|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Same for me in Washington State, but on my Google Voice line. Rarely on my T-Mobile line.
0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses@pearcemoses.bsky.social |
50 followers 86 following 581 posts
Retired archivist, fan of Sci-fi working on his first novel. www.pearcemoses.info/
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Same for me in Washington State, but on my Google Voice line. Rarely on my T-Mobile line.
0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Another chestnut from the writers' canon: The secret of good writing is rewriting. Putting your first draft aside for a while let's you get distance from it, see it anew when you return to it. You might look at Miller's Tell It Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Non-Fiction.
1 replies 0 reposts 2 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
My two cents, in addition to "write a lot." Don't try to write a piece in one sitting. Take days or weeks, writing a bit every day. That gives the ideas time to percolate, and other things you're experiencing will trigger new insights to work in.
1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Thanks for this! I always understood the phrase to indicate that Christianity grew out of Judaism, but wasn't aware of the anti-Semitic connotation. You can teach an old dog new tricks.
0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
I've been told (but can't find a citation) that the Geisel Library was used as Star Fleet HQ in one of the movies.
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
#Writing Community describe your book poorly.
Ishmael goes to space as part of a Lewis-and-Clark expedition to the edge of known space. With vibes of a Russian folk tale.
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Firm believer in writing everyday, even just a few minutes, because it keeps stirring the pot. Took a walk this morning and realized something that would really strengthen the story’s last scene. #Writing
2 replies 0 reposts 2 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Sounds like you're not far from where I grew up, in Spring Branch. I remember Hurricane Carla (1961): taping windows, being without power for more than a week. All the best to you and yours.
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
a) Thank heavens for modern medicine that gave us vaccines: it was a very mild case. b) Seems like the cough is finally gone. c) So I was able to go sailing yesterday. (That's Canada on the horizon.)
1 replies 0 reposts 3 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Listening to Mona Lisa Over Pod with @lydamorehouse.bsky.social and Kaliban gave me the word/idea that was missing from the last scene of the short story, so another 100 words. (I'm sure it still needs work, but time to let's it sit for a bit.) #Writing
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
I agree. One of the reasons I really like Neal Stephenson's work. Lots of people fault him for his digressions, but they're half the reason I read his novels. (Cryptonomicon is brilliant.)
1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Thanks to the Internet Archive, I was able to read the first few pages of the book. Not quite sure I'm up to the challenge, but you've got me interested. (Maybe when the covid brain fog ameliorates.)
1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
When I lived in Arizona, my district was so gerrymandered, a Dem would never win the general. I registered Republican so I could vote against the wingnuts in the R primary.
0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Finished v 4 of the short story. There's a bit leap in the plot: a bit of hand waving in lieu of getting into details/weeds that might be interesting (if I could get them right), but don't move the story forward. Will be curious to get reader comments. 3785 words.
2 replies 0 reposts 2 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
I was always amazed that the aliens used the RS-232 interface.
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
I finished the re-write, which came in at 3785 words. Looking forward to getting feedback from my critique group. Did my decision to skip a lot of detail and fast forward to a reflection at the end work?
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Not surprised that they're inaccurate and bland, but are they any worse than the summaries (of books and movies) on Amazon, Goodreads, and IMDB. How many of those reviews list awards, but don't mention anything about the work itself?
0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
More revisions to the short story (800 words), and the end is in sight. Not sure if it needs a scene to get to the end that adds some missing flavor, or if skipping those details is the better choice. #Writing
0 replies 0 reposts 2 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Admirable. My Garmin says I've done a quarter of that distance (walking, no running) in the past year. I appreciate your running posts. They inspire me to be more active and lose some weight.
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Accounts to follow: Neil Gaiman, Matt Bell, Ann Leckie, Elizabeth Bear, Tade Thompson, Nnedi Okorafor, Daniel Abraham, Leslie Farnsworth. (Then see who they interact with and follow as appropriate.)
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Another 600+ words on the short story revision. Patched a big hole in the plot, tweaked some verbiage. Next scenes require more work. #Writing
0 replies 0 reposts 3 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Continued work on the short story. 950 words A reader didn't like a couple of bits that are send ups of tech bros. Maybe a bit obscure to people outside of IT, but a couple other readers who got the references loved them. Not ready to kill those darlings.
0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Today, I'm blaming my keyboard for all the typos. For some reason, the 'e' key seems unresponsive.
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Tackled a major revision to a short story, rewriting it from scratch. Fingers crossed I've found the piece that was missing. 590 words so far. #Writing
0 replies 0 reposts 3 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
In 2017, with a break starting four years later
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
I want an end to this story (doesn't have to be real) and a follow up on the not-quite-closed-door on the plane.
0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
I like the idea! To some extent, [sic] or [!] might have a similar effect?
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
The process was straightforward, thanks to the instructions. However, the follow up I got from FB leaves me less than optimistic that they'll actually do anything. "We don’t automatically fulfill requests and we review them consistent with your local laws." I really need to quit that platform.
0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
ChatGPT 3.5 had a lot of specific details about my career, almost always wrong (including the date of my *death*). ChatGPT 4o was more accurate, but only because it elided those details with generalities (and at least I'm no longer dead).
0 replies 0 reposts 7 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Brilliant! (ChatGPT 3.5 thinks I died in 2011, which I can assure you is—on fact—not true.)
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
I didn't buy a copy, but a history of photography listserv I managed was in it. Yep. That old.
0 replies 0 reposts 3 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Another one of our congruities! And love Olympia Dukakis in the Netflix productions. (I want to be Mrs Madrigal when I grow up.) Have you ever seen The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin? Great and fascinating background.
1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
I highly recommend Armistead Maupin's /Tales of the City/. Most char are young adults discovering a world beyond themselves in San Francisco before AIDS. Sequels follow them as they grow and develop. Light and funny, but with sadness and poignancy mixed in. Plus Mrs Madrigal, who has a secret.
1 replies 0 reposts 2 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Remind her that, especially when learning the write, the stakes are low. The first goal is getting words on the paper. The second, rewriting them so they make sense. No one expects first attempts to be fabulous. Success is what she's learned in the process.
0 replies 0 reposts 2 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
I don't think of writing as hard, but more as a puzzle to figure out. What makes a character tick? What needs to happen to move the story along and keep the reader interested? Who are the characters? What are the right words? That makes it fun for me, and worth the effort. Best of luck to her!
0 replies 0 reposts 7 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Back from covid (fortunately mild thanks to modern medicine!), I'm spending time thinking analytically about my novel's plot and characters, thanks to a conversation with a new writing friend @lesliefarnsworth.com .
2 replies 0 reposts 3 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
A few others: Neil Gaiman, /The Graveyard Book/. Mary Robinette Kowal, /The Spare Man/. Tobias S. Buckell, /A Stranger in the Citadel/.
1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Carlos Ruiz Zafón, /The Shadow of the Wind/. Hardly standard fare for me, but the story and characters were fascinating, and the language was lyrical (credit to the author and translator, I guess). Been a while since anything grabbed my attention like that.
2 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Apologies if I'm still being dense (but this time, blame my coming down covid last week): Sounds like the class I saw isn't being offered. Seemed particularly relevant, so I wouldn't want to miss it. (Instead, started listening to Writing Excuses.) Thanks for all you do.
0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Sorry to be dense here, but I don't see how to sign up. What patreon level would I use? (You said it's free, but I've been meaning to sign up anyway.)
1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Evokes a certain tune sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary.
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
I've been amazed and envious of your talent for drawing. Something I've never been able to do. And now, you've kicked me in the butt (good way)— If I want to draw, I should take some classes!
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Just in time to download before takeoff for home! I've been waiting for it!
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
I wonder if in depth exposition works better (and is often necessary) in sci-fi. Readers want rich world building and tech. Don't read historical fiction, but wonder if that genre benefits from readers wanting detailed descriptions of the past.
1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
I have no problem with exposition that's interesting and informative. I learned a lot of digital signatures tech background from Stephenson's Cryptonomicon. It was relevant but not essential to the story. Someone told me once, infodump is only a problem if it's boring.
1 replies 0 reposts 2 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Reading John Truby’s /The Anatomy of Story/. He’s pretty prescriptive, and I keep resisting. Even so, as I think through his questions, I’m getting insights into my novel that I think will make it stronger in the end.
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
I'm a pantser, but I'm following Matt Bell's /Refuse to be Done/ for my second draft: reverse engineering an outline. That process gives a high-level view so it's easier to spot things that need work. (See his site: mattbell.substack.com)
1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book. John Scalzi, Kaiju Preservation Society. METAtropolis series of short stories on Audible.
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
|
|
Richard Pearce Moses
@pearcemoses.bsky.social
[ View ] |
I got an idea for a short story from ChatGPT—indirectly. The only time I've played with it, I did an ego search. Turns out, it thinks I'm dead. Of pancreatic cancer. As reported on the internet. Used the hallucination as the basis of the story.
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes