I've long since been a follower of #McSweeney's since shortly after they showed up on the internet. They're a nonprofit publisher from #SanFrancisco. When I can afford it, I subscribe to their print efforts, McSweeney's #Quarterly and the bimonthly #TheBeliever. But their frequently updated #InternetTendency (of such nuggets as "Im Comic Sans, Asshole") still scratches that daily #creativewriting itch for me. Worth checking out:
For the creatives here on Mastodon I'd like to share a website that witnesses your work for the purposes of copyright protection. An important issue and perhaps a site that can provide some reassurance. Take a look.
My story, "Of Celestial Calendars and the Escape Velocity of Friendship", is included in a YA/MG anthology officially released today!
"Brave New Girls: Tales Who Engineer and Explore" includes 28 short stories and 2 comics, all featuring tech-savvy girls who use their smarts to save the day. Proceeds will be donated to the Society of Women Engineers scholarship fund.
Really have no words for this stance taken by OTW’s LEGAL CHAIR on AI.
I read the section “Can I archive original fiction” of their TOS FAQ multiple times, and turned and tossed all night, debating whether I should post my original fics on #AO3 before I started doing so (yup all characters and plots original).
Deciding whether to pull them off the site will be much easier, I suppose.
Our May/June 2023 issue is reaching mailboxes and select newsstands now. With important coverage of #ReproductiveRights and #Healthcare, as well as the continuation of @delger's river series.
Digital subscribers: look out for a new, easier format for this month's issue, available soon.
Naomi Shihab Nye served as our #Poetry Editor for 28 years. As a going-away present in honor of her retirement, we let her have a space in our magazine to share anything she wanted from her career.
I have several #interactiveFiction#parser#textAdventure#games works in progress, that I'm in various stages of developing. Suddenly had great idea last night for one of them, reframing the opening and overall structure. Making frantic notes now before I totally forget it all. Typing into comments in my #Inform7 source code. Feeling invigorated. Hoping that my #neuro#illness allows me enough good time to complete this #game and the others satisfactorily. #IndieGames#GameDev#creativeWriting
She tried to explain Information Theory to me in simple terms. "Information is that which reduces uncertainty.", she said, adjusting her glasses self consciously. I felt some uncertainty reducing.
She gave me a book by Claude Shannon. The next week, she asked me how I liked it. "It was challenging. I'm trying to make sense of the mathematical notation. Some cool ideas in there."
She smiled and handed me another copy of the same book. "WTF?! I've already read it. I'm reading it again. This conveys no information!"
"Don't judge a book by its cover.", she said, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
I skimmed the new copy. She had scribbled notes in the margins in her womanly handwriting, breaking down key concepts that she had underlined throughout.
"Thank you!", I stammered, meaning it heartily. I wasn't exactly a Cliff's Notes kind of learner, but this was challenging material, and I was grateful for the help. And there was something else. I was attracted to her so much, her mind, her body. I pushed that feeling aside, and smiled politely. I had to think and process information like the good Android I was.
I went over the new copy, over and over. She texted, and asked to meet for coffee. When we met, she handed me a third copy of the same book. I guffawed! She giggled a little, and averted her eyes. What was her new game? I was intrigued. Thumbing through the pages, I found no new writing. It was blank. Well, same as the first copy, but older. There was no information. I was puzzled, till a subtle scent tickled me. An old book smell, mixed with a lovely aroma. It was own perfume. I looked up and she was smiling at me. We made eye contact through two pairs of glasses. A new dimension had just opened in my world. It would take a lot cycles to process the flood of new information flooding my senses. I was melting.
I never made an #introduction post, after all this time. My name is Ben, an airy man who tends to have my head in the clouds. I'm mainly a #gaymer but my other hobbies will be included in the hashtags. So far, my experience with Mastodon has been a good one. With luck, I'll continue to create a group of people to talk with. #Reading#creativewriting#anime#manga#art
Likes to sail the vastness of the deep, deep seas and deep, deep space in my mind's eye. But not a real sailor as, like Sir Francis Chichester's wife, I can't tolerate blue water sailing. Still, I have a strange fascination for maritime fiction.