“Growth starts where comfort ends.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger
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Posts Tagged ‘Writers’
For Muscles and Minds
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Motivation, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »
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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What She Said
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 18, 2026| 3 Comments »
“We’re only here for a short time. So why not go for it?”
— Belle Burden
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Have A Good Day!
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #FreeFiction, sff, Writers, writing on January 8, 2026| 2 Comments »
It’s a good day when I can promote a friend’s fiction, and today is a good day!
Here’s the latest flash fiction from the always terrific Arthur H. Manners in the excellent Nature: Futures (if you can’t see the full text, the easiest way to get access is to log in with a Google account):
A troubleshooting guide to your flat-pack planet
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Confused? Contact a customer service representative today*. Or, better yet, see below for our curated FAQ of common issues.
It’s funny because it’s (going to be) true;)
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Artist, Be Brave
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »
You don’t have to be miserable or suffer to create art; but you do have to be honest, and honesty is terrifying.
— Elizabeth Bear
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Lessons from the Past
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on December 27, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“That’s what literature is. It’s the people who went before us, tapping out messages from the past, from beyond the grave, trying to tell us about life and death! Listen to them!”
— Connie Willis
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Journey to The Journey
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, history, Writers, writing on December 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I ran across this short piece by Brian Lewis (self-described Cosmic Poet, which is awesome), and wanted to share.
In the fall of 1929, with America days away from financial ruin, Joseph Campbell committed what everyone called “professional suicide.” He walked into his advisor’s office at Columbia—degree in hand, future within reach—and announced, calmly, boldly, disastrously: “I don’t want one field. I want all of them.”
Yes, that Joseph Campbell, Mister Hero with a Thousand Faces.
By now, most of us have heard about Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, and how it distills thousands of years of mythology into a useful, easily transferrable model to help reach an audience.
(It also generated follow-on models, including Gail Carriger’s Heroine’s Journey.)
But how did Campbell build that original model? The essay shares some of the backstory of that process, and was full of new-to-me details. How did Campbell go from obscurity to one of the best known framers of storytelling?
Read the full essay for more. And yes, George Lucas plays a significant role:)
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First Things First
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on December 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Your first workout will be bad.
Your first podcast will be bad.
Your first speech will be bad.
Your first video will be bad.
Your first ANYTHING will be bad.
but you cant make your 100th without making your first.
So put your ego aside, and start.
— Alec Zamora
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He Went to 11
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, storytellers, Thoughts, Writers on December 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Rob Reiner, Actor Who Went on to Direct Classic Films, Dies at 78
“People take a look at ‘Princess Bride,’ and exclaim, ‘God, this is such an odd conglomeration!’” Mr. Reiner told The New York Times shortly after the movie was released in 1987. “‘How could you balance all those things?’”
“But it didn’t seem all that strange to me,” he went on, “because those are all parts of my personality. I’ve definitely got this satirical side to me, and this romantic side, and this more realistic way of looking at things.”
I don’t know about you, but Reiner’s eclectic approach to storytelling was one of the things I loved about his work. That and the clever humor, the touching moments, and the personal stories.
My favorite quote from this statement, Close friends of Rob and Michele Reiner release statement on their lives and work, is a reminder that we all make an impact.
“Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” — from It’s a Wonderful Life
Maybe we’ll watch The Princess Bride this weekend. Or Stand by Me. Or Spinal Tap. Or When Harry Met Sally. Or A Few Good Men. Or or or.
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