Nalin Ratnayake's avatar

Nalin Ratnayake

@naratnayake.bsky.social

27 followers 44 following 40 posts

I write science fiction and fantasy as N.A. Ratnayake. I’m also an engineer, educator, runner, lover of nature, and new father. Find me on the web at naratnayake.com.

Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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I agree in spirit, and if the word "kindle" in the quote were swapped for "ebook" then I'd agree completely. But Amazon is a separate discussion.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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In a bit of digital detox, I have finally (re?)acquired an actual alarm clock. Requirements: dimmable display, selectable sound, adjustable volume, and no bluetooth or "smart" connectivity whatsoever. I will now keep my phone elsewhere starting at 8pm until I happen to go get it in the morning.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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First drafts, amirite? #amwriting

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Terri Windling's avatar Terri Windling @terriwindling.bsky.social
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Sending love and strength to American friends and colleagues who are feeling as socked in the gut by the Supreme Court as I am.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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Thanks! I needed to hear this about my current soon-to-be-WIP.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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Awesome! I don't see a deadline on there... Are you open until filled or is there a date to work towards? Congratulations on getting funded!

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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I'm stoked that Obsidian added an option for Sync that is cheaper in exchange for being limited to 1 project at a time. My whole novel binder (research, worldbuilding, plotting, character dossiers, notes, and all manuscript versions) are now synced seamlessly between Windows, iOS, and Linux devices.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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So the real question is then: Did you discover the error before or after hitting send on that email? :D

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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A friend reached out to me and asked why I didn't have an RSS feed button on my blog. Tbh I really didn't think anyone used that anymore, and it's function had been completely replaced by social media posts linking back to the blog post at time of post. It was simple to put one in, but am I wrong?

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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My experience has been that even fellow Americans try to make that argument. I like to remind them that a significant chunk of the emissions from Asia are due to our consumer demand - we outsourced the pollution resulting from our standard and mode of living to there, and then claim it's theirs.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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It's a sliding scale! Just as with writing, I've found that the best balance for me is to plan the key things, a little light structure to give it a clear focus, and a bit of something to hold it all together... then make up the rest as I go! Lets the players (and story characters) drive the story.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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Players can't ruin your campaign... if you never plan for it. #DM #DnD

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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Proud to have started a book club at work that will focus on authors from Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora! First up: Viet Thanh Nguyen's THE SYMPATHIZER. #amreading #aapi #api

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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Now I want to know what a “Keith Richards” is. Maybe frothed cocaine-milk over a double shot of used engine oil?

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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Remember that public libraries are wonderful for more reasons than books. For many people, they are also the safe and free spaces to access information, legal help, language instruction, financial awareness, job skills, internet resources, and community connection. They are hubs of civic life.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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Is anyone out there able to comment on the value of attending AWP in person?

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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This looks amazing! Congratulations.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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I'm excited to announce that my first novel, RED SOIL THROUGH OUR FINGERS, along with all of my previously published short stories, will be FREE on @smashwords.bsky.social for the month of July as part of their Annual Summer/Winter Sale! #SWSale2024 #Smashwords

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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East Village Books in Sac is offering 30% off today for their 3rd anniversary! Yes please.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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Congratulations! One of the best novels I’ve read, and personally inspirational to me as a fellow SFF writer from the South Asian diaspora. Well deserved and a beacon to follow for many others.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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I’m honored to report that CWC Redwood Writers has accepted my short story “Refuge” to their 2024 anthology, TRANSITIONS! 🫠 An alien being reflects on the battle to save Earth from climate change, and discovers reason for hope in the myriad and surprising forms that life and intelligence can take.

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Katharine Hayhoe's avatar Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com
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The Atlantic hurricane season begins tomorrow. While climate change doesn't create these storms, it's making them much more dangerous. In a warmer world they're stronger, intensifying faster (especially near land), dumping a lot more rain, moving more slowly & weakening more gradually over land.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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With the in-laws in Missouri for a week. The view from the front porch is idyllic.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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The good news: This is probably the longest I've kept up continuous high personal interest and creative effort on a novel project (about 2 years). I think there's a Something here. The bad news: I don't have much actual prose to show for it. Remembering: "Embrace the false starts." -Salman Rushdie

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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I had a wonderful time in Monterey last weekend #running the Big Sur Marathon! Every time I run one I’m reminded of all the parallels to writing a novel.

Prepare in advance. Break it into smaller mental chunks. Keep the faith when going gets tough.

(A marathon, by the way, is easier.) #amwriting

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Reposted by Nalin Ratnayake

Blaft Publications's avatar Blaft Publications @blaft.bsky.social
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Call for Submissions! Poster by the inimitable Priyanka Paul who will be contributing the cover! More here: blaft.com/blogs/news/c...

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Vajra Chandrasekera's avatar Vajra Chandrasekera @vajra.me
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I'm extremely pleased to be the editor of the inaugural AFTERLIVES anthology because it gave me the opportunity to showcase some truly stupendous work from eighteen brilliant writers. The full TOC is 👇🏾 and the authors whose incredible work we are proud to feature are: <drumroll>

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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Correction: Took a government subsidy of additional chips and pretended it was free market business genius.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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Haha, why not? That's literally the definition of a property that is quantized: There is no possible intermediary state between one discretized step and another. The distance between steps could be "large" and still be "the smallest measurable step" because nothing in between can exist. :)

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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I don’t disagree. But also: I would consider myself a South Asian genre writer (diaspora) AND my “native”/first language is English. (While I could *maybe* get by in spoken Sinhala, I cannot read any of your written comment!) The decision (or non-decision) is not merely marketing factors.

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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Well… true. And can’t it also mean that the solution needed is quantized such that half measures or intermediate steps are not possible or not useful, and that only a leap to the full solution is worth considering?

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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“I’ve run thousands of miles so that I would know what to do in the next four.” -Des Linden, in her memoir Choosing to Run

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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I'm honored to announce that my poem "Tafoni" was accepted for publication in the ekphrastic collection Vision and Verse, which will be published later this year by the California Writers Club! calwriters.org/vision-and-v...

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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Congratulations! Any major thoughts, warnings, or takeaways for anyone else considering the path to an audiobook?

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Nalin Ratnayake's avatar Nalin Ratnayake @naratnayake.bsky.social
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New to Bluesky! I'm an indie author #amwriting science fiction and fantasy. My works tend to explore layered identities, connection to the natural world, asymmetric power struggle, and questions of home and belonging. Looking forward to connecting with and learning from others here!

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