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Posts Tagged ‘#365Ways’

Typical View

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , on July 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

A typical view from my desk (especially around lunchtime):

Say hello to the nice people, Chewbacca. No, you can’t eat anyone.

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Don’t Be the Frog*

Posted in Holidays, Other, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »

This one’s for two of my parental units, currently on vacation in some of the hottest parts of the world right now, and everyone else facing down the record-busting summer heat.

8 mistakes to avoid if you’re going out in the heat

  1. Too much, too soon: You need to acclimatize
  2. Failing to pre-hydrate (and rehydrate!)
  3. Don’t be the frog in the boiling pot (i.e., your car)
  4. Heat + (certain) medications don’t mix
  5. Don’t ignore the early signs of heat-related illness
  6. Know when to seek medical attention
  7. Wear loose, light clothing
  8. Alcohol is a bad call

Stay hydrated, folks!**

* Note: The whole “boiling a frog” fable is, as the Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians at the US National Museum of Natural History said: “Well that’s, may I say, bullsh*t.” Frogs are way smarter than that.

** As mentioned in the article, alcohol isn’t a great idea when it’s hot. If you feel you must drink an adult beverage, however, irony suggests that you consider the Heat Wave.

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Photo by Stephanie LeBlanc on Unsplash

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Begin Doing… Whatever You Like

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , on July 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

— Walt Disney

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Photo by Elena Koycheva on Unsplash

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Children of Summer

Posted in Likes, Science!, tagged , , , , on July 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Mr Man and I went for a walk today, a hot, sticky endeavor that reminded me of childhood summers. Humidity, thunderstorms, and lightning bugs.

We have fireflies in the yard now, enjoying our long grass and pine litter and bird bath. They appeared outside a could of weeks ago, and now we turn off as many lights as we can to help them find love.

Turn Off Your Lights and Welcome Fireflies

Many of my best summer memories involve fireflies, so now I’m doing what I can to help future generations have such memories too.

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Photo by Mike Lewinski on Unsplash

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Un/Stuck

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , on July 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »

I have spent a good chunk of the past two days a little stuck. It’s a day job thing so I can’t just roll a twenty-sided die or add vampires (sadly!) but it does, in the end, have something to do with writing.

The problem was that I wasn’t 100% clear on the problem. Usually, more research is supposed to clarify issues, but as I dove deeper the assignment made less sense, not more.

How to escape this quandary? In the end, I wrote myself a path out.

My approach? Examining the challenge from multiple angles, breaking it down into pieces as bite-sized as I could make them, and outlining whatever ideas came to mind until they stopped being terrible and started to be interesting. 

Next thing I knew, I was on my way.

This happened to be a day job problem but I find the same strategy also applies to fiction. In case you, too, find yourself stuck.

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Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

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Look to the Future

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , on July 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Things I’d rather not do today, but will:

  • work on the day-job project that’s been lurking on my to-do list
  • figure out what to do with the sadly inadequate results of a new brownie recipe
  • take care of some “just in case” items; thanks, tornado warning!

My future self will thank me. Probably.

“I look to the future because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.”

— George Burns

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Photo by NASA on Unsplash

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The 2023 Hugo Finalists

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »

The finalists for the 2023 Hugo Awards have been announced! 

The Hugo Awards

Best Novel

See the full list of nominees across all categories at Locus Online: 2023 Hugo, Astounding, and Lodestar Awards Finalists. Winners will be announced at Chengdu Worldcon in October.

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Photo by Andy Hermawan on Unsplash

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On Writing Compelling Speculative Fiction

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »

J.R. Johnson On How To Create Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories

What does it take for a writer today, to write compelling and successful Science Fiction and Fantasy stories?

Click over to Authority Magazine for my thoughts! If you can’t access the file there, here’s a PDF (but the formatting is better at Authority!).

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Photo by Valentin G on Unsplash

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Balancing Act

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , on July 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

It’s been a weird day. (Do I say that a lot? Feels like I might, but whatever. It’s definitely true today. And maybe I just expect too much in the way of normality.)

Yesterday was signings and beer and gelato. All good. Today? Things that can go wrong, do.

I’ve written about this before, in The Balance. It’s still funny, and still (mostly) true. And now I’m off to set things right.

You, on the other hand, might be interested to know that (checks extensive list of interesting factoids) there is a secret tunnel network under Chicago.

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I mean, I won’t be doing this anytime soon, but you get the picture. Photo by Jesse Bowser on Unsplash

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A Super Signing

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , on July 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »

A huge thank you to everyone who attended today’s signing of Writers of the Future Volume 39, and to the terrific staff at Ottawa’s Perfect Books. Also, particular thanks to the friends who trekked across the city, wrangled energetic children, or both! You made it a special experience.

Enjoy the book!

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