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Posts Tagged ‘#365Ways’

Why write? It’s a question writers get asked a lot. There are a lot of challenges to writing, both internal and external, and overcoming them can take persistence and focus and a good handle on what and why. So I periodically ask myself just that: why write? 

Here’s one author talking about her history with writing: Patricia Cornwell, novelist: Imagination saved me

Jamie Coomarasamy speaks to Patricia Cornwell, one of the world’s best-selling crime writers, whose books have sold more than 120 million copies worldwide… Her imagination became a refuge during difficult years, shaping the stories and characters she would later create.

Ann Patchett’s The Getaway Car is another interesting look into the author’s development as a writer, but everyone’s answer is different.

My version of why tends to revolve around an essential truth: I want to be part of the worlds I’ve loved since I was a child. I want to be a book in the library of life.

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“Because nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff… Nerds are allowed to love stuff, like jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can’t-control-yourself love it. Hank, when people call people nerds, mostly what they’re saying is ‘you like stuff.’ Which is just not a good insult at all. Like, ‘you are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness’.” ― John Green

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It’s a beautiful day here, all blue fall skies and fluffy white clouds, and birds singing in the back yard. What, one might wonder, did the landscape sound like in eons past? Before technology? Even before humans? 

There are still a lot of questions to answer, particularly about dinosaurs and other creatures with soft tissue that has not traveled to us through time, but insects? That, we now have a better handle on.

What Did Jurassic Forests Sound Like? Like This.

Scientists spent over a decade reconstructing the calls of nine species of ancient insects to create the first accurate Jurassic soundscape.

Something to think about if you are a writer building a soundscape for your world. And having spent much of the weekend with mosquitoes buzzing in my ears, I can only say that insects certainly can make an impression!

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Like many people, I sometimes flash back to mistakes I’ve made in writing or elsewhere. It’s annoying, how they pop up unbidden, their lessons knocking gently (or otherwise) as if I’d forgotten. 

I’ve come to the conclusion that it may be easier to move on from those moments if, instead of trying to ignore them, I respond with “yes, and…” It’s a classic technique in improv comedy, of course, but it can also help mitigate the sting of past negatives by acknowledging them while also making space for the positive. Balance out the scales.

“Yes, that thing that’s been swirling around in my head for a week was kind of a silly thing to do, and remember when I also did that other thing that was awesome?”

A little trick I find useful:)

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What Happens When You Put an AI-Powered Banana Casino in a Monkey Reserve?

The team started by building a homebrew AI-powered facial recognition program called CapuchinAI. They then installed it on a computer outfitted with a camera and touchscreen, loaded it in a protective DIY box, and included a dispenser to dole out dried forest banana slices. When CapuchinAI detects a monkey’s face, the touchscreen turns on. If the monkey triggers it, the machine dispenses a tasty banana slice. Simple as that. 

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All Human Together

“A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men.” — Gloria Steinem

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It’s end-of-summer, change-of-season, back-to-school time, and for me that means taking a moment for a little reflection and reassessment. I also like to use this time as an opportunity to clear the decks.

I don’t know about you, but I tend to accumulate mental notes to myself, project plans, ideas that have persisted over the course of the year. Now is a great time to cross those items off my list. Maybe an idea is so small that it seems not worth doing, but it’s been taking up space in my mind. Time to get it done. Maybe it’s so big that I’ve been avoiding it. Time to decide if it’s worth tackling or if it should be deliberately shelved in favor of other projects. Either way, I get it off my list and out of my head. 

And once the decks are cleared? I can look forward to a new season and new ideas.

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I’ve been doing some new things over the break, and one of those things was buying an ice cream maker. I’ve always thought it would be fun to have one, enjoyed my earlier adventures in frozen desserts, and it was on sale, hooray. 

My first experiment? Lemon, of course!

And if you, like me, were not 100% clear on the differences between iced desserts, you may find this explainer helpful: Ice Cream vs. Gelato vs. Sherbet vs. Sorbet: What’s the Difference?

Lemon Sherbet

(adapted from King Arthur Baking)

  • 3/4 C. (149g) toasted sugar
  • 1 T. cornstarch
  • 1/2+ C. (125g) lemon juice, chilled
  • 1/8 t. lemon oil
  • 2 drops Fiori di Sicilia
  • 2 cups (454g) whole milk, very cold (or 30g cream and the rest 18% protein 2% milk)
  • 1 drop yellow food coloring
  • small pinch of salt
  1. Combine sugar and cornstarch in blender, pulse a couple of times to mix.
  2. Add remaining ingredients, blend for ~30 seconds to combine well.
  3. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions (for me, this took 20–25 minutes).

Very good!

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This is a niche little time-saving suggestion for those who keep cats: add a little zigzag pattern after you clean the litter; it will be obvious if it’s been used the next time around. 

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Every hour in every life contains such often-unrecognized potential to affect the world that the great days and thrilling possibilities are combined always in this momentous day.” — Dean Koontz

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