Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, free fiction, jobs in space, sci-fi, Writers, writing on October 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Today, a fun bit of free short fiction from Carrie Vaughn and Clarkesworld Magazine.
She hit send and hoped that this would be the last she had to think of it. Engineering would get the work order, run the diagnostics, the glitch would get fixed, all would be well. She was also very aware that this would probably not be the end of it. She couldn’t tell if the cramping in her stomach was lunchtime hunger or simmering rage.
* * *
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #YouDoYou, chillaxation, creativity, Thoughts, writing on October 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »
We are all raised with ideas about what is worth spending our time on.
“Don’t waste your time [fill in the blank], you should be working on [fill in another blank]. If you have time later, maybe you can play.”
Thanks to some excellent teachers and super cool parents, I tend to think of this equation the other way around. There’s nothing like genuine interest to motivate. I’d put up with a lot of [math] in order to understand [orbital mechanics].
I also believe in the restorative power of doing things that remind me what I love about the world. I can’t work all the time, and if I try, both work and life suffer for it.
I mean, yes, do what’s necessary to graduate, keep a job, care for those you love, etc. There is real satisfaction in that. But I also try not to let anyone make me feel bad when I also [read/write/watch Star Wars] instead of doing something they consider more rewarding.
There are a lot of ways to be a good, capable, productive person.
Love what you love, and let it be your window onto the whole world.
* * *
Posted in Likes, Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on October 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Whee, I just realized that our library has added two new libraries to its partner system and now I can haz alllll the books!
(Seriously, I can now check out something like 75 books at one time. I won’t, but I could!)
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, Writers, writing on September 30, 2025| Leave a Comment »
For whatever reason, today I have nothing. I have an extensive folder filled with potentially fun links, ideas, quotes, etc. but none of them are catching my eye. So instead, here’s the first line for a little story I started a few days ago. It’s sitting open on my desktop, waiting for me to have time and bandwidth. I hope I get to it soon because I think it’s going to be entertaining.
You ever watch a movie where the bad guy is up on stage, monologuing for all he’s worth, and then look behind him at the B-team and wonder, “What the hell are they thinking?”
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, art, creativity, inspiration, practice, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Whether you want to draw, write, or some other creativity, this is pretty good advice.
The Artist Who Couldn’t Draw | The Kid Should See This
Roger didn’t like his drawings. He didn’t feel that he had any drawing talent. But then a girl named Zoe moved next door and handed him a magic black pen.
The lesson? Sometimes it helps to take things literally.
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, inner monologue, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Don’t talk to yourself like someone you hate.
— Arthur Brooks
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, data, history, problem solving, sci-fi, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I like the data-driven articles from The Pudding, which include fun topics, great graphics and easy-to-digest research.
And hey, here’s one by Alvin Chang about science fiction!
I analyzed the top 200 sci-fi films and tv shows every decade from the 1950s to present day. What I found was that sci-fi narratives from yesteryear were quite different from today’s stories….
Sci-fi is an amazing genre.
It helps us explore our feelings about the unknown, the future, and the possible. It lets us imagine “what if” scenarios, and then build out rich worlds that our minds can occupy. It depicts dystopias we should fend off and utopias we should seek – and it teases us with the scintillating possibility that humans may actually be able to build the world we want.
But over the last few generations, it’s been harder for us to imagine this better world – and our sci-fi reflects that.
And while that may be so, sci-fi is also a critical part of highlighting society’s important problems. That’s the first step to finding a fix.
* * *
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“It is never too late to do anything in life.”
— Momofuku Ando
* * *
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, life, persist, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“Awful first drafts are fine—Agree with this. If you don’t finish something, you’ll never get in the game. Just quell the voice in your head that says “Are you kidding? No one is going to want to read this drivel” and keep on going.”
― Jamie Freveletti
* * *
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, life, mental-health, Mondays, nature, take a break, Thoughts, work, Writers, writing on September 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Poor Monday. It gets a bad rap not because of what it is, but what we have made it. The first day of another round of school or work, forced to carry the weight of expectations, regrets and often just plain exhaustion.
It’s not Monday’s fault, it’s ours.
How can we do better?
By making sure that we are doing our best to stay sensible, as in balanced but also as in aware. For me, that usually means going outside.
I’m an introverted reader/writer type, so you know I think that being inside is great. There are comfy chairs and cuddly kitties and good books inside. There are mugs of hot chocolate and fun recipes and cake inside. But I always enjoy those things more when I’ve been out in nature.
This weekend Mr Man and I discovered two new hiking spots and had a great time out in the woods.
We had dinner with friends. They gave me a fun new mug that captured a lot of what I wanted to say about the weekend.
Sometimes it’s okay to take time off. And sometimes a break is more helpful than trying to power through and keep working.
Just because you can doesn’t always mean you should.
So I try to take a little time when possible, even if it’s a quick walk after lunch or remembering something transformative, like looking up at the stars and realizing that someone out there may be looking up at me too, or standing on the edge of a live volcano (Hawaiian, not Icelandic; stay safe, people!).
Then when I head back to work, even on a Monday, I’m better for it.
* * *
You must be logged in to post a comment.