For fun today we have a short bit of free fiction from Nature‘s Futures column.
Star Corps Crew Manual Section 15-A37: On Mental Dislocation
If your parallel-universe self seems to be planning some kind of invasion, remain calm…
Good advice.
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Posts Tagged ‘writing’
It’s Monday. Remain Calm.
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Fiction, free fiction, genre fiction, Nature's Futures, sff, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »
No Darkness Shall Endure
Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Fiction, genre fiction, hope, inspiration, J.R.R. Tolkien, sff, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 25, 2022| Leave a Comment »
On this day, eons ago, the brave Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee fulfilled their quest to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. And so it was decreed that March 25th would ever after be known as Tolkien Reading Day!
What does that mean?
Today is Tolkien Reading Day! – The Tolkien Society
And as an extra bonus, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Estate Releases Treasure Trove Of Drawings And Maps.
See those maps and more here: Maps – The Tolkien Estate.
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“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
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You Might Want to Enter This
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, Fiction, flash fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, sff, Writers, writing, writing contest on March 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Tap into your inner Hemingway* with this (very) short story contest:
Enter the Incredible Six Word Wonder Contest 2022 – Doug Weller Writer
This is the place for you to enter your absolute best six word stories, memoirs, poems, and jokes, with the chance of winning $100, getting published, and being named the Six Word Wonder!
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* Ok, Hemingway probably didn’t write that classic six-word story, but the example (and its supposed author) occupy an established place in the heart of flash fiction.
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2021’s Nebula Award Finalists
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, Fiction, free fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, Murderbot, Nebula Awards, sff, Writers, writing on March 18, 2022| 1 Comment »
The Nebula Award finalists for 2021 have been announced! (Actually, they were announced over a week ago but I missed it because there’s a lot going on in the world right now, you know? It’s still nice to take a little time for new fiction.)
What’s on the list? Is Uncanny still killing it? (They are.) Are the good folks at Diabolical Plots represented? (They are.) How much of it is free to read right this very? (Links below!) And what do you mean, no Murderbot? Read on!
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Nebula Award for Novel
The Unbroken, C.L. Clark (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
A Master of Djinn, P. Djèlí Clark (Tordotcom; Orbit UK)
Machinehood, S.B. Divya (Saga)
A Desolation Called Peace, Arkady Martine (Tor; Tor UK)
Plague Birds, Jason Sanford (Apex)
Nebula Award for Novella
A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Becky Chambers (Tordotcom)
Fireheart Tiger, Aliette de Bodard (Tordotcom)
And What Can We Offer You Tonight, Premee Mohamed (Neon Hemlock)
Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters, Aimee Ogden (Tordotcom)
Flowers for the Sea, Zin E. Rocklyn (Tordotcom)
The Necessity of Stars, E. Catherine Tobler (Neon Hemlock)
“The Giants of the Violet Sea”, Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny 9–10/21)
Nebula Award for Novelette
“O2 Arena”, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (Galaxy’s Edge 11/21)
“Just Enough Rain”, PH Lee (Giganotosaurus 5/21)
“(emet)”, Lauren Ring (F&SF 7–8/21) [available free for a limited time]
“That Story Isn’t the Story”, John Wiswell (Uncanny 11–12/21)
“Colors of the Immortal Palette”, Caroline M. Yoachim (Uncanny 3–4/21)
Nebula Award for Short Story
“Mr. Death”, Alix E. Harrow (Apex 2/21)
“Proof by Induction”, José Pablo Iriarte (Uncanny 5–6/21)
“Let All the Children Boogie”, Sam J. Miller (Tor.com 1/6/21)
“Laughter Among the Trees”, Suzan Palumbo (The Dark 2/21)
“Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather”, Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny 3–4/21)
“For Lack of a Bed”, John Wiswell (Diabolical Plots 4/21)
Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction
Victories Greater Than Death, Charlie Jane Anders (Tor Teen; Titan)
Thornwood, Leah Cypess (Delacorte)
Redemptor, Jordan Ifueko (Amulet; Hot Key)
A Snake Falls to Earth, Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
Root Magic, Eden Royce (Walden Pond)
Iron Widow, Xiran Jay Zhao (Penguin Teen; Rock the Boat)
Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation
Encanto, Charise Castro Smith, Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Jason Hand, Nancy Kruse, Lin-Manuel Miranda (Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures)
The Green Knight, David Lowery (Sailor Bear, BRON Studios, A24)
Loki: Season 1, Bisha K. Ali, Elissa Karasik, Eric Martin, Michael Waldron, Tom Kauffman, Jess Dweck (Marvel Studios)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Lanham (Walt Disney Pictures, Marvel Studios)
Space Sweepers, Jo Sung-hee 조성희 (Bidangil Pictures)
WandaVision: Season 1, Peter Cameron, Mackenzie Dohr, Laura Donney, Bobak Esfarjani, Megan McDonnell, Jac Schaeffer, Cameron Squires, Gretchen Enders, Chuck Hayward (Marvel Studios)
What We Do in the Shadows: Season 3, Jake Bender, Zach Dunn, Shana Gohd, Sam Johnson, Chris Marcil, William Meny, Sarah Naftalis, Stefani Robinson, Marika Sawyer, Paul Simms, Lauren Wells (FX Productions, Two Canoes Pictures, 343 Incorporated, FX Network)
Nebula Award for Game Writing
Coyote & Crow, Connor Alexander, William McKay, Weyodi Oldbear, Derek Pounds, Nico Albert, Riana Elliott, Diogo Nogueira, William Thompson (Coyote & Crow, LLC.)
Granma’s Hand, Balogun Ojetade (Balogun Ojetade, Roaring Lion Productions)
Thirsty Sword Lesbians, April Kit Walsh, Whitney Delagio, Dominique Dickey, Jonaya Kemper, Alexis Sara, Rae Nedjadi (Evil Hat Games)
Wanderhome, Jay Dragon (Possum Creek Games)
Wildermyth, Nate Austin, Anne Austin, Douglas Austin (Worldwalker Games, LLC)
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So seriously, you may be asking, no Murderbot? No, but it’s a good thing.
Author Martha Wells graciously declined her nomination as a novella finalist this year for Fugitive Telemetry: Murderbot Diaries, Book 6, published by Tordotcom. Wells felt that the Murderbot Diaries series has already received incredible praise from her industry peers and wanted to open the floor to highlight other works within the community.
— SFWA Announces Nebula Award Finalists – The Nebula Awards®
And that’s that. Go forth and read!
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Time to Plan
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, writing on March 16, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt
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Not Too Bad
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, sff, Thoughts, writing, yay on March 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »
The world remains a challenging place in many ways but today I’m lucky to be able to carve a bit of calm out of the quagmire, mostly by avoiding the news. I’m working on a cookbook update, paying taxes, continuing yesterday’s fun design project, and helped* disconnect the old dishwasher. I also heard back on one of my favorite stories and was very happy to get an acceptance. It’s always nice to share what you love.
Not too bad for a Sunday. Now, where’s my book?
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* A very little. Mr Man is good enough not to need much help.
Tomorrow. Probably.
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, design, Thoughts, whoops, writing on March 12, 2022| Leave a Comment »
To my family: I must apologize. Today I meant to work on a new version of the family cookbook. I spent the first moments of the day noodling over the updates to be made, recipes to adjust, what to leave in and what to add.
Then I got up and found myself immersed in a fun custom design project for Mr Man.
Ah well! At least I’m getting something done.
And when it comes to getting lucky with creativity, it doesn’t hurt to strike while the iron is hot.
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Enjoy Responsibly
Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, fun with history, inspiration, ransom notes, writing on March 6, 2022| Leave a Comment »
If you have ever needed to write a ransom-style note* but the decline of printed news has you at a loss, worry no more!
Polona Typo has come to the rescue!
Like many libraries, the National Library of Poland has digitized many of its holdings. They also have an interface that allows you to convert text into images based on scanned letters from their collection.
Sure, there are lots of ransom note generators out there (maybe too many; what are people up to?) but I like mine with a bit of history.
The Polona Typo project, based on the new Polona API, makes it possible to type, share and print your own sentences using thousands of letters from the books, posters and maps created over more than six centuries. Enjoy!
Test it out, reload to get a whole new look or click on individual letters to re-roll one at a time. Download and enjoy (responsibly, of course!).
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* Not an actual ransom note, of course. That would be wrong.
How to Do Better
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, Fiction, inspiration, learning, productivity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 4, 2022| 1 Comment »
“I have two questions for you,” I said. “One: Do you want to do better?” …
“Here’s my second question: Are you willing to feel the discomfort of putting in more effort and trying new things that will feel weird and different and won’t work right away?”
— Peter Bregman, If You Want to Get Better at Something, Ask Yourself These Two Questions
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Make Things Happen
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, Fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 25, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“If you don’t imagine, nothing ever happens at all.”
― John Green
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