Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, finishing, making stuff, yay on February 4, 2022| 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, action, hope, Thoughts on February 3, 2022| 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 Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, continuing education, Fiction, inspiration, reading, Writers, writing on February 2, 2022| 1 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.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, cli-fi, climate change, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, sff, Writers, writing, writing contest on February 1, 2022| 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:
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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.
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 Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Mondays, Thoughts on January 31, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I’m pretty sure someone out there needs flowers today. Is it you?
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, procrastination, Thoughts, woodturning, Writers, writing on January 30, 2022| 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, #theCreativityWars, creativity, Thoughts, writing on January 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »
It’s cold here today and I mentioned to my mother that we had condensation on the windows.
Now, you should know that my mother is very artistic and has an arts and languages background. She’s been to the creativity wars, you know?
Here’s what she said:
Great advice, right? And while I didn’t have enough condensation to draw anything real (and oh right, I can’t draw anyway, see above lopsided grimace for proof), the important thing is that I didn’t stop there.
I woke up thinking about Impressionist art (as one does) so I decided to try my hand at computer aided pointillism using this tutorial.* Here’s the result.
Thanks, Mom!
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* I also learned that Mary Cassatt, one of the “three great ladies” of Impressionism and an artist who focused much of her work on the social and domestic lives of women (subjects often ignored by male artists), was from Pennsylvania.
Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, home, memories, Thoughts on January 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »
After a long hiatus, I have returned to the world of waffle making. They really are delicious.
My father used to make us the best weekend waffles. Even the batter tasted great. The leavening made little bubbles that popped on the tongue.
For whatever reason, this week I got it in my head to make waffles. We had a cream-based seafood stew and as I pulled it out of the fridge I thought, “Chicken and waffles!”
For the uninitiated among you, chicken and waffles is a thing. A delicious, savory, creamy Pennsylvania Dutch dish that etched itself in my culinary memory from childhood.
The traditional Pennsylvania Dutch version consists of a plain waffle with pulled, stewed chicken on top, covered in gravy.
— Chicken and waffles – Wikipedia
Obviously, seafood is not chicken, but hey, I thought, close enough. I want waffles! Crispy outside, fluffy inside, what’s not to love? After a deep dive into the long-term storage situation I excavated the waffle maker from the bottom shelf of the basement cupboard. A not-so-quick cleaning* and dinner was served.
I made extra because waffles freeze well and if you want a quick dessert, say, don’t need more than visit to the toaster and a healthy dose of maple syrup.
Have we taken advantage of that fact?
Maybe!*
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* Sadly, in my experience waffle makers tend to be plagued by poor design and are difficult to maintain. Our current version is no exception.
* * Um, yeah. Hundred percent yes.
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, inspiration, quotes, Thoughts on January 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I’m working on a bouquet of smaller projects today, so I’ll leave you with this thought:
“I don’t care what you do in life, but challenge people with greater power than you and defend those with less power.”
— Nick Clooney, to son George
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, #PSA, free, stupid Covid on January 26, 2022| Leave a Comment »
This is for all my American readers out there.
Need a free Covid test and / or N95 mask? This is your lucky day!
Omicron just waves as it floats past cloth masks, and surgical masks (while a marked improvement) aren’t always ideal. What’s better? An N95 mask. Unfortunately, top-quality masks aren’t cheap.
The good news? Most of us can reuse N95s, and there are ways to get these masks for free.
There has been a lot of press about this but in case you haven’t heard or don’t have the links, here’s how to take advantage of these free offers:
Stay safe out there!
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