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Posts Tagged ‘writing’

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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Photo by George Hiles on Unsplash

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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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The week-long Writers of the Future workshop included a number of interviews touching on topics ranging from our work, how we made it to the contest, to what it was like to win. One of these interviews was for the contest’s own podcast, and we were asked to do an episode. 

Constant blogging aside, I’m actually a bit shy, and I was not looking forward to talking for an hour All About Me. As I headed up to the interview room, I realized that there were already three other winners inside. It was my lucky day: all four of us did the interview together and it was terrific. If you follow this site you’ve seen Elaine’s work before, but here she talks about her history and her writing. Sarah and April are both brilliant illustrators, and it was fascinating to hear more about that side of the contest, as well as their experiences on the way to becoming winners.

Chatting with such interesting and talented women was a great experience. Hope you enjoy the interview too.

Stream episode 237. 4 Award-winning authors and artists discuss their journeys to winning

— Elaine Midcoh, author of “A Trickle in History” (elainemidcoh.wordpress.com

— J.R. Johnson, author of “Piracy for Beginners” (jrjohnson.me)

— Sarah Morrison, illustrator of “Death and the Taxman” (sarahmorrisonillustration.com)

— April Solomon, illustrator of “Moonlight and Funk” (AprilSolomonArt.com)

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“The more shots you get at the target, the more likely you’ll eventually score a bull’s-eye, but the more misses you’ll accrue as well. The bull’s-eyes end up in museums and on library shelves, not the misses. Which, when you think about it, is a shame. It feeds the myth that geniuses get it right the first time, that they don’t make mistakes, when, in fact, they make more mistakes than the rest of us.”

― Eric Weiner, The Geography of Genius

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Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash

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Today’s warnings:

Hazards:

  • Risk of a tornado
  • Wind gusts up to 100 km/h.
  • Toonie to golf ball size hail.
  • Localized heavy downpours.

Dear Weather Gods,

Please chill.

Thank you.

Your humble servant, etc. etc.

Am I posting this now in case the power goes out? I am. Now it’s back to work for as long as I can.

Stay safe out there, everyone!

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Photo by Evgeny Tchebotarev on Pexels.com

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All good advice, and the world needs more inventors because the world needs more solutions. But if you’re not into soldering or whatever and still want to create, remember kids, writing fiction is always an option!

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Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

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One special part of the Writers of the Future experience was meeting other writers. I’m sure other cohorts were good but our group was (obviously;) the best.

I’ve already introduced you to Elaine Midcoh, but here’s another piece by fellow volume 39 writer, Grand Prize winner and all-around nice guy David K. Henrickson.

Living Space by David K. Henrickson – Factor Four Magazine

Picking up stakes wasn’t easy for the dead. The older you got, the more connections you made. I had friends in the city I’d known for decades, some even before my death. It made relocating elsewhere difficult.

He also wrote an essay about his path to publication, appropriately titled Old But Not Too Old to Succeed!

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Photo by Irena Carpaccio on Unsplash

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Some days you just don’t wanna, you know? On such days, it helps to rely on the motivating power of a streak. 

I’ve written daily posts here since January 1, 2021. That’s not a lot of time compared to some writers (Dean Wesley Smith and John Scalzi, I’m looking at you), but it’s long enough that I don’t want to break it for no good reason.

So here I am, writing and posting, even though I’d rather be chilling with Chewbacca and Mr Man.*

Which is exactly why I started this streak in the first place:)

* Now that’s an excellent band name.

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Posting Elaine Midcoh‘s story recently brought another audio story to mind. Do you enjoy free fiction, aliens with bad attitudes, and unexpected moments of redemption? Then you might enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Originally published as “Heaven’s Lot” in Not One of Us, it was also produced in audio by the fabulous folks at Cast of Wonders.

Taxidermy and Other Dangerous Professions | Cast of Wonders

Author: J.R. Johnson Narrator: M.K. Hobson (transcript included for those who prefer text; story starts at 1:51)

By late afternoon the day was hot, hot and hot, my feet burning up through flimsy red canvas shoes. My skin too, even with its built-in mocha café au lait sunscreen, out all day with no protection but a nondescript outfit topped with my stifling jean jacket. I kept that between me and prying eyes, always.

Enjoy!

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Photo by Arturo Esparza on Unsplash

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I am the sort of person who loves to learn interesting things. Stuffing my head with random facts until it all merges together into a well of creative ideas also serves me as a writer.

While I hope I’ll ever need this information, one of my characters might.

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Photo by Deva Darshan on Unsplash

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