Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, persistence, Thoughts, ugh on June 23, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Ever have one of those days where you take a left turn at your to-do list and just keep going, as the fragments of your plans fall by the wayside? That’s my today.
That’s okay, it happens. Persistence equals progress, even if sometimes I have to take the long way.
“Whatever you do, keep walking.” — Raphael Warnock
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, audience, connection, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing, writing advice on June 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“You’re trying to find your audience. And the way to find your audience is by being fully yourself in an engaging and interesting way.” — DongWon Song
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Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, astronomy, Father's Day, solstice, summer, Thoughts on June 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Happy Father’s Day, fathers! And happy June Solstice, everyone!
The sun is at its northernmost position today, hovering over the Tropic of Cancer like a thrown ball at its apex. It’s the longest day of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere and is commonly treated as the first day of summer. As a child, my father painstakingly laid out the night sky with glow-in-the-dark stars on his bedroom ceiling. He passed that curiosity and joy in the world’s magic on to us.
Here’s to happy summer days and family.
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Bonjour, good neighbors, inspiration, Mary Roach, quotes, Thoughts on June 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »
It’s been storming here on and off, so Mr Man and I took advantage of a sunny break in the clouds to go for a walk in the neighborhood. The flowers are blooming, the bees are buzzing, and summer is just around the corner. It was a lovely stroll, made even nicer by a short encounter at the park.
A man we didn’t know had a wheelbarrow and garden tools, and was trimming errant branches and vines by the walkway. We said hello (bonjour, actually) and he explained that he was a neighbor, just doing a bit of community service so that it would be easier for the city mowers to edge the pathways and open the way for the children who use the park.
How wonderful, I thought. How casually heroic.
“Heroism doesn’t always happen in a burst of glory. Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history.” — Mary Roach
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Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Emancipation Proclamation, haiku, Juneteenth, poem on June 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Happy Juneteenth, everyone! If you’re interested in the history behind the holiday celebrating the effective end of legalized slavery in the United States, I’ve written about it before.
This year, I’m marking the day with a biracial poem.
Half of me is glad
to be free. Half is glad I’m
not holding the chain.
Here’s to freedom, for us all.
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Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Earth, inspiration, NASA, nature, relaxation on June 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »
A storm rolled through today and now strong winds gust through the trees, making me more than usually aware of the weather. Which is why this bit of magic caught my eye.
Hypnotic Film Transforms Satellite Data Into Stunning Film
At first glance, Water World looks more like a painting than satellite imagery. Deep teal and silver clouds swirl slowly across a darkened sky, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. But every formation seen in the film genuinely existed above Earth, recorded in remarkable detail by a weather satellite orbiting roughly 22,000 miles above the equator.
The article goes into more detail on the how and the why, or you could just put the video onscreen and let yourself chill.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, interviews, read stuff, sci-fi, sff, Thoughts, William Gibson, write stuff, Writers, writing on June 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »
William Gibson riffs on writing and the future
So I would recommend that people read a lot, and as broadly as possible, and then I would suggest that people write a lot. You have to have written a very good deal in order to become really good at it. And if you do it often enough and pay sufficient attention, you’re much more likely to get somewhere than if you don’t.
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Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Bloomsday, classics, James Joyce, Thoughts, Writers on June 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »
A relative of Irish descent reminded me that today is Bloomsday, or a day to celebrate the life and work of James Joyce.
What is Bloomsday? – Bloomsday Festival
Bloomsday celebrates Thursday, 16th June 1904 — the day immortalised in James Joyce’s novel Ulysses. The day is named after Leopold Bloom, one of the novel’s protagonists. The novel follows Bloom’s life and thoughts (as well as those of Stephen Dedalus and a host of other characters, real and fictional) from early in the morning to the twilight hours of the following day.
It may also be helpful for other writers to know that even Joyce worried about his work being forgotten.
No chance of that today!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #keepwriting, creativity, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on June 15, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, helpful advice, Thoughts, Writers, writing on June 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Some days the advice you need comes to you at just the right time, all unexpected.
Lorem Ipsum and Light Bulbs, Hank Green
You’ve probably heard the bowl story, or some version of it, but I’m going to tell it to you again. Some diabolical teacher split his ceramics students into two groups. One group was told to spend the entire semester making one perfect bowl. The other group was graded on sheer volume… just make as many bowls as you can, quality be damned.
At the end of the semester, the group that was told to just make a bunch of bowls made the better bowls.
This is a common idea in creative circles, but Hank’s version popped up in my inbox just when I needed to hear it.
Maybe it will help you too?
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