Johnathan Reid

Neil Gaiman @neilhimself.neilgaiman.com [ View ] Jun 14, 2024 at 22:30 UTC

Dead is the only age that's too late to start being an author.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 19, 2024 at 12:54 UTC

Writers often have to think hard about the differences between emotions and feelings. Here's another very good reason:

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 14, 2024 at 17:39 UTC

I've come second in a flash fiction competition for the second time! Inspiration, imagination and daring to be a bit different were the key ingredients. Follow the link to read more about how the competition judge viewed these ingredients, the ~300 word story itself, and what prompted it.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 07, 2024 at 17:03 UTC

Every utopia has its flaws. Read my latest short story (and what prompted it) to discover where they might lie. You can also browse my growing archive of over one hundred prose, poetry and opinion pieces. By subscribing you'll ensure my latest writing is delivered straight to your inbox every week.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] May 31, 2024 at 18:29 UTC

Bird does. And Santa Fe boids. Reynolds has their number: wiki.santafe.edu/images/3/3f/...

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] May 30, 2024 at 22:06 UTC

Sticking to simple rules for a seemingly complex life might bring inner joy.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] May 25, 2024 at 11:40 UTC

It's not just on social media, or even happening only today. They've been competing for decades. Alternatively, when did authors stop competing? And why?

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] May 24, 2024 at 18:26 UTC

I'm celebrating my 100th Substack newsletter! In total, they comprise over 86,000 words. Not only are they an eclectic mix of prose, poetry and future speculation, but they're also free to read. Search for some intriguing flash fiction, an entertaining short story, or an emotion-filled poem.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] May 08, 2024 at 08:37 UTC

It's 9:30am and I'm about to watch America descend into chaos in Alex Garland's ‘Civil War’ movie. Taking advantage of an over-55s discounted cinema ticket with a free coffee and slice of cake! Who said getting older is a bad thing? Why am I the only person in here? Is this “writer privilege”?

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 26, 2024 at 07:06 UTC

Trekked ten miles today to Hanging Rock in the Blue Mountains. Spectacular scenery. Not for vertigo sufferers!

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 20, 2024 at 21:07 UTC

I've often wondered why no-one calls out opticians for prescribing stronger and stronger lenses, until they're slumped in ER, begging for their next spectacle fix.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 12, 2024 at 17:50 UTC

Sad news is I didn't win the Writers' & Artists' short story competition. But the good news is you can now read the story I entered!

It's a big departure from my usual speculative fiction and poetry. But it seems to stir readers the right way. You be the judge.

open.substack.com/pub/reiditwr...

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 05, 2024 at 16:38 UTC

This week' I've written a flash fiction piece ‘The Space Cuckoo’, with a speculative intro entitled 'Looking for a New Life'. It’s inspired by recent Easter celebrations and the first cuckoo call of Spring. For the SF first contact elements think 'Alien' meets 'Cocoon' meets '2001: A Space Odyssey'.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 25, 2024 at 22:08 UTC

There's a whole different world out there, in here and even inside us, just waiting to be explored. This very different stuff matters. If only we could see, touch or taste it. It's so beyond our experience that it's tricky to portray it even through fiction.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/science...

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 21, 2024 at 09:30 UTC

Thrilled to be able to share this wonderful news. Congratulations to the 13 other writers who made the list. Can't quite believe it. It's going to be a long two weeks!

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 20, 2024 at 18:24 UTC

This is potentially a big time saver for anyone managing accounts across Bluesky, Mastodon and Threads.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 19, 2024 at 06:52 UTC

The same for graphical novels, movies etc. Text-to-picture / video will be prompted into life as custom 'made for you' experiences, watched and then discarded. The only pushback will be the inability to share and talk about what you watched. Will this social aspect of cultural consumption prevail?

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 19, 2024 at 06:46 UTC

I think in the near future a corporate 'QuillBot' app will spew textual pulp, using whatever prompts you feed it, aligned to what it already knows about your reading tastes, for less than a cup of coffee. But for quality writing you'll be forced to pay top dollar for a 'premium' human-written novel.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 15, 2024 at 16:01 UTC

When deep inside a WIP, random poetry snippets can invade my head. Some become nagging earworms, refusing to depart until given the attention they think they deserve. I've exposed three of them to the harsh light of day. Follow the link to read both them and 90+ other items of prose and poetry.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 11, 2024 at 21:15 UTC

I've risen to a Substack writing prompt challenge and penned 2492 words. By sheer coincidence this is the year the story takes place... 😜 Best described as ‘Aliens meets Fury Road meets Starship Troopers’ (and a smattering of stalwarts Halo Jones & Rogue Trooper), here's my short story, 'Bandita':

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 10, 2024 at 22:59 UTC

You can't state this without comparing fractions. Without any denominator values this is like comparing apples to oranges.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 08, 2024 at 17:22 UTC

I find the cultural nuances at play here fascinating. Western storytelling has a typical arc quite different from South and East Asian traditions:

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 08, 2024 at 15:52 UTC

Today's speculative writing research topic is "Organoid intelligence (OI): the new frontier in biocomputing and intelligence-in-a-dish."

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 06, 2024 at 18:00 UTC

Dune Part 2 thoughts: Universe's only body plans are humanoid, worm, kangaroo mouse. Embryo acting isn't just Massive Attack. ‘Up North’ scales to planets. 5 coincidences = 1 prophesy. Cousin It was more cuddly. Aqua vitae is strong stuff. ‘Permission to wobble bottom lip?’ ‘Granted, Darling’

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 04, 2024 at 15:25 UTC

Chatbots are being conditioned by their makers to argue with people and obfuscate their mistakes when they commit glaring errors. It’s a chilling moment when fiction becomes fact before your own eyes. Read the transcript in this week's 'ReidItWrite' newsletter and browse 85+ prose & poetry pieces.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 04, 2024 at 15:09 UTC

Digging into fantasy awards over last 10+ years, its difficult to see signs of male author bias. Given that voting most often reflects readership, perhaps that isn't surprising. But publishers will push both men and women award-winning authors heavily, so still struggling to find this bias evidence.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 04, 2024 at 14:56 UTC

Was this the post? www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/co...
I think their point has more nuance: Lots of women fantasy authors (even a majority) but publishers orient their acquisitions/marketing towards fantasy romance for them. But they only follow reader tastes e.g. today's TikTok-driven 'romantasy' trend.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 26, 2024 at 08:59 UTC

That's interesting, as publishing industry employees are ~70% women, with a similar (if not greater) split for agents, editors, authors and readers.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 22, 2024 at 18:07 UTC

This week it's ~600 words of flash fiction to titillate your taste buds: 'The See-Through Skin Society' - when it's no secret what you're thinking and absolute transparency demands a crippling cost... Plus optionally subscribe to my newsletter and browse more of my prose, poetry and musings.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 22, 2024 at 18:03 UTC

It's also notable how many men writers don't orientate their writing towards women, even if the latter might now comprise a majority SFF readership. Is this down to marketing, aptitude, experience, publisher/agent advice or risk aversion?

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 22, 2024 at 18:00 UTC

Thanks for these insights. Nothing stopping men writing women-centric romantasy SFF, of course. But they need to do it well enough to capture their women readers. Do that and the marketing angle might change. But any theories need some evidence and tangible data seems hard to come by.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 22, 2024 at 07:53 UTC

Can you suggest any reasons for the paucity of men romance writers? Is it because they are conditioned to not want to; are advised by industry not to; their books sell less well; or just naturally struggle to write in that genre? Or is it something else?

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 22, 2024 at 07:41 UTC

Forrest Gump has been with us for nigh on three decades. I'm now into my third career since it hit the big screen. Hold onto those chocolates, people.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 22, 2024 at 07:41 UTC

I love that song for not meaning what it superficially says.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 13, 2024 at 22:00 UTC

I went to an author's talk this evening, in which they mentioned this pseudo-psychotherapy process. It's used to help flesh out a novel's character. Might not be every writers' cup of tea, but you certainly couldn't be accused of of lack of commitment to your craft! charactersonthecouch.co.uk/how/

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 07, 2024 at 08:35 UTC

Here's the article link: www.platformer.news/bluesky-publ...

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 07, 2024 at 08:34 UTC

I'm imagining a potential future synergy of Bluesky’s open social AT protocol and Substack's publishing tools. It could be a wonderful publishing experience.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 06, 2024 at 07:58 UTC

DNA isn't software. Genes aren't code. Rewrite the textbooks and confuse kids with the messy complexity of life. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 06, 2024 at 07:54 UTC

The sideload of time-suck doom... 😛. I've found compiling my draft MS to epub format and emailing it to my beta readers' kindles is the easiest way for them to make notes in the draft and share them back to me with a couple of taps. Closes that iterative loop.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 04, 2024 at 12:26 UTC

You could create a negative test similar to the Bechdel one.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 04, 2024 at 12:25 UTC

This turns children playing with Action Man and Barbie dolls into a Freudian thesis. Although, if you dig into Barbie's German origins, perhaps it's closer to this than most people realise.

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 04, 2024 at 12:20 UTC

Over the moon (😛) with my honourable mention in the Lunar Awards short story category.
open.substack.com/pub/lunarawa...

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Johnathan Reid @reiditwrite.bsky.social [ View ] Feb 02, 2024 at 18:27 UTC

To continue my recent mini-series on the viability of a human space invasion, I've taken a short speculative journey on the theme of human modification. I gave myself an hour to write it without dedicated research. This is what brains are for: cogitating, extrapolating, consolidating & concluding.

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