inspiration | J.R. Johnson

Posts Tagged ‘inspiration’

Today’s Fun Link Roundup

Posted in Entertainment, Likes, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, fun, inspiration, interesting, internet, Thoughts, wackiness ensuing on November 17, 2021| Leave a Comment »

I accumulate a lot of links. Work links, sure, but on my way to the data mines I often come across fun, interesting, obscure or downright delightful corners of the web. They inform me when I need a bit of learning with lunch, cheer me up when the news is too newsy, and otherwise remind me that the internet, like the world, is not 100% terrible.

What sort of links? I’m so glad you asked:)

* * *

Look Up! An Introduction to Identifying Raptors in Flight

Helpful, although I’ll probably continue to just say “hawk!” every time I see something predatory with wings. My bird enthusiast father’s reply is always (honestly, can he really be right all the time?*) “turkey vulture.” Just once I wish he’d say “dragon.”

* The answer is yes.

20 of the Best History Podcasts to Help Us Actually Learn From the Past

History is cool.

Honest Government Ad | Carbon Capture & Storage – YouTube

Is there swearing? There is. It’s warranted.

Introducing the Icelandverse – YouTube

Look out, Zuckerberg, Iceland is coming for you.

Bohemian Catsody – A Rhapsody Parody Song for Every Cat Queen and King! – YouTube

Since you’re already on YouTube. And like cat videos.

This man won a Guinness World Record for his tree that bears 10 types of fruit

“Hussam Saraf says his record-breaking tree with 10 different types of fruit is a metaphor for how he sees the world. … ‘[It’s] mother nature that’s united us all together. Doesn’t really matter how different we are in colour or culture or tradition. We are one, and we can respect each other as one.’” If that’s not nice then I don’t know what is.

rroll.to

Each time a user clicks on your generated link, there is a 50% chance that they will be rickrolled.

The True Story of the Blue People of Kentucky

Genetics, man.

Photos of the world above and below the sea by David Doubilet

Nature, man. These images are amazing.

Periodic Table of the Elements, in Pictures and Words

How many of these have you used today?

How to Identify that Light in the Sky

Brought to you by NASA and The League of Lost Causes, which is just about the most awesome name ever.

Scientists Create 3,000 TB Simulation of the Universe You Can Download

I don’t have the space for this, but maybe you do?

And since I’m a baker, here’s one last link:

All You Could Ever Want to Know About a Pumpkin Slingshot

I dunno, I want to know A Lot.

* * *

Read Full Post »

Welcome, Fellow Weirdos!

Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts on November 13, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Read Full Post »

Cooking My Books

Posted in Food and..., Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, Fiction, food, genre fiction, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers on November 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »

I think I’m going to start cooking my books.

Not in a bad way! But some days generating inspired dinner ideas is a pain. So to drum up new recipes I’m going to cook some version of whatever is being served in my current book.

For example, if the characters take a few moments between aliens and heart-pounding explosions to enjoy pancakes or roast chicken or curry, that’s my starting point.

Because invasion or not, one must stay fueled!

* * *

*Photo by Chokniti Khongchum on Pexels.com*

Read Full Post »

Today’s Perk Me Up

Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, cats, creativity, inspiration, making stuff, Thoughts on November 9, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Did we think about building an elevator for our elderly and arthritic cat? Of course we did! Here’s someone who actually pulled it off:

* Note: Our elevator design would have required an indoor vertical lift with weight-sensitive call functionality, so a little different. Still fun to think about though!

Read Full Post »

So Many Ways

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, #adventure, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, technology, Writers, writing, yay on November 8, 2021| Leave a Comment »

There are a lot of ways to tell a story. Out loud, on a screen, around a fire, on paper, you name it. And structure? Novels, plays, shorts, longs, movies, TV, take your pick, and new technologies mean new possibilities.

This Twitter-based choose your own adventure story is one fun example:

Metaverse Noir on Twitter: “START HERE” by Kathryn Yu

Would you like to know more? Here’s an article about the project.

There are so many ways to be creative, and it’s nice to be reminded that most limits are ones we put there ourselves:)

* * *

Read Full Post »

How Is It Almost Noon?

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on November 6, 2021| Leave a Comment »

We got up super early and yet somehow the morning is almost gone. Lots to do today including NaNoWriMo, so here’s another obvious yet still useful quote!

Everything worth doing is hard.
— Wil Wheaton

* * *

*Keep huffing and puffing and you’ll get there, little hot air balloon!* *Photo by Jake Nackos on Unsplash*

Read Full Post »

Door #2, Please

Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, inspiration, quotes, Thoughts on November 5, 2021| Leave a Comment »

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
― Albert Einstein

* * *

Read Full Post »

Time Travel(ish)

Posted in Likes, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, inspiration, Motivation, Thoughts, time travel, writing on November 4, 2021| 4 Comments »

Some of what I do in this blog is about leaving notes to myself, because I want to remember a recipe or an idea or an event.

Don’t have a blog? Continually misplace your diary? Wish Post-It notes were harder to lose? Want to give Future You a pep talk or notes on a brilliant idea or the memory of the most beautiful thing that happened to you today or a reminder of why you should stick with that challenging long-term goal?

You’re in luck.

FutureMe: Write a Letter to your Future Self

Does what it says on the box.

Decide what you want to write, when to send the letter and whether to make it public or keep it private. I sent myself a little NaNoWriMo encouragement for next year. Not sure what to say? Check out some of these public letters.

Is this time travel? No, but it’s the closest thing we have at the moment so I’m making the most of it!

* * *

Read Full Post »

NaNoFinMo

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, #NaNoFinMo, creativity, Fiction, finishing, genre fiction, inspiration, nanowrimo, sff, Thoughts, writing, yay on November 3, 2021| 2 Comments »

I like NaNoWriMo for a lot of reasons. It provides a useful set of constraints, a deadline, and a global group of fellow travelers with which to share the journey. It’s also completely bonkers, in a good way. I remember the sheer sense of glee when I realized that I could actually produce that many words in that short a time.

First question: Can I churn out 50,000 words in a month? Yes, yes I can. Go me.*

Next question, and one that most NaNo participants come up against as the first flush of success fades: Do those words mean anything? Are they useful?

In my case, and no surprise here, the first draft was not 100% terrible but certainly needed work. Writing to a tight deadline with a high word count left me, at least, with the sort of prose I don’t usually write in fiction.

Contractions? Nope, they only counted as one word, and why write one word when you can use two?
Blah blah blah descriptions that were far wordier than necessary? Absolutely.
Unnecessary plot detours? Oh yes. Have my character stop off at a roadside ice cream stand and discuss the relative merits of lemon lavender versus pomegranate basil flavors on the way to the dramatic shootout? Sure, if it helps me meet my word count target.

That part of NaNoWriMo wasn’t as helpful to me. This year, I’m rewriting the rules.

I know I can write a lot of words on demand. Check.
I know I can write every day. Check.
I don’t need more of that. What I want to practice now is finishing.

So this November I’m being a bit of a NaNo radical. Word count is not my focus. I’ve chosen one story idea and will work on it until it’s done. That’s it.**

The end:)

* * *

* * *

* I bet you could do it too. Need a pep talk? Check out the NaNoWriMo archives.

** I may or may not also be participating in an imaginary mentorship program with Ilona Andrews. Because what good is imagination if it can’t take you where you want to go?

Read Full Post »