Art Is Not Free I get so mad when something gets thrown in my face that shows people think all kinds of art should be free. Right at this moment as I type this, I’m cranky at a specific situation. But it’s not the only one. Don’t copy books online and put them […]
Writing
My Crappy Writing
I can’t say I’ve written much, or anything “good” in 2020. I did try to read some more though. I always thought that once I finished postgrad, my desire to read would return. And maybe it would have if I hadn’t had fatigue related medical issues then and since? Either way, I wasn’t reading much […]
Not a Secret
I’ve done NaNo on and off for most of my adult life. 2019 was the first year I had won. 2020 I won, but it was harder. Then again, what wasn’t harder in 2020? The key that swapped me from failing (though no extra word/creativity are actually a failure) to winning was twofold. One […]
Shaming Writers
There’s a lot of gatekeeping in writing. Which is weird, as it’s one of the few things you’d think is fairly accessible to many people. Of course there are discrepancies in education and support, but I mean on a wider level – more people can write than can become astronauts. The shame is on a […]
Turn Off Your Brain While You Write A First Draft
During NaNoWriMo 2019, I started writing a sci-fi novel. I got about 6000 words in at the time. I had no real intention to write it, but at the time I needed a mental change from writing my satire series of books, The Secret Ingredient Of. I’ve been slowly adding to it ever since, because […]
You May Write Whenever You Damn Well Please
You May Write Whenever You Damn Well Please I saw something on the internet this morning that pissed me off a great deal. It was a long winded “inspo-shame” type statement that said if you don’t write every day, you can’t call yourself a writer. Here is what I wrote back to the person who […]
Read Whatever You Want To
I’ve never read the classics. I’m sure I read some at school, but overall they have never really appealed to me. Or maybe they’ve never been sold to me. It’s a bit like Avatar … people say “it’s good, watch it” but no one has told me why it’s good. Or “go to Melbourne, they […]
Unnecessary Micro Gatekeeping
Unnecessary micro gatekeeping It’s the best term we have managed to come up with. What am I talking about? Rules. But fake rules. Particularly within the creative fields. There are countless examples of what this might be about, but it’s probably easiest to tell you where I came across it most recently. I posted a […]
Book Review: A River With A City Problem
A River With A City Problem is a historical account of the Brisbane river flooding, the impacts of the floods, and the political decisions (or lack thereof) that have not prevented subsequent floods. The important thing to remember throughout this book review is that it is a very good book. It might not sound […]
Losing (And Finding) My “Inspiration”
Generally speaking, I enjoy working from home. I’ve had a long commute for about a decade, so gaining at least 12 hours per week back into my life is actually life changing. I didn’t feel like there were too many negatives to staying home for months. And overall, the positives win out. But there was […]