Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #wotf39, creativity, interviews, podcast, scifi, speculative fiction, Thoughts, writing on October 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I was recently invited to be a guest on the West Virginia Uncommon Place podcast. It was a fun interview, and I enjoyed the opportunity to explore multiple facets of writing, including how the landscapes and ideas we think of as home influence our creativity.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, haiku, Thoughts, writing on October 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Warm days can’t disguise
the seconds, minutes, hours
lost with each sunset.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, erratum, Thoughts, writing on October 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »
This morning I realized that, through a combination of tight timing and incomplete record-keeping, I repeated a quote a couple of weeks apart.
These things happen when you are:
The relevant posts are Consulting My Inner Eight and There’s Always A Right Person.
The relevant quote belonged to Richard Osman, writer of the charming Thursday Murder Club series. I’ve replaced the duplicate quote with another quote from the same book.
While I apologize for failing in my self-appointed task of sharing new, interesting and entertaining posts, I’m not sorry for doubling up on Mr. Osman. His work is fun, touching, thoughtful and often witty and I again recommend it if you’re into that sort of thing.
What sort of thing would that be, you may ask? The “octogenarians are clever, interesting people too and also murder murder murder” sort of thing. What’s not to love?
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #blueskysomewhere, creativity, meh, Thoughts, Writers, writing on October 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »
In which I share a snapshot from my creative life, acknowledge that progress isn’t always linear and look forward to funner times.
What is it about avoiding a project that causes it to snowball into its own sort of blockade?
I’ve talked about creative friction before, and it’s a bit of a process. (I don’t care who you are, the life of an artist is not all productivity and acclaim. Some days are just slow like molasses.)
It’s not just “the project” itself I’m avoiding now, it’s the increasingly large speed bump that has been growing between me and it. At this point, I’m having trouble even seeing the original idea, just the mountain standing between me and the task that’s been haunting my to do list for lo these many weeks.
Avoidance takes on its own power, not replacing but adding to existing barriers to action.
So much of what paralyzes us when we’re stuck isn’t the act we’re supposed to be doing, but rather the questions that hover above the act like a curious vulture. “Why is this so hard?” “Why am I not making more progress?” “Should I be doing something else instead?” “How much longer do I need to spend on this?”
— Adam Alter, Anatomy of a Breakthrough
The good news is that the opposite also holds true. Action dismantles both types of barriers, or allows you to bypass them altogether.
The other good news is that it helps to remind myself that my key to creative progress has always been to tilt my perspective far enough that “must focus” becomes “must have fun.”
And that I can do.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, quoteandaprettypicture, Thoughts on October 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I’m a little stuck on a project idea, but I remain optimistic…
“If life ever seems too complicated, if you think no one can help, sometimes the right person to turn to is an eight-year-old.”
― Richard Osman, The Bullet That Missed
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Thoughts, Writers, writing on October 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »
My day job requires a good deal of time immersed in the news, and while I’m ok with that, some days it can be a lot. I find that writing helps.
Today, that means a haiku.
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, inspiration, persistence, quoteandaprettypicture, Thoughts, Writers, writing on October 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
— Thomas Edison
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Chewbacca, Thoughts on October 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Today’s post is brought to you by the cat.
Chewbacca: “I’m trying to sleep. Please stop muttering about how you have nothing good to post today. Silly human.”
Me: “Fine, you think you can do better?”
Chewie: “Obviously.”
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Thoughts on October 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »
If you pay any attention to the news, you don’t need to be told that the world is a sometimes dark and dangerous place, or that humans have the potential for hatred and violence.
But perhaps you also appreciate a reminder that life is not just fearsome, and that humanity has the potential to do an astonishing amount of good.
I know I do.
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.”
— His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, AI, creativity, innovation, technology, Thoughts, Writers, writing on October 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »
A little reassurance about AI, from the great Margaret Atwood.
Margaret Atwood Reviews a “Margaret Atwood” Story by AI | The Walrus
Take heart! Not all is gloom! So far, generative AI chatbots don’t seem able to reflect on what they’re saying, though that in itself wouldn’t differentiate them from some actual human beings. Also, they’re bad at verbal texture, and they have a poor grasp of metaphor and sometimes even of punctuation. Well, they’re learning from us, so why wouldn’t that be true?
You’re still worried, young author? You doubt my word? Here are a couple of recent literary attempts by AI chatbots that ought to reassure you.
So we can all sleep well. For now, anyway;)
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