Long, long ago, Raiji looked out upon the universe and it was good. The stars and planets moved in their orbits. Galaxies whirled and spun. All was ordered and precise. But She was alone. So Raiji took the desert sand and the winter rain and the red light of the sun and created velyr in…
DetailsNo, I’m not talking the sort of character building that has you talking to a therapist. This is for your imaginary friends you’ve been writing about. I find it helpful to actually buy a small notebook (Moleskine makes a good one) for each of your main characters. Inside, write the answers to all these questions…
DetailsOK, these aren’t science fiction, but it’s psychological mystery so I took a chance and started reading. I started reading for several reasons, actually. 1) I like the author’s other mystery series (Holmes on the Range – I’ve reviewed those on my alter ego’s blog) and 2) I like Tarot cards myself. The premise in…
DetailsIt’s First Wednesday again, so we’ll have an Insecure Writers Support Group post. This month’s question: How long have you been blogging? (Or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram?) What do you like about it and how has it changed? I’ve been blogging since around 2004, when LiveJournal was popular. I didn’t post daily, but I was fairly regular.…
DetailsI’ve been told, by several people, that I would like the Netflix show The Three Body Problem. Well, you know me: why watch a show when I can read the original book? Oddly enough, when I went to Amazon, the Kindle version was actually more expensive than the paperback, so I’ve just gotten the hard…
DetailsI’ve been playing around with Canva for the writing group I mentioned in the last post. I like to think I’m getting fairly good at it. Of course, a real graphic designer would probably laugh…
I recently inherited the local Sisters in Crime chapter. First, I was just a Board Member at Large, then the entire board walked off without notice, leaving four of us holding the bag. I volunteered to be Secretary at that point, figuring that was a job for a writer if anything was. It’s a lot…
DetailsIt’s First Wednesday, so it’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post! March 6th question: Have you “played” with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI’s impact on creative writing? I have not experimented with AI writing at all yet. To…
DetailsThis year is a leap year, meaning there are 29 days in February instead of the usual 28. I actually have a cousin who was born on February 29, so we jokingly “celebrate” his birthday only every four years. The whole idea was invented by Julius Caesar to align the Roman calendar with the seasons,…
DetailsWhen I’m not writing or taking photos, you can usually find me Googling answers for your Alexa device. You know how sometimes you’ll ask Alexa something and she doesn’t know the answer? Well, those questions are shunted to a special website called Alexa Answers, where you can provide an answer for the Alexa owner. Of…
DetailsValentine’s Day as a lover’s holiday has obscure beginnings. The 8th-century Gelasian Sacramentary recorded the celebration of the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14. The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries, when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the “lovebirds” of early spring. Before the 18th…
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