“Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time.”
— Sandra Day O’Connor
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Posts Tagged ‘#365Ways’
Me, Facing Down My To Do List
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, doing my best, Fiction, genre fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing on July 20, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Word of the Day: Noctilucent
Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, fun with words and other things, science, sky, Thoughts, Writers on July 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Today’s Word of the Day (in my world, at least) is “noctilucent.”
The term is typically applied to a specific type of cloud, “a luminous thin usually colored cloud seen especially at twilight at a height of about 50 miles (80 kilometers).” It’s the luminous aspect that makes these clouds particularly dramatic.
Noctilucent clouds: What are they and how can you see them? | Space
The name noctilucent is derived from the Latin words “nocto” and “lucent” which translates to “night” and “shining” respectively, according to Merriam Webster.
These clouds are seasonal, and in the Northern hemisphere that season is now.
Noctilucent clouds: The season starts now!
The season for noctilucent clouds at northerly latitudes is now. People at high latitudes report seeing noctilucent clouds. This happens every year, from about May through August in the Northern Hemisphere, and from November through February in the Southern Hemisphere.
I chose this word because its Latin origins are interesting to unpack, it refers to a beautiful and intriguing phenomenon, and it’s fun to say.
The world is a marvelous, mysterious and magical place. Science (and science fiction!) just makes it that much better.
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Typical View
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, cat herding, sweet cat, Thoughts, Tuesdays on July 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »
A typical view from my desk (especially around lunchtime):
Don’t Be the Frog*
Posted in Holidays, Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, climate change, cocktails, heat, irony, Thoughts, travel, weather 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
- Too much, too soon: You need to acclimatize
- Failing to pre-hydrate (and rehydrate!)
- Don’t be the frog in the boiling pot (i.e., your car)
- Heat + (certain) medications don’t mix
- Don’t ignore the early signs of heat-related illness
- Know when to seek medical attention
- Wear loose, light clothing
- 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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Begin Doing… Whatever You Like
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, Thoughts, Writers 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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Children of Summer
Posted in Likes, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, climate change, summer, Thoughts 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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Un/Stuck
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Thoughts, Writers, writing 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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Look to the Future
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Thoughts, ughs, weather 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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The 2023 Hugo Finalists
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Fiction, genre fiction, Hugo Awards, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on July 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »
The finalists for the 2023 Hugo Awards have been announced!
Best Novel
- Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree (Cryptid; Tor)
- Nettle & Bone, T. Kingfisher (Tor; Titan UK)
- The Spare Man, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)
- The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey; Jo Fletcher)
- Nona the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir (Tordotcom)
- The Kaiju Preservation Society, John Scalzi (Tor; Tor UK)
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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On Writing Compelling Speculative Fiction
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, speculative fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing 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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