This is a place I would like to visit. The colors! The drama! The stratigraphy!
Posts Tagged ‘inspiration’
Apropos of Nothing
Posted in Likes, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, writing on October 1, 2022| 1 Comment »
Agree to (Mostly) Agree
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Growing up, we were taught to give books the first sentence test. If that first sentence drew us in we’d move on to the first paragraph. I consider that mindset excellent training for authors running the editorial gauntlet.
Here are a few examples of good openers. While I may not love every one, it’s a good collection, made even more useful by the side-by-side comparison with other great literature.
Literature’s greatest opening paragraphs – the best opening lines in novels
As with pubs and shoes, you know you’re reading a great book from the second you’re inside it.
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What Words Can Do
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Fiction, historical fiction, inspiration, Writers, writing on September 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Hilary Mantel, celebrated author of Wolf Hall, dies aged 70
The Booker prize-winning author of the Wolf Hall trilogy, Dame Hilary Mantel, has died aged 70, her publisher HarperCollins has confirmed.
Mantel was regarded as one of the greatest English-language novelists of this century, winning the Booker Prize twice, for Wolf Hall and its sequel, Bring Up the Bodies, which also won the 2012 Costa book of the year.
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Writer and broadcaster Damian Barr said her death is “such a loss”.
“With every book she redefined what words can do,” he tweeted, adding: “She’s the only person I ever interviewed that speaks in whole, flawless paragraphs. I can’t believe we won’t have another book from her.”
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“The pen is in our hands. A happy ending is ours to write.”
— Hilary Mantel
Welcome, Fall
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, fall equinox, inspiration, nature, Thoughts, Writers on September 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »
The winds are cooler, the rains no longer soft. Bird feeders empty faster and the flowers look defiant rather than content.
I love summer, of course, but there’s something special about a hot bowl of soup and a warm blanket and crisp blue days and brightly colored leaves.
It’s a wonderful time of year for just about anything, but especially for taking stock and making plans.
Welcome to Fall.
Autumn equinox is the first day of fall. How is that different from a solstice? : NPR
Fall starts at 9 p.m. ET Thursday, a day officially known as the autumn equinox.
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Twilight Surprise
The sky burns down,
― Elizabeth Barrette, From Nature’s Patient Hands
A rim of coals glowing gold and red,
Limned with orange again
And kissed with hints of pink.
The clouds reflect tangerine and plum,
Overshadowing the silent glory.
Darkness and light,
Balanced upon this equinox,
Dance together like old lovers …
… and beget beauty.
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Watch the Stars
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers on September 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”
― Marcus Aurelius
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Exposure Therapy 101
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, inspiration, rejection, resilience, submissions, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 20, 2022| 1 Comment »
Are you a writer? Afraid of rejection? Wish you had a thicker skin? Practice getting rejected with the Journal of Universal Rejection!
The founding principle of the Journal of Universal Rejection (JofUR) is rejection. Universal rejection. That is to say, all submissions, regardless of quality, will be rejected. Despite that apparent drawback, here are a number of reasons you may choose to submit to the JofUR:
• You can send your manuscript here without suffering waves of anxiety regarding the eventual fate of your submission. You know with 100% certainty that it will not be accepted for publication.
• There are no page-fees.
• You may claim to have submitted to the most prestigious journal (judged by acceptance rate).
• The JofUR is one-of-a-kind. Merely submitting work to it may be considered a badge of honor.
• You retain complete rights to your work, and are free to resubmit to other journals even before our review process is complete.
• Decisions are often (though not always) rendered within hours of submission.
Folks, I conducted my exposure therapy the old-fashioned way, submitting story after story to multiple venues until my skin grew hard as nails. If only I’d known about the JoUR sooner!*
* Seriously though, it’s worth getting past this particular hurdle. Whatever works for you!
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“Do one thing every day that scares you.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
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Quote and Pretty Picture
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, inspiration, Thoughts on September 14, 2022| 2 Comments »
Ever had one of those days? We all have, and today it was my turn, some days are just like that. And that, friends, is why today is quote and a pretty picture day!
“Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these.”
― Susan B. Anthony
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Into the Trees
Posted in Likes, Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, adventure, fun, inspiration, Thoughts, yay on September 10, 2022|
No writing today. Instead, adventure.
Morning: an early drive through the fog-filled hills of Quebec to canoe through a giant water maze, home to beavers, frogs, birds, turtles and more.
Lunch: hot dog with ketchup and sauerkraut in honor of my grandfather, who also liked them that way.
Afternoon: three hours of hiking, climbing, zip-lining, rock climbing fun.
Ziptour – Adventure – Discover our Arbraska Parks
And now we rest.
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The 2022 Hugo Awards
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Fiction, genre fiction, Hugo Awards, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 5, 2022| Leave a Comment »
The winners of the 2022 Hugo Awards have been announced!
- Best Novel – A Desolation Called Peace, by Arkady Martine (Tor)
- Best Novella – A Psalm for the Wild-Built, by Becky Chambers (Tordotcom)
- Best Novelette – “Bots of the Lost Ark”, by Suzanne Palmer (Clarkesworld, Jun 2021)
- Best Short Story – “Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather”, by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, Mar/Apr 2021)
Click through the links above for free access to the winning novelette and short story, or visit the awards page for the full list of awardees.
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Because It’s Hard
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Artemis, inspiration, NASA, space exploration on August 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »
This morning at 8:33 a.m. EDT (12:33 GMT), NASA’s Artemis rocket is set to launch for the moon.
Watch NASA’s Artemis 1 moon launch online today | Space
The space agency will host Artemis 1 launch webcast on Aug. 29 to showcase the uncrewed launch on NASA’s first Space Launch System megarocket from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
As of this writing, live updates have begun. Weather forecasts are good but there is an engine issue. Engineers are working the problem but some delays are expected.
The fact that humanity has been going into space, and to the moon, for decades doesn’t mean it’s easy. And that’s ok.
“I don’t need easy. I just need possible.”
— Katie Bone, 16-year old nationally-ranked athlete and Type 1 diabetic
Follow launch live updates or watch it on NASA’s livestream now.
Update: Today’s launch has been scrubbed. More later!
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