I may have mentioned that I am entertained by maps, clever science jokes, and not-too-scary pirates. This xkcd comic ticks all the boxes.
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Posted in Funny, Science! | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, geography, inspiration, map projections, pirates, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
Attention writers!
Are you un-agented? Have you been waiting for a high-profile publisher to send out a call for submissions? Do you happen to have a science fiction, fantasy or horror manuscript lying around the house, waiting for its dare-to-be-great moment?
Then this, my friends, is your lucky day!
Angry Robot has announced a week-long open submission period for un-agented works. I don’t happen to have one handy but maybe you do? If so, may the odds be ever in your favor!
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The Submission period will run for one week, from Monday the 21st of February to Monday the 28th February.
We are looking for:
– Novel length works.
– A synopsis of the full work in a separate Word document.
– An elevator pitch and author bio in your email.Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.
– Adult fiction.
– Finished manuscripts.
To apply, please send us:
– A sample that consists of the first three chapters of your work (or first fifteen pages if the chapters are short).
– A synopsis of the full work in a separate Word document.
– An elevator pitch and author bio in your email.
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Posted in Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, publishing, sff, speculative fiction, speculative fiction novels, submissions, Writers, writing, writing a novel | Leave a Comment »
Ever wanted to make comic-style engraved images? I have, and today I got a wee bit closer to that goal.
Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Affinity Photo, creativity | Leave a Comment »
Posted in Funny | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, cats, inspiration | Leave a Comment »
I finished a thing!
I can’t get into details because Mr. Man is giving this thing to someone as a gift, and that someone has been known to visit this site.
That said, it felt pretty great to conceptualize the thing, start the thing, work through the inevitable issues that came up while making the thing, and then finish the thing.
Pretty freaking great.
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Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, finishing, making stuff, yay | Leave a Comment »
Some days I wake up and the world is my oyster. The sun is shining, work is good and my to do list glows with possibility.
Other days not so much.
It’s usually not that anything is wrong, per se. The sun is just as bright, work is on schedule, the world continues to turn. All good things, but there are never just good things. I like to at least try to look on the bright side but of course, not everything is awesome all of the time. And some days the not so good carries a little more weight.
Inevitably, you will miss the bus, your loved ones will not always be healthy, dogs (and software glitches) do eat homework, and the good guys don’t win every round.
Fair enough. But what is the antidote to this not awesome?*
Action.
Make something. Do what you can. Help someone, even if it is yourself.
Life isn’t always positive but you’re creative, interesting, smart, capable and fun. When you can, be an island of hope in a not-always uplifting world.
Answer not good with great.
“This is the world as it is. This is where you start.”
― Saul Alinsky
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* Regular readers may have guessed what I’m going to say but that’s ok, reinforcement strengthens habit and action is a habit I appreciate.
Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, action, hope, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
I have a minor confession: I have never read Charles Dickens. I may have started A Tale of Two Cities but I don’t think I finished it. Scratch that, I know I didn’t finish it.
Many of Dickens’ major novels were written for publishers who paid by the word. The man wasn’t stupid. He wrote A Lot of words. He also wrote across class boundaries, giving readers a window into the lives of those they might not otherwise encounter.
We live in a world shaped by his works and ideas. Movies, characters, what makes up some of the foundations of modern Christmas, a lot of that has to do with Dickens’ works.
But I haven’t read the original source material.
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If someone wanted to remedy a hole like this in their literary education, where to start?
One nice thing about the classics, they are everywhere.
- Books by Dickens, Charles – Project Gutenberg
- Tips and Tools to Make Reading Charles Dickens More Enjoyable: Dickens also wrote shorts, including sketches of life at the time.
- Discovering Dickens – A Community Reading Project: As a bonus, this site contains a lot of detailed notes on the anachronistic elements in the stories covered. If you’ve ever wanted to know what a copper-stick, jack-towel, plaister or tarwater was, they’ve got you covered. Check out the notes for Great Expectations.
- Where To Start Reading Charles Dickens
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Posted in Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, continuing education, Fiction, inspiration, reading, Writers, writing | 1 Comment »
tl;dr scroll for climate fiction contest info
You may have noticed that we are in the midst of a climate shift that is affecting all facets of life. What comes next, and how do we fix it?
Science is great for understanding what will change but to better understand the squishier bits like how it will impact our lives and societies? That is where fiction excels.
I’ve mentioned climate fiction before but if you’re interested in what’s out there, here are a few examples:
- Stories to save the world: the new wave of climate fiction | Books | The Guardian
- The definitive climate fiction reading list – 20 books to explore cli-fi | Fix
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Want to try at hand at writing us all into an optimistic future? Good news, Fix is back with another short story contest titled Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors.
We’re looking for stories of 3,000 to 5,000 words that envision the next 180 years of climate progress — roughly seven generations. The winning writer will be awarded $3,000, with the second- and third-place winners receiving $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. An additional nine finalists will each receive $300. Winners and finalists will be published in Fall 2022 in an immersive collection on Fix’s website and celebrated during a virtual event.
- Entry is free!
- Submissions close May 5, 2022, 11:59 p.m. U.S. Pacific Standard Time.
- The contest is open to writers anywhere in the world.
- Authors must be 18 years or older at the time of submission.
- Submissions must be fictional stories between 3,000 and 5,000 words.
- We do not accept previously published or simultaneous submissions (stories can only be submitted to this contest and not to others, until we have informed you of the result).
- Only one submission will be accepted per entrant.
There is no cost to enter and story copyright and ownership remains with the author. More details here.
Let’s write ourselves a better future!
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Posted in Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, cli-fi, climate change, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, sff, Writers, writing, writing contest | 1 Comment »
I’m pretty sure someone out there needs flowers today. Is it you?
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Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Mondays, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
Today’s debate: Do I push ahead on the story idea upon which I am currently stumped, update the family cookbook, or head to the workshop for the first time in ages?
The good news is that no matter what I decide, I’m likely to make progress on at least some of these fronts (or on something else entirely, but whatever, progress is progress).
Productive procrastination for the win!
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Posted in Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, procrastination, Thoughts, woodturning, Writers, writing | Leave a Comment »
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