing on August 31, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I’m apparently out of practice balancing the day job with other things. I also spent a good part of my day interfacing with computers, so while I relearn time-management skills, here’s a story from Ken Liu.
/can’t find the story
/now where is that link hiding?
/AI help needed!
Ah, here we are.
50 Things Every AI Working with Humans Should Know – Uncanny Magazine
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, haiku, Thoughts, Writers on August 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Summer night—
― Kobayashi Issa
even the stars
are whispering to each other.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »
For the past few days, my inbox has been filling up with emails on advice to writers. You know the type: listicles with “What every writer should know” and “Top ten tips for writers,” that sort of thing. That’s fine as far as it goes, and depending on your progress as a writer, many of these comments may very well be useful.
Still, I can’t help thinking that my own advice would be both shorter and more broadly applicable. (And yes, when it comes to recommendations like this I am my own best customer.)
You can’t finish what’s not started.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.”
― Ray Bradbury
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Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, Thoughts on August 26, 2022| Leave a Comment »
And somehow the last bit of my break is over. What have I done? Not much and a lot. I originally considered setting some big dramatic goal, like writing a novel, but decided that I’d benefit much more by just… not. So I wrote some but read more, cooked some and ate more, hiked some and lounged more. Did I cross a lot off my list? Yes, but I decided not to worry too much about the remaining items.
I also had a little fun along the way. Here’s a birthday card I put together (with the relevant numbers removed to protect the innocent).
Posted in Food and..., Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, CB Droege, Fiction, free fiction, genre fiction, Nature's Futures, writing on August 25, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I tested out yet another version of my tofu pudding recipe, hazelnut chocolate this time. It’s a little sweet, but I may try layering it with passionfruit whipped cream and see what that’s like. Because half the fun is in the making.
Ok, maybe not half. But it is fun.
In honor of the connection between food, experimentation and the evolution of humanity (by humans or… not), check out this short story by CB Droege in Nature.
Alfie’s ice cream
It was almost time. After months of calibration and fine tuning. After dozens of years of research, theory, testing and production. After centuries of anticipation and dreaming. The SCS Alfred Nobel, Alfie as he called himself, was finally going to try some ice cream.
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, genre fiction, Ilona Andrews, inspiration, Writers, writing on August 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Sorry, can’t chat right now, I’m too busy reading the new Ilona Andrews book, Ruby Fever.
While I do feel a bit bad that it will only take me a day to read what took months to write, I’m going to inhale the book anyway. Back soon!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Thoughts, travel on August 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »
So there I was, digging through a stack of papers on the hunt for a bit of gold. I needed metallic paper so that I could make a birthday card. I eventually recovered a piece big enough for the project, but I found a number of other things along the way. One of them was a quatro-fold sheet of paper covered in scribbled trip notes.
On this day (years ago), Mr Man and I traveled from Boston to Fredericton, New Brunswick, at the start of a trip Out East.
We stayed at the Abbey Glenn Riverfront (not “side” or “view”, silly scribe) B&B and had dinner at the Snooty Fox. (Whole clams with chips and salmon on a cedar plank, apparently.)
I’m glad I wrote this down because my memory for details like this is not the best. I am great at making scribbled notes on random bits of paper, though, and keeping them to be discovered later, minor treasures of memory.
In a complete coincidence, we’re having salmon tonight, too.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, meh, Thoughts, writing on August 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »
It’s one of those days today, where the clouds hang low and only drizzle when you go to the mailbox or want to go for a walk. I’ve been working steadily but not getting as much done as I’d like. Such is the way of Mondays.
In honor of this deeply mediocre Monday, I give you my version of the Omnitaur. Here’s the original by xkcd:
And here is my own half-assed version. It needs more work and focus, and that’s just not happening today. And oh look, I just noticed that the bull segment disappeared somewhere along the way. Ah well!
Some days creativity doesn’t quite work. Still worth it.
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, drabble, Drabble Dabble Do, Fiction, genre fiction, Thoughts, writing on August 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »
A random musing in the form of a drabble: What if finding an adult sponsor were the only way to live past your 18th birthday?
Old and New
Travis smiled as he helped Mr. Frederick with his groceries. Dead-end job? Sure, but it gave him a chance to meet a lot of elders. They usually hid behind retirement community walls, but everyone had to eat.He slipped a Recommendation card into the last bag, between a head of broccoli and an eggplant.
“Thanks, kid,” the old man said.
Damn it, three weeks of sucking up and Mr. Frederick still didn’t know his name? All his other prospects had fallen through. Travis gave a silent groan as he counted the days to his 18th birthday.
He was so dead.
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