#writers

#PennedPossibilities 633 How did you choose the title for your story, and what significance does it hold for you?

I don't like the title of my current piece. It's just called "The Order" right now because I haven't come up with something better. My previous project was called, "The Curse of Zeus," carrying on the fine fantasy tradition of "the X of Y." I'm not sure I really have the hang of titles.

#Writing #Writers #WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #AmWriting

Vonnegut's one rule: more important than ever!

#writers #writing #KurtVonnegut #quote #quotes

Excellent basic #psychology essay about battling self-doubt: https://writerunboxed.com/2025/04/03/the-rational-irrational-writer/

Although it's written for #writers and #writing, the ABCDE approach it takes can easily be applied to any endeavor. Feeling as if you're trying to succeed in something you can't? Take a break and read this.

#writers #IntellectualProperty #Facebook #AI #protests #activism

' Around 100 authors on Thursday protested outside the London headquarters of Meta, accusing the U.S. tech giant of "stealing" content to train its Artificial Intelligence models.'

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/04/04/entertainment-news/authors-protest-meta-ai/

AFP: Authors hold London protest against Meta for ‘stealing’ work to train AI. “Around 100 authors on Thursday protested outside the London headquarters of Meta, accusing the U.S. tech giant of ‘stealing’ content to train its Artificial Intelligence models.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/04/04/afp-authors-hold-london-protest-against-meta-for-stealing-work-to-train-ai/

#writers #ScienceFiction #scifi #fantasy #horror #mystery Writer Dan Simmons turns 77 https://english.netmassimo.com/2018/04/04/happy-birthday-dan-simmons/

#writers #ScienceFiction #scifi It's writer Stanley G. Weinbaum's 123rd birth anniversary https://english.netmassimo.com/2012/04/04/stanley-g-weinbaum-was-born-110-years-ago/

#ScribesAndMakers ##TTMD @sfwrtr @Nisaa

I see you are coming back from burnout. Any tips on how to avoid it?

I did answer that one so be sure to search the #TTMD hashtag, but my best answer was to ensure you can communicate to someone with your writing, if communicating is what counts for you. Since 2015, I have had a fan fiction outlet that generates feedback and page view to which I can write. However, being able to write replies to all you folk on Mastodon is also good.

I’m excited to see you are publishing your book to Mastodon in chapters. What made you decide to publish it that way?

I found a set of 31 women's rights prompts for March. Since the card was in French, the month name read "Mars." An SF feminist idea popped into my head. I took up the challenge. The result is pretty good (says the author immodestly), likely commercial quality with careful revision after fixing some science mistakes. Sadly, I've burnt my 1st Publication Rights sale by publishing even temporarily online. I'm now busy revising and adding material, and think I can make a go of selling it, probably as a self-pub.

Wanna read the completed story? It should be available for the next week: Mars Needed Women: https://eldritch.cafe/@sfwrtr/114261812977623863

What’s a question you wish someone would ask you about your work?

How do you think Mars Needs Women does feminist lit differently?

I interpreted your question asking for a question as specifically for the web-novel, but it's applicable to my other works. How? By writing women embracing being female, but neither shamed nor accepting their fate. The story depicts women both as stuck in their role models thanks to their society, and redefining themselves and their roles when they seize the opportunity. The main character has to get married (but she does choose the gorgeous guy!) and has five daughters, but she's avoided the housewife trap on Earth as an engineer on Mars. Women are shown liking sex, nursing their infants in social situations, working on important projects, and convincing their husbands to assist in child care. Because the MC has a temper, she fights back when men in power interfere with the developing women's society. With the help of her daughters who become important side characters in the story, she finds cunning opportunities for the first generation of martian girls, and together they break open the patriarchal power structure that the conditions on Mars is causing to unravel.

PS: Sorry I took so long to answer. I was pretty messed up after the marathon compose, revise, publish grind during which I wasn't sleeping well.

[Author retains copyright (c)2025 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing and #CommentingIsCool

#gender #fiction #mystery #thriller #romance #fantasy #sf #sff #sciencefiction #writer #author #photographer #chef #cooking
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

When writing the acknowledgements for my novel HUMAN it occurred to me that one of the greatest debts I owe is to all the authors that I’ve read throughout my life. Not only classic literature, fantastical tales and heartbreaking stories, but also non-fiction, whether about #science or #history, #economics or home renovation. In fact, why stop there? I must also include scientific papers, newspaper articles, blogs, and all the various and sundry writings I’ve ever come across.
Together, they provided me with the rich tapestry of stories and facts which have smashed around in my head and resulted in creative thoughts of my own. They also provided me with the knowledge of how to write. I never really learned how to write a story, I’ve only intuited how to do so through reading what others have written.
So I would like to thank everyone who has ever let loose written words into the world. I’ve made HUMAN free this week for all #FediHumans. Visit https://bretthodnett.com/FreeHUMAN.html and use the code ‘fedihuman’ to get your free EPUB.

#Human #WritingCommunity #SelfPublishing #Writing #Reading #WhatToRead #BookBlog #BrettHodnett #SpeculativeFiction #SciFi #WritersOfMastodon #SFF #SF #ScienceFiction #Author #Writer #Writers #Books #Livres #Bookstodon #BooksOfMastodon #FreeBook #FreeBooks #GiveAway #Fediverse

WRITER FUEL: New solar-powered EV can drive 40 miles daily using the power of the sun — and it's 50% more efficient than a Tesla.

https://www.limfic.com/2025/04/03/writer-fuel-new-solar-powered-ev-can-go-40-miles-on-sunlight-alone/

#LimFic #LiminalFiction #WriterFuel #Writers #Authors #WritersofMastodon #StoryIdeas #EV #ElectricVehicle #SolarPowered #Solar

#WritersCoffeeClub Apr 3 How do you navigate scenes with many characters?

I let them talk. They have things they want to say, so I improvise. I think I could probably do a scene on stage of all of them chattering away at each other, if I were asked to. Then I go back and massage it so that it achieves the goals I want in the scene. But initially, I just stick them in a situation and see what they do.

#Writing #Writers #WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #AmWriting #Scriberspace

#PennedPossibilities 632 What originally inspired your WIP's plot?

The plot, specifically, is a mishmash of influences: a combination of my own highschool experiences, bits of the spine of Star Wars, I think some Harry Potter ended up in there (shudder), and there's a seam of anime *stuff* throughout, I think.

#Writing #Writers #WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #AmWriting #AmWritingSF #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSFF #Scriberspace

#ScribesAndMakers Apr 3: Would you like to form a writers/creative group? (Etc.)

Way ahead of you. :)

#Writing #Writers #WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #AmWriting #AmWritingSF #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingSFF #Scriberspace

Top 5 Sam Raimi Films Ranked (#Link Below)

http://hub.me/ap5Wl

#horror #horrorFam #writing #writer #writingCommunity #writers #Movies #movie #cinema #cinemastodon #Film #films #filmmastodon #horrorCommunity #horrorMovie #horrorMovies #horrorFilm #horrorFilms #horrormastodon
#article #listicle #list #read #reading
#samraimi #director

#WritersCoffeeClub 2504.02 International Children’s Book Day! What makes for a good book for children?

I've no expertise other than being a fan of a certain cartoon that was supposed to have a 5-11 year-old demographic but succeeded because it didn't talk down to its audience. I also wrote a fantasy story in a 7-year-old's voice.

I think almost any story would work with the exception of things like bloody horror, excessive violence, or sex. Love between friends, people who are different, ghosts of family, even living with war are fair albeit difficult worthy topics, as well as is slice-of-life and finding normalcy in a not-normal world. The use of simpler vocabulary is a must, but a word or two that requires a dictionary is the happy medium, making the reader feel like they're also growing by participating. Storylines must be simplified appropriately, but neither dumbed down nor made condescending, and for goodness sake, never sugarcoated. There's plenty of hacks out there that can write a treacle tart that you can read to put a young kid to bed. A story that gently teaches about the real world that parents and children can appreciate and discuss? That's a priceless thing.

[Author retains copyright (c)2025 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion

#pennedpossibilities 633 — How did you choose the title for your story, and what significance does it hold for you?

Mars Needs Women was a 1968 schlock female-exploitation film. The title has had staying power (pun intended) even if the film didn't. My feminist SF short novel (now in revision) is about a woman from an endpoint technological religio-fascist society (2024 thru the 2100s) that takes biblical patriarchy seriously and leaves women few options but to be exploited. I wanted to show how women might run a society differently if they could get their chance.

The title came to me quickly, with the verb set instead to the past tense: Mars Needed Women. This is because women were contracted for colonization purposes, to have children. It's from a recruitment poster early in the story. When the colonization effort goes bankrupt and men die disproportionately compared to the imported women, the dynamics of power change. Over the 25 year span of the story, women and their predominately female native Martian children take over the jobs and then governing. When the women declare themselves an independent matriarchal nation, Earth's patriarchy slanders (ring a bell about modern time?) Mars' women so as to have an excuse to put down the "rebellion."

However, women don't fight like men. War isn't a game when you are keeping your children alive… This is why Mars needed women to survive.

[Author retains copyright (c)2025 R.S.]

#BoostingIsSharing

#gender #fiction #writer #author
#sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion #PennedPossiblities
#RSstory #RSMarsNeededWomen

Power, Purpose, and Historical Fiction — Meet Sam Foster

What does it mean to write #historicalfiction that’s both deeply researched and boldly personal?

In this new episode of Audio Signals #podcast on ITSPmagazine, I sit down with #author Sam Foster to talk about the creative process behind Thy Mother Is A Lioness, his newest work exploring powerful women in #Renaissance Italy and the hidden strength passed through generations.

We talked about:

#Writing from experience vs. researching the unknown

Blending truth with #fiction without rewriting #history

#Creativity as a lifelong purpose—not just a profession

Using #Substack to share stories directly with readers

It’s a story about #storytelling.

A reflection on identity, curiosity, and the drive to ask: Why?

Teaser (below) https://youtu.be/65BPBklx-I0

Watch the full Episode: https://youtu.be/awj5Oul0mus

Listen to the episode: https://www.audiosignalspodcast.com/episodes/thy-mother-is-a-lioness-historical-fiction-and-the-stories-that-shape-us-a-conversation-with-sam-foster-audio-signals-podcast-with-marco-ciappelli

Read Sam’s work: https://www.samfosterbooks.com/

Subscribe to Audio Signals Podcast for more stories about storytelling and storytellers!

#storytelling #book #historicalfiction #writingcommunity #podcast #authors #creativeprocess #medici #renaissance #readers #writers #books Sean Martin, CISSP

I think one thing that separates "writers" from "people who write" is that writers sometimes have a need to write, like an alcoholic needs a drink or a addict needs a fix.
A sentence or an idea will sneak up and grab hold of you and just violently drag you to the floor. It screams in your ear, blinds you, triggers your fight or flight response.
And you can fight it if you want to. You can resist. You can say "I have to cook dinner" or "I need to finish folding these clothes". You can put it to the side but like a toddler it keeps nagging and nagging.
You can probably strangle it, suppress it so long and so hard that it goes away.
But the shame.
The doubt.
Are they worth it?
No.
You have to write. You have to.
Without that, you are probably just someone who writes. Someone who writes can be very successful, perhaps more successful because they have their muse tamed.
But, damn, nothing beats the rush of writing that shit down. Just fingers flying across a keyboard or running the ink out of a pen or going through an entire pencil lead.
Rapture.

#Writer #Writers #WritersOfMastodon

I think something that really isn't discussed clearly enough is highlighted here: https://flipboard.com/@futurism/futurism-1lupih3cz/-/a-u207kQCtTpO4CFsx3nlHdg%3Aa%3A1737388686-%2F0

Do you know that #writers were the ones donating to #NaNoWriMo ? And that generally speaking it is creatively inclined people who typically want to pay for the goods made by other creatively inclined people. That writers are typically readers who share book recommendations with other writers and have various #Books communities they're involved in.

1/

Why isn't "mouthe" a word?

We have "breath" and "breathe" -- why not "mouth" and "mouthe"?

These are the important questions I ponder while I edit.

@edibuddies #writers #AmEditing