Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, Kickstarter, Ukraine, Writers, writing on September 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Elizabeth Bear recently posted about a new Ukrainian speculative fiction anthology at Kickstarter.
Heads up about a very cool Ukrainian SFF Anthology!
The project is focused on Ukrainian and diaspora writers, all translated into English.
I enjoy supporting artists where I can, particularly those in such difficult situations.
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I’m interested in seeing the current and future world through new perspectives.
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Sign me up.
Here’s a link to the project.
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Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, copyright, creativity, genre fiction, technology, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 5, 2023| 1 Comment »
What does one of the great speculative fiction writers of our time have to say about AI (or at least, her own AI doppelgänger)?
Margaret Atwood: Murdered by My Replica?
Apparently, 33 of my books have been used as training material for their wordsmithing computer programs. Once fully trained, the bot may be given a command—“Write a Margaret Atwood novel”—and the thing will glurp forth 50,000 words, like soft ice cream spiraling out of its dispenser, that will be indistinguishable from something I might grind out. (But minus the typos.) I myself can then be dispensed with—murdered by my replica, as it were—because, to quote a vulgar saying of my youth, who needs the cow when the milk’s free?
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #wotf39, creativity, genre fiction, interviews, Writers, Writers of the Future, writing on August 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I recently took part in an interview with Madilynn Dale from The Chapter Goddess, about writing, the Writers of the Future experience, and the creative life in general. I think I’ve mentioned that I’m a little shy, but Madi gave a fun and friendly interview and I had a good time. Hope you enjoy it too.
Creative Spotlight on Award-Winning Author J.R. Johnson
This is a collection of questions answered by this amazing author for her “Creative Spotlight on Award-Winning Author J.R. Johnson” article featured here. They may or may not have been answered in the live. I loved chatting with her and hope you take some helpful information away from our chat.
Thanks, Madi!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #wotf39, creativity, genre fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing, yay on August 20, 2023| Leave a Comment »
One cool thing about being a writer with writer friends is that sometimes, you have the opportunity to read their stories before other folks. I’ve just finished reviewing a friend’s new novel and it is excellent.
I don’t know when it will see the light of day so I’ll wait to promo it, but it was a treat. Can’t wait until you can read it too!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, fun, genre fiction, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“If you love what you do and are willing to do what it takes, it’s within your reach. And it’ll be worth every minute you spend alone at night, thinking and thinking about what it is you want to design or build. It’ll be worth it, I promise.”
― Steve Wozniak
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Posted in Food and..., Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #foodforwriters, fun with history, inspiration, Writers, writing on August 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I love food and I love history, so imagine my excitement when I ran across this article:
How recreating ancient recipes helps one food buff bring the past to life | CBC Radio
I explored the linked video channel here:
Tasting History with Max Miller – YouTube
The recipes include a lot of interesting food, like medieval mead, garum, pirate rations, and the fascinatingly named “Hardtack and Hellfire.” Some of these items are still familiar, others not so much.
I am so down with this.
Previously, I’ve mentioned Krista Ball’s What Kings Ate and Wizards Drank, on how to feed your fantasy adventurers, but seeing these recipes come to life takes historical food to another level.
Enjoy (or at least feel happy that we have more on tap these days than sweet potato coffee)!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, impostor syndrome, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“Are you writing a book and worried that it’s awful and you suck and everyone who said they liked it is lying to you? Welcome to being a writer!
— Jessie Mihalik
I’d say most of us struggle with those feelings, even people who are highly successful. Keep going, you’ve got this.”
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, Fiction, ideas, quoteandaprettypicture, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“To invent you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
― Thomas Edison
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Posted in Favorites, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, site notes, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »
For years, I was what you might call a desultory blogger. I’d pop on when I had something I wanted to note, or when I realized it had been too long between posts. Ironically, the first year of the pandemic was a particularly dry spell in terms of my online communication.
That changed in 2021. As a way to kickstart my output and overall creativity, I decided to post daily. I’ve talked about that goal before, and I’ve mentioned the benefits of sticking with a streak. It’s been a good move for me in a number of ways, but it has produced a significant number of posts. WordPress is a useful platform in many ways, but it can get cluttered. Or maybe I’ve just dropped the ball on the keyword tags, but whatever. It’s a lot.
My mother asked me for a list of my favorite posts the other day. I think she wanted to share what I’m doing with a friend, but didn’t want to overwhelm them with a deluge of posts.
That’s fair.
I do have a Favorites tag but it’s a bit haphazard and also still pretty extensive. So I put together a quick selection of some of my favorite posts and added that list to the sidebar. You may need to scroll down a little but you’ll see that the widget is called (very cleverly, I thought) “Favorite Posts.”
Now, these aren’t all of my favorites and they aren’t necessarily the most popular posts; that honor tends to go to the “quote and a pretty picture” post category, or ones that feature fluffy cats. (Maybe I’ll go back and tag those posts for easy access.)
I get it, some days you just need a pick-me-up.
But if you’re curious, check out these favorites. Comfortable with a little chaos? Dive right in with a random post.
Whatever path you decide to take, enjoy.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #wotf39, creativity, David Hankins, genre fiction, Kickstarter, Sarah Morrison, Writers, Writers of the Future, writing, yay on August 8, 2023| 1 Comment »
As regular readers of the site know, Tuesday is my busiest and least fun day. Usually, anyway. Today I am pleased to support a Kickstarter by a fellow Writers of the Future cohort member.*
Death and the Taxman – A Novel by David Hankins (illustrations by Sarah Morrison)
The Grim Reaper, trapped in an IRS agent’s dying body, must regain his powers before he faces Judgement for his original sin.
Did I love the short story? I did. Am I looking forward to the full novel? Yes, indeed. And are Sarah Morrison’s illustrations a captivating riot of color, character and motion? They are!
If humor and good writing and fun fantasy are your thing, check out this Kickstarter!
* Yes, another one. What can I say, they’re awesome.
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