#writer

I just came here to report the lack of progress on any of my projects.

Such is life.

#writer #WritersLife #WritingCommunity

My weekly roundup of #publishing news #writingtips and #bookmarketing links is up.

Pull out Your Toys
https://buff.ly/41VXpeH?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon
😀  

#writer #writingcommunity #indieauthors

Hi, friends I have and haven't met yet! I'm Kellyann, and this here is my #Intro. I recently (like, a year and a half ago) moved from #Vermont to #NewHampshire with my spouse, Tim. I'm #queer, of the #pan variety, and #genderqueer, though I don't talk about the latter much because in the past few years I've become femme. I dunno, maybe it's part of the glorious cycle that is genderqueerness.

Tim and I have two #cats, #Pip the Golden Boy, and #Dayenu, whom we also call Nubbins.

My spouse and I enjoy #hiking, #nature (we're both amateur naturalists), #LeverageRedemption, and the #Horizon games, #HorizonZeroDawn and #horizonforbiddenwest.

I work from home as an #indexer and as-yet-unpaid #Writer. I take lots of #Photographs; they're not good but I share them anyway.

We belong to a local #Reform synagogue, despite being Christians (one of us [me] a former professional Christian). There are many reasons for this: a lifelong appreciation of Jewish ritual and ethics, a Jewish step-mom who's closer to me (and my spouse) than we are with our bio-moms, and an aversion to supersessionism and bad theology in general in Christian churches. (When I left my last church, under very unpleasant circumstances, a fried, the organist, said, "I didn't think I could be a Christian, but you made a place where I could be a Christian." Turns out I did the same for myself.😢​

I'm #autistic and have #cPTSD. Also #ChronicPain, #asthma, and a scarred trachea, making this #pandemic both incredibly tedious and yet full of suspense!

Too tired! More later!

As dusk settles softly
Into cool starlight beauty
Night birds come to life
Singing and chattering
To friends and lovers
Their sweet harmonies
Beckoning me to rest...

ART
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/night-birds-mosaic-art-sharon-cummings.html

#art #artwork #artist #AYearForArt #mastoart #fediart #poetry #writing #writingcommunity #smallpoems #artists #writers #poets #poems #poem #poet #poem #writer #bird #birds #birdart #purple #purpleart #springthings #springtime #spring #night #nightsky #mosaic #nature #colorful #colorfulart #fun #cute

#believeinyourself #greatness #power #potential #awareness #beauty #friends #friendship #relationships #love #lovers #iloveyou #lifetime #MGDtheWriter #MGD #poetryofMGD #writer #words #writingcommunity #readingcommunity

#WritingWonders 3.31 CORRECTION — Have you ever written alternate endings?

Please forgive me because I inadvertently lied in my previous 3.31 post. Yes, I have written an alternate ending to a novel.

My 3.30 writing wonder (https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/110114473482581249) describes a far future story as my "first outing", where the MC had performed evil, has learned her lessons, and tries to redeem herself but isn't trusted. Soon after, I started writing prequels.

My affinity for writing prequels is both tragic and difficult, but I keep doing it! Over and over again— Just to make it difficult, in the first prequel I stated my MC had PTSD, so I asserted "was in a gang war." In the prequel to the prequel, I had to make that so. Talk about knowing the ending before you write the story!

Well...

In the first prequel, the MC runs amok with the boss antagonist. (Sorry for using gamer jargon, but it helps keep this spoiler-free.) She tricks the person, escapes, and there is a giant gap in time to the original redemption story. In between, the uninteresting evil deed happens, but really nothing more. This makes the "first outing" jibe with the first prequel.

Turns out my MC hated the end to the first prequel. She insisted I change her fate from a namby-pamby evil and redemption story, which is to say I got a better idea that was totally non-canonical. So...

I went back a few pages in the last chapter of that first prequel and started a sequel novel from there. This time after the MC runs amok with the boss antagonist, she tries to escape but is cornered in the middle of the city instead. A boss battle on a crowded street ensues, between a David (her) and a Goliath (the antagonist). Through skill and unadulterated nerve, the MC stuns the antagonist enough to escape, but never gets fully away. (She is injured.) It keeps getting worse. As is typical, my MC nearly gets herself killed, while saving others and making it possible to save the world (no kidding).

I am working on revising two WIPs at the moment. One is a commercial SFF novel, the other is a sequel to the alternate ending novel above.

It is great fun, in any case.

#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity

#BoostingIsSharing

Do you ever feel like no one is authentic anymore? @nathanlovestrees does! Read about the benefits of being more authentic.

Authenticity: The Key to a Fulfilling Life

https://thetaoist.online/authenticity-the-key-to-a-fulfilling-life-1580b9540adc

#reading #writing #writer #blog #medium @philosophy @writing

My weekly roundup of #publishing news #writingtips and #bookmarketing links is up.

Pull out Your Toys
https://buff.ly/41VXpeH?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon   😀

#writer #writingcommunity #indieauthors

28 Words That Don’t Exist in the English Language: The Power & Beauty of Untranslatable Words | Princely H. Glorious: https://medium.com/swap-language/28-words-that-dont-exist-in-english-you-ll-wish-they-did-e200ef1c3ae2.

#untranslatable #words #lacuna #lacunae #lexicalgap #lexicology #lexicon #language #foreignlanguage #polyglot #translation #world #international #global #culture #writingcommunity #writing #community #writer #author #writersofmastodon #authorsofmastodon #read #readers #reading #readersofmastodon #bookstodon #bookworm #bookwyrm #linguistics #learning

YORK FACTORY EXPRESS JOURNAL, 1827:
"One shower of rain today. Part of the crews of the 5 Boats went at daylight to assist in extricating Mr. Rowand's boat from its confined situation, which being effected we resumed our journey at 5 am. Encamped at 8 pm. La Riviere unwell, off duty.
"17th. Rain afternoon. The Dog Prince having strayed from the Boats yesteray, a man was dispatched in search of him the morning. Started at half past 4 am. Encamped at half past 8. #Canada #History #Writer #Books

Happy spring, everyone! I've been recovering from a February car accident that put me in the trauma ward. An elderly man gunned his car into rush hour traffic and t-boned me. My car was totaled and I had life-threatening injuries, but I'm healing and getting back to a more regular writing schedule now. He and his passengers are okay, in case you were wondering. I don't like when my real life has more drama than the fiction worlds I write. #caraccident #imback #author #writer #whatsgoingon

I'm a professional #writer you guys.

OK. It's time.

https://constelisvoss.com/pages/advanced-reader-copy-indigo-voss

Click the link, signup for the INDIGO VOSS eBook ARC, read free, imbibe something to chill the frell out, then review.

(Yup, it's one of those psychological thrillers.)

#writing #bookstodon #books #reading #free #writer #author #thriller #ebook

I just published
Please, For the Love of All That Is Holy, Don’t Just Give Me One Clap 😾
https://medium.com/@andrewpretzel/please-for-the-love-of-all-that-is-holy-dont-just-give-me-one-clap-2b08a5a988e1

#Medium #mediumwriters #WritingCommunity #writing #WritingLife #Writer

I just published
How to Create a Kick-ass Challenge 😎

https://medium.com/ways-to-increase-your-followers-number/how-to-create-a-kick-ass-challenge-d571544fa113

#Medium #mediumwriters #WritingCommunity #writing #WritingLife #Writer

@marnanel Here's some unsolicited #writingAdvice about getting editorial attention. Please forgive me if I misunderstood.

[S]ometimes the rewrites are necessary to get the editor to look at it in the first place

I sense you are talking about trying to interest an agent or when submitting over the transom (when submitting an unsolicited manuscript).

This is so very difficult. Rewriting and rewriting a story when you haven't yet sold and are receiving rejection notices will make you crazy. It did me. Better to focus your polishing effort on what is needed. If an editor likes your story, they will be willing to give you an "editorial order" to make it sellable.

Having gone through this process before and after commercial publication, here are my thoughts. What follows is NOT a rule to follow, but what one author experienced and understands. It likely repeats advice from dozens of writers, so sorry if it is nothing new (I shy away these days from fundamental writing advice.) Decide for yourself if it is helpful.

You need pay special attention to:

The first three pages of the novel.
Your best middle chapter.
The last three pages of the novel.
A brief outline or treatment

This is what the editorial staff/agent wants and will look at, and might only glance at. Time is money, and if they don't know you they don't know you and will cut you no slack.

Concentrate on the first double-spaced 1/2 page of text in your novel. Either your character or your plot must make the reader want to continue to the next page. This, of course, is the hook. Be honest with yourself. If this was someone else's book and you were paying $3.99 or $12.99, would you be drawn in? If and only if those first paragraphs are good will the editor read a few more pages. If you are going to rewrite anywhere, this is probably the place to do it. That, or maybe search through the story until you find the real beginning. There should be action or emotion or a high stakes situation, or maybe a mind-blowing idea. Beware of front-loading description; if you do, it must be mind-blowingly evocative. The beginning three pages is where you demonstrate you are a capable author.

Next, concentrate on the middle chapter. Rewrite it if necessary until is shines. Ensure by any means that there are no typos or grammar issues. Demonstrate the pacing and the character development, or make the reader cry.

Yes, those nasty beastly editors read the last page(!), and sometimes they read it before the beginning. Same criteria goes for the beginning as the end. Make those last three pages tight and powerful, or at least expressive.

I suck at outlines. Treatments are hard, too. Regardless of your ability, write either summary-type so you concisely express the character's dilemma and exactly how they solve it, or set up the plot points and how they all resolve. You must reveal everything, and be brief at the same time. Don't hide anything. Give away everything. It's a treatment/outline, not a mystery story. Unless the story is amazing, if the editor feels you're hiding something they will assume it's something that wrecks the story. No reputable publisher will take your idea and have someone else write it. It's not worth it (legally or reputation-wise) and there is a glut of stories for them to evaluate.

This advice works for any novel, because you don't want to make yourself crazy by rewriting endlessly. I admit that it is of minimum utility for fan-fic. For self-publication, except for the treatment (which could be trimmed to a jacket blurb/long description), it probably amounts to a best practice.

What's important is getting to a point where you can look at a story and recognize you've written crap, or that parts are bad. Better than endless rewriting in the beginning of a career is to to write another story, then another, then... Practice makes perfect.

#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #writingLife #writingTeacherConversations

#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool

@charles_perkins @adaddinsane @JoanGrey @allisonwyss

Rolling Down Life’s Highway In A Wheelchair, Free Verse Poem by Denise Landry

https://writtentales.substack.com/p/rolling-down-lifes-highway-in-a-wheelchair

#poetry #poem #writerscommunity #readingcommunity #writer #reading

Celebrate the “First Annual #MiraBellwether Buy a #Trans #Woman a #Pizza Day.”

To celebrate #writer Mira Bellwether’s birthday, her #widower is calling for those who #love #trans #women to buy them some #pizza on March 31..

https://www.them.us/story/mira-bellwether-buy-a-trans-woman-a-pizza-day

#TransDayOfVisibility is for the #invisible, too.

As they release their #debut #album, #BodyBuilding, #writer and #performance #artist #TomRasmussen reflects on what #trans #visibility means to them, after years of being torn between asserting their #identity and #SelfPreservation

https://theface.com/life/trans-day-of-visibility-tom-rasmussen-essay-music-body-works-non-binary-lgbtq

The Great Debate. Which side are you on? Both even?
#writing #writer #writing #writer #write #writers #writingcommunity #words #spilledink #creativewriting #writerscommunity #prose #typewriter #author #amwriting #writerslife #fantasy #fiction

“Should Non-Native Writers Write About Native Americans?” Thoughtful article from author Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer, a tribal member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

https://www.novel-software.com/should-non-native-authors-write-about-native-americans/

She also offers classes on writing First Nations’ characters, places, and cultures — might very well be a course I eventually take myself. #writingcommunity #writer #fiction

#WritingWonders 3.31 — Have you ever written alternate endings?

Not that I recall. I make a point of not starting a story until I know how it ends. Few of the stories I've started without a known ending got finished(†). Sometimes I've found a new ending while writing the story, but that's not an alternate because it isn't interchangeable with the original.

The ending of my story—where everything is tied together—is never in the last page(s) of the novel; that's an epilogue. I do this to frustrate readers who like to read endings first. With my current WIP in revision, I haven't written the epilogue yet because I'm not sure I am willing to write a sequel and the bookend secondary character(††), now a friend of the MC, is hinting strongly she will side with the person who wants to destroy civilization. This could be really cool, but I'm not sure I want to get sucked in.

-----------
(†) No matter how fantastic that first chapter is, if you have no idea how it ends, for me at least, it isn't worth the risk of writing in hopes of finding an ending. I have more of these shiny worthless gems than I'd like to admit.
(††) A character that shows up in the first chapter and becomes important in the last chapters.

#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity

#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool

It's tricky to revise story structure at the "scene" level, but keeping structure in mind while revising can really boost the impact of individual scenes! Here's an example of what that might look like. #WritingCommunity #EditingTips #Writer #Editing #WritersLife #Author #AmWriting #WritingTips

I haven't posted in a while because my mind has been in a dark place. However, I'm back on this #TransgenderDayOfVisibility. I'm not dead yet. My stories--both the one I'm living and the one I've written--haven't ended. We all must persist because if we disappear, then tyrannical monsters like Ron DeSantis, Tucker Carlson, and Matt Walsh win. To make a brighter future, we need to be visible, stay visible, fight back against their lies, and work to establish our place in public life.

Yet I must persist
If I die, DeSantis wins
Reclaim our future

#HaikusByMonica #Haiku #Daily #Poetry #Poet #AmWriting #Writer #Author #TransDayOfVisibility #Transgender #Trans #MentalHealth #Resist #Persist

@dsfgs @libreoffice @lunareclipse @debugpoint

> Same for font size. Cannot go up or down through the font sizes with the keyboard arrow keysto change the font size in real time

Keyboard arrows, no.

Ctrl + [ or Ctrl + ], yes.

> LO never allowed a user to go up/down through the fonts with the keyboard arrow keys

I don't know, I'm afraid, as I tend to use Styles.

#LibreOffice #Writer

Another couple of scenes done today. The first draft inches forward.

Only 4.5k this week. Behind schedule. Gah!

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity
#Writer
#WritersOfMastodon

How many books a year do you tend to read in a "typical year"?

#pleaseboost #polls #poll #question #books #booksofmastodon #readmore #library #bookstore #amreading #read #reading #readersofmastodon #reader #reading #read #bookwyrm #bookworm #bookstadon #bookstodon #fiction #novels #personality #humanbehavior #humannature #psychology #human #nature #behavior #personalityscience #writingcommunity #writing #writer #author #community #writersofmastodon #authorsofmastodon

I just published:
How I’m Going to Make a Fortune Writing on Medium

https://link.medium.com/O9URoZNuCyb

#Medium #mediumwriters #WritingCommunity #writing #WritingLife #Writer #humor #Satire #sarcasm #comedy #humorous #humorNegro

My weekly roundup of #publishing news #writingtips and #bookmarketing links is up.
Pull out Your Toys
https://buff.ly/41VXpeH?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon
  😀
#writer #writingcommunity #indieauthors

Hi #Writers I've posted before about how I don't write in a study, I write anywhere. Especially coffee shops 😃.

#Today my office is somewhere very pleasant. People passing by think I've taken my work on vacation.

#writingCommunity
#AmWriting
#Writer

First Page Friday! Here’s a sneak peak at the lookbook for my sci-fi/thriller pilot EMERGENT!! It was just selected as a finalist in the Stowe Story Labs 2023! #tvseries #TV #pilot #lookbook #tvwriting #aapi #scifi #thriller #execs #producers #writing #WritersOfMastodon #writer #writers

Quora Banned Me for Dispensing Unqualified Expertise

https://muddyum.net/uncovering-the-dark-side-of-quora-3-shocking-truths-about-censorship-and-the-fight-for-free-speech-7fae1a38f8f0?source=social.tw

#Medium #mediumwriters #WritingCommunity #writing #WritingLife #Writer #humor #Satire #sarcasm #comedy #humorous #humorNegro

Chaos always accompanies change; it is only a matter of to which degree. Accepting that chaos will always be present actually makes it easier to bear. Seven steps to course correction:

https://mollycantrellkraig.co/keeping-it-simple-when-your-life-is-in-chaos/

#Change #LifeLesson #life #LifeCoach #goals #writer #books #SelfHelp

#sherrybriscoe.com #amwriting #author #authorlife #book #bookmarketing #books #creativewriting #indieauthors #indiewriter #novelist #selfpub #writer #writerssupportingwriters #writing #writingadvice #writingcommunity #writinglife #writingtips

I said to the almond #tree ,
‘Friend, speak to me of #God ,’
and the almond tree blossomed.

— Nikos Kazantzakis

(#Art by #vangogh )

#artist #beauty #trees #poetry #writer #wisdom #quote #greece #spring #spirituality #ramadan #today #joinin #gratitude #friday

abandoned dinghy
memories of childhood lost
Grandpa's death chills me...

*Visiting my Hubby's old family home in Michigan...His Grandfather's boat still remained.

#MastoPrompt - keel
#DailyHaikuPrompt - chill

ART
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/boat-art-washed-ashore-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

#artwork #artist #AYearForArt #mastoart #fediart #haiku #poetry #writing #writingcommunity #smallpoems #artists #writers #poets #poems #poem #poet #poem #writer #boat #boats #boating #water #lake #lakes #michigan #memories #childhood #art #photography #photo

Do #authors have an unusually deveploped sense spite, or is it just #criticism 😂

@writers @writingcommunity @writing @authorindiespeak @novellas

#Writer #Author #FairyTale #Writinglife #WritingWonders #WritersOfMastodon #BoostingIsSharing

Me: *packing*

🧠 : *story idea*

Me: Now? Really, now?? 😭

#writing #writer

#DeSantis #Trump #Bragg #indictment #writer #writers #writingcommunity #blog #blogging #publishing #illustration #media #NYC #journalism #illustrations #politics #opinion #GOP https://www.halbrown.org/2023/03/desantis-on-trump-extradiction-its-all.html

It can be helpful to hear about other people's declines, so every Friday in 2023 I'm posting my submission statistics.

December 31 - March 31

Submissions: 43 (+1) (week goal: +7)
Personal Declines: 16 (-)
Form Declines: 19 (-)
Withdrew: 7 (-)
Acceptances: 2 (-)
Total Fees: 0 (-)

#WritingCommunity #LitMags #Writing #Writer #AmWriting

The combination of submitting to lit mags that take longer to respond and waiting for April 1 to

My flash fiction story “The Baby Talk” in Club Plum begins, “I am flying on dark and terrible wings around the CN Tower…”

https://clubplumliteraryjournal.com/sage-tyrtle/

#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writers #Writer #FlashFiction #FlashFictionFriday #Toronto

OK, I'm gonna bite the bullet and ask a question that's been on my mind for a while. What better day to do it, given that #today is International Transgender Day of Visibility?

In the work I've just completed #plotting, I have the chance to make one of the characters transgender. But as a person of empathy (I hope), I'd want to do it in a real way. Not a tick in the box. Not a jump on a bandwagon. But a sympathetic, hopefully dramatic and moving, representation of what is still a largely unrepresented section of society.

I realise it might be hopelessly unrealistic for a cis, white, hetero, and above all old man to do the character justice, but that's why I'm asking.

Good idea? Bad idea? Pitfalls and gotchas? All responses and reactions gratefully received.

#amWriting #writersOfMastodon #writer #writersLife #lgbtquiaplus #transgender

Once again, a warm thank you 🥰 to all previous donors. And welcome to all new users for March 🎉

Month end is here and bills are coming in, if you are in a position to help support MastodonBooks please consider a small donation. This can be as little as a one time $2 (paypal, ko-fi). It doesn't have to be much, every little bit helps 😊

Thank you!
Roger

Donation pages:

https://www.patreon.com/mastodonbooks

https://ko-fi.com/mastodonbooks

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=N6JE72BHDQ6U6

#mastodonbooks #author #writer #books #fiction

Out of the below-listed options, when considering the fiction novels you most enjoy reading, the main characters tend to be...

#pleaseboost #polls #poll #question #books #reading #readersofmastodon #reader #reading #read #bookworm #bookstadon #bookstodon #bookwyrm #fiction #novels #character #protagonist #personality #humanbehavior #humannature #psychology #human #nature #behavior #personalityscience #writingcommunity #writing #writer #author #community #writersofmastodon #authorsofmastodon

a surge of colors
relentless creative waves
Painting the ocean!

#MastoPrompt - surge

ART
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-big-wave-abstract-beach-art-sharon-cummings.html

#artwork #artist #AYearForArt #mastoart #fediart #haiku #poetry #writing #writingcommunity #smallpoems #artists #writers #poets #poems #poem #poet #poem #writer #abstract #abstractart #homedecor #interiordesign #art #ArtMatters #BuyIntoArt #writer #writers #ocean #oceans #sea #sealife #beach #beachlife #beachy #beaches #coastal #surfing #surf #waves #colorful #colorfulart

@peculiarjulia Thank you for your thoughtful response. It made me think.

I'd say evil is not just a verb[, evil] 's a choice.

Emphasis mine. By "verb," I mean evil is expressed by individuals through their actions. "Choice" implies reasons to take action, and that's tied up with culture and quite a bit more. You've given me the opportunity to address that. What follows, I think, is important for #writers and #authors of #fiction as well as #nonfiction. It may be philosophically relevant.

CW: TL;DR, relative evil, cultural evil.

Before I start, I will self-identify as a cultural relativist. I've studied non-western cultures, and have visited and lived outside my parent western culture. Most individuals in a culture see theirs as right, good and moral, some even as the best—assuming they have anything to compare to and have the inclination to make that comparison. With training, I can put aside my cultural biases and understand (to an extent) how other people feel about their own culture.

The actions we take are predicated on many things, but let me list three: Inculturation, experience, and held principles.

Everyone is taught what's right and wrong for their culture. One's experiences, good or bad, including peer pressure, determine how you implement what you are taught. Last, you form principles that conform or conflict with your culture or peer pressure, and act on them.

So, do you wear male or female clothes?

What clothing you wear is profoundly influenced by your culture. Think kimonos and sari, business suits and red dresses. Clothing is an identity as well as armor. It's also gender affirming.

In the news as I write this, in some places in the US, if the clothes you wear do not conform to a cultural norm, people in that culture are willing to label you as evil. Excuse the reductionism here, but I'm making a point that you can expand.

Think about what it would feel like wearing the clothing of the opposite sex. Think about performing your daily routine, work, shopping, socializing, dressed that way. Take it one further, what about not wearing any clothing?

What you would feel doing as I asked is the effect of your inculturation. At its core, inculturation is programming to force you to conform to cultural standards. Repeated exposure to cultural dissonance (what you feel violating the norm) can lessen the effect of what you feel, even allow you to feel no effect. It could become a principle that anyone can wear whatever they want, if you go that far. Further, if you choose to accept the principle, to ignore your inculturation, much of the negativity you feel ignoring your inculturation disappears. Note, this could leave you labeled as perverted or immoral or a criminal.

We live in a society with lots of subcultures (assuming, for the moment, the US). From our own subcultural perspective, other subcultures can seem anything from ridiculous to evil. Again, reductionism—I'd do better given days to think this essay through.

The truth about inculturation is that it exists to allow us to act without thinking about it.

Reflex.

This is necessary. It allows people to predict the actions of people they don't know and those they do know. It allows people work in harmony with often similar goals through shared agreed upon principles. It allows us to recognize us and differentiate from them.

The not thinking part is significant. Not having to think negates choice, or the need for it.

So... is evil a choice?

No sane person goes outside saying to themself, "I will perform evil today." (They may recognize that they are doing so, but that's a different topic.) They go outside and do something their culture says is appropriate. Whether another culture, or person, considers this action evil is a relative thing.

At one time it was culturally appropriate to own a slave. Actually considering the implications of this statement from an historical, modern, and culturally relative perspective will likely break your head. It is sobering to realize that slavery still exists: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-that-still-have-slavery

The complexity here is enormous. As a novelist giving advice for authors, keep in mind the concept that evil is complex. I advise you not to minimize. Exploit these perspectives to make your reader think about their own biases, and whether they perform evil themselves.This is the function of literature.

When people act evil or do evil things, they don't do it in a vacuum.

#philosophy #evil #slavery #culture #society #ethnology #culturalrelativism #writer #writingAdvice #writingLife #writingCommunity #sciencefiction #fantasy #writingWonders

#BoostingIsSharing
#CommentingIsCool

A write-along stream!

We are a crew of roguish dogs looking to tear down capitalism in a big metropolitan city.

Come celebrate the channel's (& my) bday @ 6:30 pm PST/9:30 pm EST: https://youtube.com/live/gxMi20_uAvc

#writingcommunity #indieauthor #onlinecommunity #writer #story #vancouver #indie #fiction #stream #livestream #litgames #amwriting #amreading #vancouverwriters #emergingwriters #writingadvice #badwriting #badfanfic #badpoems #writealong #anticapitalism #TTRPG #dog #SoloTTRPG #anarchist

So, I've been working on this #writing #exercise for a few weeks. I #write a story in 10 minutes using a random word from a word generator. The word for #today was ACCENT. I give myself three minutes to think out loud about the word and then start the timer. The goal is not to stop writing until the timer goes off. Here is today's story!

I'm using a friend link so you can read for free!

https://medium.com/bouncin-and-behavin-blogs/write-a-medium-story-in-10-minutes-or-less-part-4-60d11e6d26a2?source=friends_link&sk=ffbdb160307c5d3b9b106aacb5676972

#blog #writer @writers @writing #medium

it's not quite purple
a surge of violet blue
A deeper vision!

#dailyhaikuprompt - purple
#MastoPrompt - surge

ART https://fineartamerica.com/featured/violet-blue-abstract-art-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

#artwork #artist #AYearForArt #mastoart #fediart #haiku #poetry #writing #writingcommunity #smallpoems #artists #writers #poets #poems #poem #poet #poem #writer #abstract #abstractart #homedecor #interiordesign #art #ArtMatters #BuyIntoArt #writer #writers #writinglife #violet #colorful #colorfulart

Interesting fact for #science #astronomy and #sciencefiction #writers and #authors. A Jupiter-class planet does not get proportionally wider with greater mass, it gets denser and maybe a little wider. Brown dwarfs, which are what happens with a Jupiter-class planet gets massive enough the fuse deuterium, may actually be less wide than Jupiter. One such example is 61 J-mass but .89 J-radius!

You want to get this correct. I've read articles that conflate mass and radius, and that renders the article ridiculous. Here is a very interesting article on the subject here:

https://www.sciencealert.com/jupiter-sized-cannonball-planet-discovered-with-a-density-greater-than-lead

Why bring this up? A furnace-hot brown dwarf with an angry red glow is front and center (or in the middle of) one of my #sff stories. Would worlds orbiting it be planets or moons?

#nonfiction #fiction #writing #writer #writingcommunity #exoplanets #BrownDwarfs

She whispered, I adore this place, oh please take me back right here on the first morning of #spring
Once Upon a time...
12% OFF #artwork
at
https://shar.es/afIEFN
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and
read the #poem #poetry & #story
at
https://obt-imaging.pixels.com/featured/scotland-st-margarets-episcopal-church-forgue-aberdeenshire-1856-obt-imaging.html

#AYearForArt #mastoart #buyintoart #prints #wallart #photography #nature #inspiration #writer #artist #books #film #culture #mastodon #movies #creativity #music #painting

Enjoying #EssayCamp this week. Feeling like I might be getting somewhere with my prose, after 3700 words in three days. Today's theme is persevere. Trying to.

Thank you so much, @summerbrennan, for inviting us to write along with your excellent essays of encouragement, lists of readings, and conversation on your Substack.

Writers, if you're interested, read or write along.

#Writing #essays #writer

https://mstdn.social/@summerbrennan/110106345007210778

A kind endorsement from a #writer & #scholar that I admire:

@bookstodon #bookstodon #poetry #books #wednesday #writing #poetrycommunity #WritingCommunity

#seeking

who all on romancelandia.club is a #wlw #lesfic #bific and/or #sapphic #author #writer or #reader? Comment here, please so I can follow (and I hope you'll follow me back)

#community

#sherrybriscoe.com #amwriting #author #authorlife #book #bookmarketing #books #creativewriting #indieauthors #indiewriter #novelist #selfpub #writer #writerssupportingwriters #writing #writingadvice #writingcommunity #writinglife #writingtips

a keyboard as quill
colorful art fanning flames
A haiku is born!

#MastoPrompt - quill
#dailyhaikuprompt - flame

ART
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/three-colorful-feathers-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

#artwork #artist #AYearForArt #mastoart #fediart #haiku #poetry #writing #writingcommunity #smallpoems #artists #writers #poets #poems #poem #poet #poem #writer #springtime #feather #feathers #colorful #colorfulart #quill #flame #art #artist #artistsofmastodon #BuyIntoArt #writerslife #bird #birds #birdart #nature #natureart

I recently encountered one of those real-life monster #authors like the kind from the mid-20th century (Normal Mailer etc). A total dinosaur walking amongst us, roaring and stomping and parping out his wisdom to the unenlightened fluffy bunnies beneath his mighty feet.

Wow. It was like this guy was a house built of hubris, booze and narcissism, but at the same time, so incredibly fragile about any perceived slight to his work. I pity any #editor or #publisher who has to work with him. It would be a case of bring your own eggshells to walk on and some earplugs for the lectures about how "a real #writer writes," that were given AFTER a 1 hour lecture about how he's the Bob Dylan of writing... all orated during his morning manly "health" regime in his skivvies, which involved stretching elastics and doing the NY Times crossword at the same time.

The struggle (to disentangle yourself from a twanging exercise elastic while droning about the importance of plot and character, and nonchalantly solving a crossword clue) is real!

*Idea Note: An Anchor Man-style movie about a mid-20th century author? 😂

#WritingWonders 3.28 — Does your antagonist have any redeemable qualities? My characters are rather complicated. For reference, read my essay on writing about evil: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/109978414873812155

Rainy Days, my antagonist, simply wanted to find her #autistic brother Harvest Days a job performing miracles. Born a hundred years after the destruction of human civilization—at a time when all knowledge was stored electronically and consequently lost—she was raised in a xenophobic society of post-humans where women were isolated from men, except from their father, brother, or husband, covered in public, and considered baby-making machines. She only consented to learn to read because she had to teach her brother. After she discovers how to perform the ultimate miracle, while trying to support her brother, a man schemes to the point where she has the choice of marrying him, becoming his slave, or being executed. She escapes with her brother and an adopted sibling, then spends the next years of her life destroying what little remains of our history, gaining absolute power, and wiping out the last dregs of patriarchy by any means necessary. How she became immortal (but not invulnerable) is another story, but her one and only goal is to keep a re-engineered humanity alive on a vastly altered, very hot earth.

My MC considers Rainy Days her enemy. Rainy Days, the "Director of Home," is responsible for her parents' death (sent them on a mission from which they never returned) and has done everything to hone my MC into a very sharp tool for purposes unknown. She's convinced that Rainy Days is evil, though she knows none of the above history because Rainy Days, the victor, has written history to suit her purposes. She would be happy to see Rainy Days dead and might be the one to see that happen. She does not under stand that the ultimate miracle is what prevents humanity from going extinct, nor that Rainy Days is the only one who knows how to perform it.

So, what's the definition of evil, again?

[Hmmm. This might work as a jacket blurb, but it is a bit long... -RS]

#fiction #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writing #writer #writers #author #writingcommunity #evil #actuallyAutistic

#BoostingIsSharing

a gentle breeze blows
the scent of plumeria
Heaven is calling!

ART
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/pretty-pink-plumeria-flowers-sharon-cummings.html

#artwork #artist #AYearForArt #mastoart #fediart #haiku #poetry #writing #writingcommunity #smallpoems #artists #writers #poets #poems #poem #poet #poem #writer #springtime #flower #flowers #colorful #colorfulart #pink #plumeria #tropical #coastal #beach #beachlife #beachy #beaches #botanical #grief #love #garden #gardening #gardener #gardens #floral #Spring #springthings #plant #plants

Solved: LibreOffice Writer PDF exports have the template name

#BlogPost: https://neilzone.co.uk/2023/03/solved-libreoffice-writer-pdf-exports-have-the-template-name

#LibreOffice #Writer #PDF #Linux

the sands of time pass
slowly watching the terrain
Calm before the storm!

This image was taken seconds before a flash storm hit Siesta Key beach...thunder/lightning/downpour! Total mayhem as 100's ran for their lives to the safety of cars!
That's why I love it so...

#mastoprompt #terrain
#dailyhaikuprompt #sand

#artwork #artist #AYearForArt #mastoart #fediart #haiku #poetry #writing #writingcommunity #smallpoems #writers #poets #poem #poet #poem #writer #beach #ocean #sea #nature #women

CBC Canada Reads:

The debates take place March 27-30 on CBC TV, CBC Radio and CBC Books.

SPOILER ALERT: Find out which book was voted off on Day One of Canada Reads.

On each day of Canada Reads, the panellists will vote to eliminate one book from the competition. Here's a record of who voted for who on each day of this season.

Today: March 27, 2023...

https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/spoiler-alert-find-out-which-book-was-voted-off-on-day-one-of-canada-reads-1.6788906

#mastodonbooks #canada #cbc #cbcnews #author #reading #writer #books #bookstodon @bookstodon

“Everything that is tearing us down today will become a memory, and this memory will be shared as an anecdote or a story or a poem or a play or a warning. It will be shared with another human being, who will then understand that he is not alone in his sadness. This is why we show up for others and tell our tales and listen to others. The great congregation meets daily, and you are someone’s angel today.”

#TennesseeWilliams in an interview with James Grissom

#writer #writer with cat

my heart is blooming
tender as pink baby feet
Flowers spring to life!

#dailyhaikuprompt - bloom

ART
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/soft-pink-tulips-flower-art-sharon-cummings.html

#artwork #artist #AYearForArt #mastoart #fediart #haiku #poetry #writing #writingcommunity #smallpoems #artists #writers #poets #poems #poem #poet #poem #writer #springtime #flower #flowers #colorful #colorfulart #pink #tulip #tulips #botanical #grief #love #garden #gardening #gardener #gardens #floral #Spring #springthings #spring #springthings #floral #fun

If someone you thought was reputable refers you to a fee-charging publisher, it may be because...they're getting a kickback. This is NOT reputable practice. The screenshot below is from an email from fee-charger Atmosphere Press ($5,000-7,000), which multiple professional editors report receiving #WriterBeware #WritingCommunity #writer #publishing

The beautiful is ALWAYS situated right next to the ugly and depressing. Where your focus goes, your future follows. Pay attention to where you choose to give your energy.

https://mollycantrellkraig.co/your-perspective-provides-power/

#LifeCoach #LifeLesson #life #beauty #Mindset #MindsetMatters #focus #art #graffiti #streetArt #PayAttention #writer #author #Growth

#sherrybriscoe.com #amwriting #author #authorlife #book #bookmarketing #books #creativewriting #indieauthors #indiewriter #novelist #selfpub #writer #writerssupportingwriters #writing #writingadvice #writingcommunity #writinglife #writingtips

#Games #Writer Tim White talks about how he values the #Solidarity and support of his union against a backdrop of anti-strike legislation and new challenges like AI and how he wants to "give something back" by being a WGGB member.

Read the full interview:

https://writersguild.org.uk/why-im-a-member/tim-white/

This may be premature, but I'm feeling compelled to post this #introduction. I'm Bob Merberg and am new to Mastodon. I'm determined to get into a groove here, but the learning curve feels steep.

I deleted my Facebook account 10 years ago, my main Twitter account 5 years ago, and my secondary Twitter account in November.

In the past, I've been active on #linkedin, but I hate what it's become. For me, now, it's just a bad habit.

I have varied interests. My prof'l background is as a recovering employee wellness manager. Now I'm self-employed, mostly creating #content. I'm a #writer at heart.

My social media and web posts tend to mostly be about #work life and #labor. I have a user's interest in #AI. I'm not into memes, but may post the occasional #caturday pic.

I'm a #ukulele upstart and enjoy lots of different kinds of #music.

If you have suggestions for who/what I should follow, I'd welcome them!

@mmasnick I may not be a huge fan of Hatchette and the Big Guys in publishing, but in general I hope they win this suit. Internet Archive seems to think it owns every word anyone ever published. It's obnoxious, privileged BS and it tromps on the rights of writers and other creators.

signed, someone who actually writes for a living #writer #publishing

memories littered
empty shells on the coastline
Blue like my childhood....

#DailyHaikuPrompt -shell

ART
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/deep-blue-nautilus-shell-art-sharon-cummings.html

#art #artwork #mastoart #fediart #AYearForArt #ArtMatters #nautilus #sea #sealife #ocean #oceaans #oceanlife #beach #beachlife #beachy #beaches #poetry #haiku #writing #writingcommunity #writer #writers #poem #poems #poet #poets #micropoetry #smallpoems #blue #seashell #seashells #coastal #tropical #writerslife #homedecor

Also, good but not quite as long (1 2/3 hours): Solve Your Story Structure Problems In 11 Steps - Pat Verducci [Full Interview]: https://youtu.be/RPGTIqHBmUE.

#writing #writingcommunity #writingtips #writersofmastodon #authorsofmastodon #writinglife #writer #screenwriter #screenwriting #film #cinema #movies #drama #dramaticstructure #poet #poem #poetry #poetsofmastodon #acting #actor #actress #theater #theatre #play #playwright

Method Writing: The First Four Concepts - Jack Grapes [Full Interview]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba9jAVzADY0&list=TLPQMjMwMzIwMjPEiDVF7wwa2w&index=2&ab_channel=FilmCourage. This video is LONG (almost 3 1/2 hours!) but worthwhile.

#methodwriting #method #writing #writingcommunity #writingtips #story #storystructure #plot #characters #character #writersofmastodon #authorsofmastodon #writinglife #writer #screenwriter #screenwriting #film #cinema #movies #poet #poem #poetry #poetsofmastodon #methodacting #acting #actor #actress #theater #theatre #play #playwright

Tails entwined
They dance
They flutter
Days pass
She offers
her eggs
He releases
the spark
Inside
He carries them
He births them
He is not her
She is not him
They are them
Bonded
For life

ART HERE https://fineartamerica.com/featured/enchanted-seahorse-beach-art-sharon-cummings.html

#seahorse #fish #ocean #sea #sealife #beach #beachlife #AYearForArt #mastoart #coastal #tropical #art #poetry #gender #science #biology #animals #poet #writing #writingcommunity #writer #poem #poems #poets #nature #fun #cute #colorful #artwork #artist #fediart #ArtMatters

I’m almost done with Rick Rubin’s book on creativity and was thrilled to discover he’s been interviewed by Krista Tippet on a recent episode of On Being.

It listened to it today while digging a new planting bed in my backyard and I’m feeling super charged up to make cool shit.

#Creativity #Create #Art #Artist #Write #Writer #WritingCommunity #Music #Musicians

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-being-with-krista-tippett/id150892556?i=1000604535563

subtle scent
via favouring wind
the ole tree blossoms

#Imagiku prompt -> apple

#OutsiderArtist #Spring #SpringThing #SpringTime
#Bird #BirdPhotographer #Birds #Nature
#NaturePhotography #Photography #Haiku #Poetry #Poets #Writer #Pen #Prairie #March #Canada #Words #PoetryCommunity
#WritingCommunity
#SmallPoems #AmWriting
#CanadaPen #OutsiderArtists

Hello, #bookstodon! We're a new publisher of weird #SciFi, #Fantasy, #Horror and any and all genres in between. We're working on our first two anthologies right now: GREATER THAN HIS NATURE and OPEN ALL NIGHT. More info on submissions real soon!

#introduction #writer #ShortFiction #IndiePress

worshiping the night
constellation's confessions
Fasting from daylight.

#575prompt #fasting
#dailyhaikuprompt #constellation

ART
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/calling-the-night-crow-art-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

#art #artwork #artist #AYearForArt #mastoart #fediart #haiku #poetry #writing #writingcommunity #smallpoems #artists #writer #writers #poets #poems #poem #poet #poem #writer #writerslife #night #sky #bird #birds #crow #blackbird #moon #fullmoon #nightsky #galaxy #heaven #astronomy #milkyway #nebula #nasa #universe #spirituality #spiritual

Hi folks! By way of #introduction, I'm a #writer: #MusicReviews #MusicPressKits, #EdTech, #psychology #ShortFiction (#CrimeFiction, #SciFi, #horror, #LiteraryFiction) #Poetry. I also #edit, I am a credentialed #mediator, and I #consult and #speak on topics such as #management.

The dangers of #socialmedia can effect the #mentality of anyone, but especially the #young. From one teenager to another, here is stoic #philosopher Simon on his terrible experience with social media.

Social Media Really Messes Us Up: A Personal #Story

https://thetaoist.online/social-media-really-messes-us-all-up-my-personal-story-756bb38a5120

#blog @philosophy #writer #writer @writing

where there's smoke there's fire
whoever said this missed it
The joy of dry ice!

*Southern pronunciation of fire....LOL

#575prompt #smoke

ART
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/black-magic-313-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

#art #artwork #artist #AYearForArt #mastoart #fediart #haiku #poetry #writing #writingcommunity #smallpoems #artists #writer #writers #poets #poems #poem #poet #poem #writer #writerslife #blackandwhite #BlackAndWhiteArt #modernart #modern #homedecor #interiordesign #magic #magical #painting #paintings #abstract #abstractart

This sounds crazy, but Mastodon has improved my #writing. Being held to 500 characters has helped me rethink what's essential for painting a picture, and I find my language is much tighter.

I know this happens naturally over time (I've seen an improvement over the years), but this platform has definitely helped.

Plus, the #WritingCommunity is awesome! I'm so grateful for everyone's engagement. 😊

#writer #AmWriting #AmEditing

Time for a #introduction I'm Julian Crosson-Hill an ICF certified spiritual #lifecoach and business coach. I'm a married #cisgender #gay male. I'm the admin of queerspirituality.social and the owner of Priest of Inanna, LLC. I read #tarot, practice #witchcraft and work with #humandesign. I live in Fairborn #Ohio with my husband and 2 #cats I'm also an #artist and #writer I enjoy #sewing, #3dprinting and #hiking I'm #vegan and practice #yoga

smitten
by springs earthy scent
arrow hits it mark

pd ~ 🌱
prompt -> arrow
#Imagiku #haiku #poetry #writing #SmallPoem #poet #Poetry #writer #MicroPoetry #poems
#March #Spring #scent
#Love #poem

My re-introduction:

I'm a metro NYC-area professional #writer and #SFWA member. I also lead writing workshops.

For over a dozen years I've cultivated a blog that I won 't link here; you can find it in my profile. It's a work of sexual memoir/musings on #LGBTQ culture and history.

I believe strongly that the culture of sex and sexuality is worthy of examination and preservation. I'm always happy to engage with other writers, historians, and proud deviants!

#introduction #introductions