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Posts Tagged ‘writing’

Are you a writer? Afraid of rejection? Wish you had a thicker skin? Practice getting rejected with the Journal of Universal Rejection!

The founding principle of the Journal of Universal Rejection (JofUR) is rejection. Universal rejection. That is to say, all submissions, regardless of quality, will be rejected. Despite that apparent drawback, here are a number of reasons you may choose to submit to the JofUR:

• You can send your manuscript here without suffering waves of anxiety regarding the eventual fate of your submission. You know with 100% certainty that it will not be accepted for publication.

• There are no page-fees.

• You may claim to have submitted to the most prestigious journal (judged by acceptance rate).

• The JofUR is one-of-a-kind. Merely submitting work to it may be considered a badge of honor.

• You retain complete rights to your work, and are free to resubmit to other journals even before our review process is complete.

• Decisions are often (though not always) rendered within hours of submission.

Folks, I conducted my exposure therapy the old-fashioned way, submitting story after story to multiple venues until my skin grew hard as nails. If only I’d known about the JoUR sooner!*

* Seriously though, it’s worth getting past this particular hurdle. Whatever works for you!

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“Do one thing every day that scares you.”

— Eleanor Roosevelt

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Just keep going. Photo by Xavi Cabrera on Unsplash

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I’ve always enjoyed Mary Roach’s science writing (especially Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void and Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal). I also have family in Colorado, spent many of my formative mountain-biking and blueberry-picking years trying not to encounter bears*, and passed a conservation truck with a (reassuringly sturdy) bear cage in the back just the other day. 

All of this means that Roach’s essay caught my attention, and so today’s fun bit of reading is about the perils, and promise, of life with bears. It’s an excerpt from her latest book, Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law.

Black bears are back and in your back yard | New Scientist

With a growing percentage of Fat Alberts, will coexistence eventually become a possibility? Or even a policy? Could we live with bears in the backyard the way we live with raccoons and skunks?

* I grew up around black bears like those in this article. Large and potentially dangerous, sure (the rule was never get between a bear and her cub, because yeah, just no), but they’re not grizzlies or polar bears. They can be a very different kind of story. (One that starts with “nom” and ends with… you may not be around for the end.)

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Would you be this chill with all those mosquitoes on you? I would not. Photo by John Thomas on Unsplash

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It’s Tuesday, so you almost got an encouraging quote and pretty picture, but this short story appeared in my inbox. 

I was never a philosophy student but the message still tickles my funny bone (I probably would have taken that job, though).

You might like it too.

Recipe by Tina S. Zhu

Makes one reluctant vampire hunter.

Ingredients:

     1 desperate jobseeker

     4 YouTube videos on cooking with tomato sauce

     2 fire alarms, batteries not included

     1 friend willing to smuggle blood

     4 cloves garlic

     1 gallon expired holy water

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Photo by Eiliv-Sonas Aceron on Unsplash

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Whether your story rests on a historical foundation or you’re starting a world from scratch, writers, game-builders, and creators of all kinds can benefit from an in-depth understanding of how social and economic systems operate. 

There is a lot of related material out there but I came across this guide, specifically aimed at creators of fiction, and thought I’d share.

Resources for World-Builders by The Pedant, a.k.a. Dr. Bret C. Devereaux

I know a lot of my readers are interested in constructing fictional worlds which follow historical rules and patterns, where things like agriculture and armies make sense. So I thought I would gather together some of the material I’ve written that might be of use. 

As an example, here’s an analysis of what it took to for pre-modern farmers to make bread. It certainly makes me appreciate the ease with which we can now access high-quality flour (and legal protections, and insurance). 

Bread, How Did They Make it? (I, II, III, IV, A)

And finally, just to point out the obvious: farming labor is hard. It is back-breaking, uncomfortable stuff. 

The resource collection includes material on the following categories, with examples from history (fictional and otherwise).

This site has a Lot of other interesting material as well, so if (for example) you’ve ever wondered why the Industrial Revolution didn’t happen under the Roman Empire, this is the resource for you.

* Also note, for more on what and how people ate in the Western Middle Ages, SF Canada writer Krista D. Ball has a detailed and useful book on realism in fantasy food: What Kings Ate and Wizards Drank.

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Photo by Mingwei Lim on Unsplash

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I drafted a drabble. I drafted a haiku. I drafted another drabble. None of these pieces are ready to share, so instead I’ll leave you with this back-to-school story from Fireside ok, that was too scary so I’ll just go submit a story to an anthology!

Such is the writing life.

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Photo by Kerin Gedge on Unsplash

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The winners of the 2022 Hugo Awards have been announced! 

The Hugo Awards

  • Best Novel – A Desolation Called Peace, by Arkady Martine (Tor)
  • Best Novella – A Psalm for the Wild-Built, by Becky Chambers (Tordotcom)
  • Best Novelette – “Bots of the Lost Ark”, by Suzanne Palmer (Clarkesworld, Jun 2021)
  • Best Short Story – “Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather”, by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, Mar/Apr 2021)

Click through the links above for free access to the winning novelette and short story, or visit the awards page for the full list of awardees.

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Photo by John Baker on Unsplash

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This morning: up early, start a batch of bread, do laundry, prep a batch of household items for a Ukrainian family new to Canada, including a heavy couch that promised to be a hassle. Everything went according to plan, better than, really. Even the couch move went well.

This afternoon: The new batch of flour is strangely weak, I finished none of the pieces I planned to work on, my Scrivener short story file has developed some concerning hiccups, and (for reasons too pedestrian to get into) I was recently doused in chicken stock.

Ah well! Such is the way of things

The sun is bright, the birds sing, and a monarch butterfly has adopted one of the pine trees out back. Life is good.

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Photo by Daniel Lloyd Blunk-Fernández on Unsplash

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I’m apparently out of practice balancing the day job with other things. I also spent a good part of my day interfacing with computers, so while I relearn time-management skills, here’s a story from Ken Liu.

/can’t find the story

/now where is that link hiding?

/AI help needed!

Ah, here we are.

50 Things Every AI Working with Humans Should Know – Uncanny Magazine

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Photo by Ian Battaglia on Unsplash

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For the past few days, my inbox has been filling up with emails on advice to writers. You know the type: listicles with “What every writer should know” and “Top ten tips for writers,” that sort of thing. That’s fine as far as it goes, and depending on your progress as a writer, many of these comments may very well be useful.

Still, I can’t help thinking that my own advice would be both shorter and more broadly applicable. (And yes, when it comes to recommendations like this I am my own best customer.)

You can’t finish what’s not started.

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Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash

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“We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” 

― Ray Bradbury

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Photo by Nick Brunner on Unsplash

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