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Posts Tagged ‘writing’

I was feeling pretty not terrible about closing in on three years of daily posts here, but this guy! Writing, recording and releasing an album every day? Seriously impressive.

‘Like brushing my teeth’: how Michiru Aoyama writes, records and releases an album every day

For two years, the Kyoto musician has risen at five, watched football, then made an eight-track album of super-deep ambient music – while fitting in a two-hour walk.

I’m still feeling not terrible about my streak, but this gives me an extra dose of inspiration. Win win!

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Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

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Today’s goal: To be perfectly imperfect.

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Photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash

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So there we were, about to turn off the television when Mr Man and I realized that the actor on screen was David Elsendoorn, who played rude Dutch player Jan Maas in Ted Lasso. Upon closer inspection, we realized that the movie was a moderately well disguised promo for the lovely Unesco World Heritage city of Bergen in Norway. 

Having just discussed the clever and funny (and sadly not real) movie Dundee from Tourism Australia, we felt that this was an excellent use of a Hallmark-style movie

A moment later, a shot of the Bergen sign at the city’s airport popped up on screen. By Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson, the sign has letters that are 5.5 meters high and weigh 2.5 tons, and is meant to be “existentialist and poetic.” Competition judges apparently had a healthy dose of Scandinavian wit, because the sign reads “Bergen?” 

Everyone can put what they want in the question mark, and there are no wrong answers

It certainly gave me ideas, the shortest of which is this six-word story:

Stupid unpredictable teleportation. Welcome to Bergen?

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Photo by Carlos Torres on Unsplash

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One thing about unfinished or trunked speculative fiction stories is that sometimes, they come true.

My work covers a lot of territory, including near-future science fiction. The problem with that is the ever-evolving definition of “near.” 

With today’s innovation landscape, it often doesn’t take very long for a speculative future to become an everyday present. I ran across a story draft from six or seven years ago, and realized that the subject was no longer fiction.

Now it’s just life.

What’s the lesson? In this case, I trunked the story because it wasn’t quite working, but in general? Focus on finishing, and submit to markets with short turnaround times.

Because the future can be closer than you think.

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Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash

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“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”

― Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

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Photo by Ralph Mayhew on Unsplash

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Thanks to my day job, Tuesdays are the worst… except when they aren’t.

Me: Tuesday morning, grumble, grumble, work, work, work.

/muzak, lunch, muzak

Me: What’s this in my email?

/insert the crackling of digital paper

Me: An acceptance letter for one of my favorite fun stories? How cool is that?

More details as we get closer to publication, but it’s great news. And it couldn’t have come on a better day.

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Photo by Amy Reed on Unsplash

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“Everyone who’s ever taken a shower has an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference.”

— Nolan Bushnell

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Photo by David Izquierdo on Unsplash

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While I’m more of a written word sort of a person, you may have noticed that this thing called a (checks notes) “podcast” has become something of a trend;) 

If you are a fan of the spoken word, speculative fiction, futurism, African writers, writers in general and interviews with same, this new series from Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination might be just the ticket.

The Imagination Desk: Introducing Griots & Galaxies

The Center for Science and the Imagination is proud to present the new podcast Griots & Galaxies! This is a ten episode series hosted by Jenna Hanchey, Chinelo Onwualu, and Yvette Lisa Ndlovu that explores the work of ten African speculative fiction authors and imagining new futures for the continent.

Here’s a link to the series page.

Podcasts: Center for Science and the Imagination

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Photo by David Watkis on Unsplash

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I was recently invited to be a guest on the West Virginia Uncommon Place podcast. It was a fun interview, and I enjoyed the opportunity to explore multiple facets of writing, including how the landscapes and ideas we think of as home influence our creativity.

An Interview with Jennifer R. Johnson: Unveiling the World of Science Fiction Writing – WV Uncommon Place | Podcast on Spotify

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Photo by Jason Pischke on Unsplash

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Warm days can’t disguise

the seconds, minutes, hours

lost with each sunset.

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Photo by Ravi Pinisetti on Unsplash

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