Eggplant.place

89d

Medium Day, our annual community event, kicks off on Sept. 19, 2025. Register now to get updates on confirmed speakers, sessions, and activities at https://www.mediumday.com

#Medium #writers #writing #MediumDay

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84d

The brand-new, interactive #Medium101 Webinars launch tomorrow, June 18, and will be offered multiple times a week. Learn more and register on Zoom here: https://events.zoom.us/ev/AqHsz36w78Tw45-SGmcTeWk5pePMDkp1xTKf5fF21vpX04YSlrnK~ArznQFrP1xm1ZfTwwNikcFd-mmIj5vo6fmn2WTkT2ENpeZ-qs7_IO6WMTg

#Medium #writers #writing

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83d

My thought for the day. LLMs can string words together according to most likely usage in specific styles.

Human writers can create subtext, foreshadowing, red herrings, unreliable narrators, analogies, allegory. They craft passages which elicit sympathy, foreboding, and any other emotion you care to name. Their work can prompt curiosity and understanding - of self and others.

All these things distinguish pages of strings of words from books.

So that's what I'll be doing today.

#writing

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62d

Introduction Appendix 3: This project will be a bit less socially minded, more just creative, and hopefully even a little lucrative, but I'm not holding my breath.

That's right, I'm writing a novel. I know that novelists are a dime a dozen, but I actually really enjoy writing, think that I'm fairly decent at it, and certainly have no shortage of ideas. There will be sequels, many of them (and prequels, and side stories...).

So what's it about? It's science fiction, because that's what I know and like best. The basic idea is the well-known "lost in space" idea, but I'm hoping that the unique setting, characters, and story are able to carry it. It takes place in an alternate history where the United States, Canada, and Mexico joined together to form a Technate, a country that employs Technocracy (see my Intro Appendix 1), not long after World War 2. Technological progress happens much faster until the start of the novel, where we find our crew of four performing a test flight of a prototype fusion rocket engine. Naturally, something goes horribly wrong and... science fiction weirdness ensues as the crew has to try and find their way back to Earth while navigating several strange (and often hostile) alien civilizations.

The background and setting are fairly detailed, enough that I already have ideas for prequels and side stories in addition to the main series. "Epic" world building appears to be my jam. Now we just have to see if anyone else happens to like it.

#Writing #fiction #amwriting #WritingCommunity #ScienceFiction

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81d

I just published “Generating Passphrases Like correct horse battery staple” at
https://www.ii.com/passphrase-generators/ - please post suggestions for passphrase generators as a reply to this toot and I'll include them in my article!
#InfiniteInk #Privacy #Security #Tech #Passwords #Passphrases #CorrectHorseBatteryStaple
#Words #Writing #Byℵ #ByNM

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58d

Book Promotion: Want something new but you don't really know what? Here's a selection of stories from wildly different genres - you don't have to judge the book by the cover because they're all free (yay). #knaves #contemporary #writing #classic @bookstodon@gup.pe #legendary #heroes #fae #detective #amreading #goodbooks #amateur #dragons #knights #future #dwarves #monsters #military #magic #futurism #action #fedibookfair #ladies #murder #elves #adventure #aliens… https://books.bookfunnel.com/starryfreestories/zbszz0qhk1?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

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57d

My newest book is a fantasy short story collection. Contents include whimsy, gargoyles, heroic aunties, brave doggos, & evil bureaucrats who always lose.
https://books2read.com/RelicsFromATravelingShow
Reviewers like it. You might, too!

In ebook & print, also on Hoopla, Libby, and Biblioboard, therefore available on request from your local public library in print OR ebook. (In the US, anyhow)

#Writing #Scifi #fantasy #Books
#TimeToRedoMyPinnedPost

a paperback copy of Relics From a Traveling Show by K. M. Herkes stands on a raised dais against a light blue background. To the right are two 5 star reviews. The first reads. "Perfect. No notes. It's one of those that each one is your favorite, and then you read the next one and now it's your favorite." The second reads, "A collection of genius writing across many genres. I have seldom come across a collection of short stories I enjoyed so much, with such variety."
The image on the cover of the book is a painting of a figure in a green and blue traveling cloak, shown from the rear, seated at a desk gazing out an arched window at a carnival tent bathed in sunset light. The figure has short brown hair, and they are petting the ears of a dog sitting beside them. The dog's mouth is open in a happy doggy grin. An eldritch lamp decorates the desk, beside a binder labeled "DPS Orientation Guide." At the left stands a tall bookshelf filled with artifacts, books, and knickknacks. A bonsai tree sits on the windowsill, and a pair of sinister glowing eyes lurk in the shadows behind the chair.

ALT

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63d

I went out on my usual walk earlier tonight, but instead of taking photos or listening to an audiobook or podcast I just looked around and thought about things. More or less like this.

#writing #uspol #wilderness

https://buttondown.com/talking-to-myself/archive/rewilding-in-the-uspol/

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98d

Want to just start writing? Join the “Write with Medium” June micro-challenge! Learn more and sign up here: https://medium.com/not-perfect/want-to-just-start-writing-join-the-write-with-medium-june-micro-challenge-d8a50f0e384a

#Medium #writers #writing #WriteWithMedium #WritingChallenge #WritersBlock

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61d

Why on earth do publishers do this? It drives me nuts!

Why not just pick a book size and keep it consistent for the whole series?

*eye twitches*
#publishing #publishers #books #book #author #writing #rant

The books of the “Rosie” series by Graeme Simsion in two different sizes

ALT

The books of the inheritance series by Christopher Paolini in three different sizes

ALT

The books of the Artemis fowl series and other books by Eoin Colfer in four different sizes

ALT

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77d

#lispyGopherClimate #technology #emacs #writing #lisp #gopher #podcast #LIVE #archive
https://communitymedia.video/w/hTjTR5cwshdWP7DX3VqWjB

#climateCrisis #haiku from @kentpitman

This week, DJ @damaru of the Evolution Revolution will talk, including about using emacs as a #writer.

I will share my #eev mode experience, and @eduardoochs should be in #emacsconf on IRC.

I'm going to mention incredible show artist @prahou with reference to gef's last episode.
https://analognowhere.com
https://archives.anonradio.net/202506241600_gef.mp3

@mdhughes @rat

Lispy gopher climate banner by @prahou@merveilles.town #UNIX_SURREALISM .

The lisp alien, in a purple tshirt, holding a microphone with its hand-nose and the gopher are carrying radio equipment labeled SDF through flooded AI wreckage.

anonradio.net
Every Wednesday 000UTC

ALT

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39d

WRITERS!

Submissions are invited to NEW WRITING SCOTLAND 44! We want poetry & prose in English, Gaelic, & Scots from writers who are Scottish by residence, birth, or inclination. All successful contributors are paid – deadline 31 Oct!

@writingcommunity

Submit free via Submittable 👇

https://nws.submittable.com/submit

#Scottish #literature #writing #WritingCommunity #IAmWriting #poetry #shortfiction #shortstories #Scots #Scotslanguage #Gaelic #Gaidhlig

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73d

I edited and re-uploaded the first chapter of my Demon fucky story

It's here if y'all are curious https://taullo.ink/defyingorder/

#writing #demon #demons #wolf #werewolf #werewolves #religion

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70d

Check out July’s #WordWeavers questions!
Written by @AlinaLeonova & I, you’ll find the month’s questions pinned to our profiles on the 1st. All are welcome to join in.
Participate with a WIP or an already published book.
As always, play the days you want, skip the others. Please use CW as necessary. Looking forward to seeing your answers & meeting new friends. And a big thanks to those contributing the community questions. (below)
#amwriting #writing #authors

July 2025 #WordWeavers

1. Which other medium besides writing (film, song, game, etc.), would work best for your story and why?
2. Who would you want to co-create the version of your work from question #1?
3. If your story were food, what kind?
4. Given access to your wardrobe, what would your MC choose to wear?
5. What kind of perfume/scent would work for your antagonist?
6. MC POV: You get an hour to do absolutely anything (within the possibilities of your world), no restrictions. What do you choose?
7. If you could live the life of one of your characters, which one?
8. Antagonist POV: You can eliminate any obstacle except people; no killing. What do you choose?
9. Who is your most powerful character? In what way?
10. You have to leave Earth, and you can only immigrate to one of the settings you’ve written. Where do you go?
11. How is your current WIP going? Anything you'd like to share about it?
12. Are you comfortable promoting your own work?
13. Do you regularly write reviews of others' work or promote them?
14. What’s your favorite format to release your work (ebook, paperback, audiobook, etc.)? Why?
15. How emotionally intelligent is your MC?
16. SC POV: What do you do to calm down when you’re angry?
17. Your MC's boss has done a job performance appraisal, share a few details.
18. The home of your MC is on fire. They can retrieve one item. What is it and why?

ALT

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74d

Uhhhhh so I just went on a really long rant on my blog about why I don't like Meta platforms. 😆

It's called "8 reasons why I think Meta platforms are pointless".

#Meta #SocialMedia #blog #writing

https://bookswithnoelle.wordpress.com/2025/06/27/8-reasons-why-meta-platforms-are-pointless-imho/

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47d

So today, to my great fascination, I realise that Chinese fiction has a four part structure:
- Qi (起) – Setup: Introduces characters, setting, and emotional tone. Often includes poetic visuals or symbolic moments.
- Cheng (承) – Development: Builds relationships and stakes. This phase may feel leisurely, but it’s rich with emotional layering.
- Zhuan (转) – Twist: A sudden shift — betrayal, revelation, or a change in perspective. It’s not always a plot twist; sometimes it’s a thematic or emotional pivot.
- Jie (结) – Conclusion: Ties everything together, often with a sense of moral or emotional resolution rather than just plot closure.
So, what happens if you've been trained in the Western story structure narrative all your life and want to write Chinese fiction - not just fiction set in China, but Chinese in every way?
This is what I'm doing now, and you know, I'm avoiding the Western narrative styles in terms of dialogue and structure instinctively, literally throwing out the playbook and just going by gut feel. This is probably due to a life time consuming Chinese fiction - both modern and classical. My brain understands what needs to be done. Fascinating.

#Fiction #Writing #WritingCommunity

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74d

One of the scariest moments of my life was when I fled #boise #idaho to #portland #oregon with nothing.

I was #homeless and desperate, and there was nothing left for me there but bad memories, and very few resources for someone poor.

I had exhausted all my options, and I was just trying not to die.

Still recovering from #opioids I got on a Greyhound to a shelter I had lined up in advance, and stepped from a desert into rain.

All that effort and fear just to have a bed.

#writing

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43d

Don't trust cloud services with your creative work.

#enshittification #privacy #infosec #security #cybersecurity #writing #art

Tumblr post by maerossi.

screenshot - "Google Sheets
We're sorry. You can’t access this item because it is in violation of our
Terms of Service."

Everyone: Please please please don't write your books in Google Docs. Frankly don't use Google Drive for personal stuff. Their terms of service say they take down stuff like content related to terrorism and trafficking, but this Google Sheet was literally a list of movies I'd watched this year and books I'd read.

23 Jul
Holy smokes, guys. It's way worse than | thought. Google actually took away access to every single file of fiction writing I'd made on that account. BUT |
backed it all up on Scrivener yesterday by coincidence. So | haven't lost my work, but I could have just lost the 12,000 words I've written this month after a year of really intense writer's block. I honestly don't know what that would have done to
my psyche. Please be careful out there, folks! <3

ALT

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53d

WRITERS!

New Writing Scotland seeks a new co-editor for English- & Scots-language work. Applicants should be currently based in Scotland & have a strong publishing record, with a focus on prose. Post is up to 3 years: stipend £1500 per issue.

@writingcommunity

Details 👇

https://asls.org.uk/new-writing-scotland-seeks-co-editor/

#Scottish #Scotland #writers #writing #writingcommunity

NEW WRITING SCOTLAND

ASL is seeking applications to be a co-editor of New Writing Scotland, from writers currently based in Scotland. Applicants should have a strong publishing record of their own, with a focus on prose; previous editorial experience would be an advantage. The post will run for up to three years from 2026, for volumes 44, 45, and 46, publishing in 2026, 2027, and 2028 (dependent on funding).

Our editors jointly select approximately 50 pieces – poetry and prose – from the English- and Scots-language submissions we receive each year. The submissions are anonymised, and we provide editors with paper copies to read. As an editor, we’d ask you to attend launches in Edinburgh and Glasgow (travelling expenses would be paid). Editors receive an annual £1500 stipend and full editorial credit.

We encourage applications from all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from people who are under-represented within the sector, including from BPOC applicants (Black people and People of Colour), disabled people, LGBTQIA+ applicants and those from a low socioeconomic background.

Please send a CV and a one-page application letter, outlining your qualifications for the position, to admin@asls.org.uk by midnight on Monday 4 August 2025.

Submission to New Writing Scotland is free and open to all. You can find our submission instructions here.

ALT

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45d

https://screwlisp.small-web.org/emacs/writing-experience/

My #emacs #writing #writingExperience #emacsCarnival submission.

Discussing my transition to #eev away from being a heavy user of the popular #orgmode.

My writing primarily concerns #lisp #programming, so the difference between #eepitch and #orgBabel features heavily.

Looking forward to hearing from everyone including the other emacs carnivalians.

CC @greg (Writing Experience emacs carnival host)

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32d

“[I]f you want to concentrate deeply on some problem, and especially some piece of writing or paper-work, you should acquire a cat.”

—Nancy Hawkins, the majestic narrator of Muriel Spark’s A FAR CRY FROM KENSINGTON, on why a writer should own a cat

Today, 8 August, is International Cat Day (don’t tell them) 🐈‍⬛

1/3

#Scottish #literature #writing #cats #InternationalCatDay #MurielSpark

So I passed him some very good advice, that if you want to concentrate deeply on some problem, and especially some piece of writing or paper-work, you should acquire a cat. Alone with the cat in the room where you work, I explained, the cat will invariably get up on your desk and settle placidly under the desk-lamp. The light from a lamp, I explained, gives a cat great satisfaction. The cat will settle down and be serene, with a serenity that passes all understanding. And the tranquillity of the cat will gradually come to affect you, sitting there at your desk, so that all the excitable qualities that impede your concentration compose themselves and give your mind back the self-command it has lost. You need not watch the cat all the time. Its presence alone is enough. The effect of a cat on your concentration is remarkable, very mysterious.

ALT

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32d

What kind of maniac launches their website on a Friday?!

Hi, hello there, it's me. I'm that kind of maniac. How you doin'.

Today, I'm excited to launch the place where I'll be putting my energy where my mouth is, the website where I'll show (AND tell) you what I've learned.

It is my great honor to invite you to check out www.Get-Frosty.com

This is just a sample of what I've got cooking; there's more to come. Stay, and I cannot stress this enough, tuned.

#TTRPG #Gaming #3dPrinting #Writing

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