I don't know how long it's been since my last public post, but you probably know that you shouldn't get used to it.

There are approximately a hundred books that I've always meant to read (or finish reading), eventually, once I got around to it--you know? Lots of people have things like that. Since "exercise every day" and "eat healthier" are a ( Read more... )

A password snafu prevented my last two entries from cross-posting to LJ, which is why you're getting an unlocked entry. Don't worry, you didn't miss much. Life hasn't been kind the last--(checks post dates)--two years. Since I'm posting this in the middle of a pandemic, I think we can all agree that there's no need to elaborate, because Covid-19 ( Read more... )

Sorry I've been away. I've been busy submitting stories and getting rejected, and having weird reactions to allergy shots. This all puts me in a bad mood.

However, because it amuses me to make fun of marketing AI, I thought I'd take the time to demonstrate how dumb SEO tools can be, and/or waste your time.

( Read more... )

Some people throw themselves into their work when bad things happen. Me, I read. Currently I'm employed, but that isn't always the case since I'm basically a freelancer. Anyway, books I've read since life went to shit in February:

( Cutting for length. )

Or: working in retail/food serviceMaking it "Retail: Killing the Soul" felt even more melodramatic, but on second thought, the title I stuck with is not much of an improvement. Relevant, though, because this is all about writing, even if it doesn't seem like it for the first few paragraphs ( Read more... )

Things to Decide:

1. Should I post once a week?**
   (For the sake of discipline, keeping ideas moving, etc. It's easy to fall into a rut.)
   
   • If yes, see list #2.
   • If no, what can I do to engage with people not in my head?
     (Which, for the record, is not something I'm good at. See: how I fail at characterization.)
   • If yes, still wondering if I should continue the ( Read more... )

It's funny that The Writer's Guide to Beginnings doesn't have a terribly compelling opener. Beginnings ARE hard, but I mean... good job ( Read more... )

A search on “writing and grief” turns up some interesting stuff. Not the “how to write grief in your novel” stuff, which is all cookie-cutter and boring, but the links here and there about using writing to work through the experience of grief. The New York Times turned up a conversation between Joyce Carol Oates and Meghan O’Rourke about their ( Read more... )

There’s a story I found during my university days, early in that period when I had nothing better to do than spend four hours in the library between classes. I lived too far away to go home. I spent most of that time on the fourth floor, seated by a window with a lovely view of the quad, where grass, pines, and windswept cypress made layers of ( Read more... )

Last in the series. Take a look at the opening explanation if you haven't already. What I define as critique/concrit might not be what you expect if you've been pointed here from a fandom source ( Read more... )