Writers | J.R. Johnson

Posts Tagged ‘Writers’

Not Too Long & Not Too Short

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, anthologies, creativity, inspiration, Kickstarter, Writers, writing on February 15, 2026| 4 Comments »

Here’s a quick notification for anyone interested in writing and publication venues and supporting a fun Kickstarter:

Missed-Fits: A Calendar of Fools Anthology by Storm Humbert

The idea for Missed-Fits is born of two central motivations at Calendar of Fools: the desire to create truly unique books and reading experiences for our readers, and the desire to provide a service or fill a gap we see in the professional short fiction space. In this case, the gap we saw was a relative dearth of stories of a certain length (1,200 to 2,100 words)…

I backed an earlier Calendar of Fools campaign and am happy to see that these anthologies are still going strong.

Given that I like books, often write stories that don’t fit traditional venue length requirements, and enjoy supporting artists, this is right up my alley.

Perhaps these are things you like too?

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How Marvelous!

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, quotes, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 10, 2026| 1 Comment »

“How marvelous books are, crossing worlds and centuries, defeating ignorance and, finally, cruel time itself.” ― Gore Vidal

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On Behalf Of…

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #wotf39, free fiction, Writers, writing on February 9, 2026| 1 Comment »

Today, I’m happy to share a story from friend and fellow writer Elaine Midcoh.

On Behalf of Lake Owakeela

Do you want the truth? I will whisper so no one else will hear and think that I am crazy. I am not the ‘clever young legal scholar’ as has been alleged. The idea didn’t arise because I am brilliant or original. It only happened because, one night, after I had given up before trying, Lake Owakeela talked to me.

This story was a winner of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ “Write Before Midnight” short fiction competition, judged by none other than Kim Stanley Robinson (yes, of the Mars trilogy, The Ministry for the Future and many, many more).

See Robinson’s story notes at the top of the page, then settle in to enjoy a clever, entertaining, and ultimately uplifting story about protecting the world, and those who live in it.

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For Those With Excellent Taste

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 5, 2026| 1 Comment »

“There is a time for any fledgling artist where one’s taste exceeds one’s abilities. The only way to get through this period is to make things anyway.” ― Gabrielle Zevin

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Taking a Broader View

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, persistence, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 3, 2026| 2 Comments »

We admire people at their peak, we don’t get to see the distance they’ve traveled. — Adam Grant

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Everything You Need to Know

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, life, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 30, 2026| 1 Comment »

“All you have to do is to pay attention; lessons always arrive when you are ready, and if you can read the signs, you will learn everything you need to know in order to take the next step.”

― Paulo Coelho

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For Muscles and Minds

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Motivation, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

“Growth starts where comfort ends.”

— Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Useful Tools

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, advice, blocks, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The world is a distracting place. If you’ve been having trouble finding the time and energy to focus on your writing, this free class from award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal might be useful.

Free Class: Barriers to Writing

Hey there… have you been having a hard time writing? Yeah. There’s a lot of that going around right now.

This class looks at what keeps people from writing. It’s less about problems with the story and more about all the external things. It covers environmental factors, mental health, and tricks for compensating for all of this to write.

Thanks, Mary!

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This Moment in Time

Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #MLKDay, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The power of science fiction, fantasy, and related genres including “the speculative” lies in its ability to create new ways to talk about old and ongoing problems in our societies. We are surrounded by people who wonder what they are going to do with the moment in time they inhabit—time-travelers fixed to this one instant in a long continuum of human struggle—and we are crafting new vocabularies of comfort, courage, and creative energy for them and for ourselves.

— The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the power of building new worlds

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