Posted in Writing, tagged writing, creativity, Writers, Thoughts, #365Ways, #365Ways2026 on March 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »
This is one of those quotes I may have posted before, but I don’t see it in a search and (importantly) it’s the sort of advice you can’t hear too much of as a writer, I think!
“If you’re going to be a writer, the first essential is just to write. Do not wait for an idea. Start writing something and the ideas will come. You have to turn the faucet on before the water starts to flow.” ― Louis L’Amour
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »
This quote is from a musician, but I think it applies to all artists and heck, to people in general. Be you!
The only way you can move someone is by being someone. —Jacob Collier
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Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, inspiration, invention, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »
This is for all those who take the world and mold it, via fiction or fact, into something creative and new.
The most interesting inventions are those that haven’t worked yet. — Nathan Myhrvold
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #WriteMoreEraseLess, creativity, Thoughts, work, Writers, writing on March 23, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Creativity is abundant, it’s execution that’s scarce. — Adam Grant
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, no submission fee, prizes, saving humanity a bonus, Writers, writing, writing contest on March 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Are you a writer in the “1,000 words or less” space? Do you care about the future of humanity? Harbor a secret desire to be named the new Ambassador of the Human Race?
This no-fee super fun writing contest may be for you!
The aliens are coming. Or at least they told us they were.
They asked us for just one item: a written document from humanity.
This is the only thing they are going to read before they arrive.
We have no idea what the document should be, so we’re asking you.
…
We’re giving $2,000 USD to the best submission. Second and third place get $250 each.
We’re going old school here. You’ll have to physically mail in your writing, and it needs to reach us before May 15, 2026.
(I bolded that last bit because prizes are nice, but also it’s been a while since most submissions had to use the mail, and while I love the whole concept of the postal service, it does not travel at the speed of the electron.)
We’d better get writing. And I for one am going to work on cultivating a slightly more positive outlook than I may have in the past (an example I still like, but would be a poor choice in this case! We Are Mirrors).
The fate of humanity may depend on it!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, a little magic, Writers, writing on March 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »
A brief short on what I call The Balance, used for good:
He was nervous when he left. Big day, a presentation that would be the culmination of months of work, weeks of overtime, uncounted hours of stress. It all came down to one day, and this meeting.
His grin slipped a little as he said goodbye. “Here’s hoping things work out.”
I reached out and touched his right hand, just above the silver circle I’d given him. He laughingly referred to as his magic ring. I felt a spark.
“You’ll be fine,” I said.
I could tell he wasn’t convinced, but I meant it.
My own day was a maelstrom of mishaps. I sloshed hot water on the stairs and watched helplessly as a raw egg slipped from my fingers to break over the fridge drawer, the freezer seals, and the floor. Emptying the dishwasher was a humbling lesson in the fragile properties of glass and ceramic.
That’s okay, I thought. Worth it.
He came home exhausted but happy. Everything that could go wrong, didn’t.
“Somehow,” he said.
I smiled.
“Just lucky, I guess.”
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, free fiction, inspiration, Nebula Awards, reading, SFWA, to be read, Writers, writing on March 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association has released its list of finalists for the new Nebula Awards. These are some of the best stories, movies, games and more from 2025, and a great way to boost your to be read list. If you’re an SFWA member you have until April 15th to vote on your favorites.
The list is available in lots of places but I’ll link to Andrew Liptak’s site because he has already done the work of finding links for the stories that are available online. Thanks, Andrew!
I’ll copy the short stories here, but click through to Andrew’s site for links to the novelettes and more. And do I love that many of the top short story markets are open access? I do!
Here are the finalists for the 2026 Nebula Awards
Best Short Story
- “Through the Machine” by P.A. Cornell (Lightspeed Magazine, 5/25)
- “Six People to Revise You” by J.R. Dawson (Uncanny Magazine, 1-2/25)
- “In My Country” by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld Magazine 4/25)
- “The Tawlish Island Songbook of the Dead” by E.M. Linden (PodCastle 2/18/25)
- “Because I Held His Name Like a Key” by Aimee Ogden (Strange Horizons 6/16/25)
- “Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything” by Effie Seiberg (Diabolical Plots 5/25)
I’ve only read a couple of these stories so this promises to be a treat. Happy reading everyone!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, AI, creativity, InquiringMindsWantToKnow, libraries, persistence, technology, thinking, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »
There are a number of reasons why AI can be problematic, but lawsuits over stolen copyrights and the like don’t touch on one of the more interesting and important reasons why AI should be used judiciously in creative work.
It can undermine your skills. And who among us wants to fall victim to that most dreadful of problems, creative atrophy?
This essay by Storm Humbert goes deeper into the perils of cognitive offloading, skill atrophy, and more.
Not a Scab, But a Wound – Apex Book Company
Don’t be drawn in by the allure of never having to go through the “being-bad-at-it” phase of learning a craft. We must allow ourselves to be bad—to downright suck—for a little while. Outsourcing our infinite potential to limited tools is how we become limited ourselves. Instead, pick up a pencil. Sit at a keyboard. Contend with the blank page and the empty canvas—the unsullied slab of granite. It’s the only path to greatness.
Like any tool, AI can be good at some things and not great at others. Knowing the why and when and how is critical to making good use of such tools, and those decisions require thought and good judgement. And what’s the best tool for building people who are good at thinking?
Why, a library card! AI Literacy Starts With Reading Books, Not Prompts
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, open books open minds, reading, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 16, 2026| 1 Comment »
Today is a good day. Why, you might ask, and perhaps you have forgotten that today is Monday?
I stand by my statement, because I got this in the mail:
Three (quiet) cheers for libraries!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, Thoughts, Writers on March 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“You were born and with you endless possibilities, very few ever to be realized. It’s okay. Life was never about what you could do, but what you would do.” — Richelle E. Goodrich
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