Ask not "am I onto something?" but instead "am I onto something worth pestering my socials with?"
08.03.2026 02:58
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Ask not "am I onto something?" but instead "am I onto something worth pestering my socials with?"
It depends on which facet you're looking at. Are they all tools of corporations who pretend to serve the interests of people purely to stay in office and enrich themselves? With only a handful of exceptions, yes, they are all the same at the core. Voters are being gamed. US democracy is dead.
We have a dog, who, should I reach for the shelf that contains the canned fish, immediately points to the drawer where the can opener is stored, in hopes of accelerating the process.
Episode 11 of our "No Hook" podcast is now available at alanlangford.com/l/nohook11 In addition to updates on our writing progress, Michael tries to induce a case of weather envy and has an unwanted start to a new story. We also talk about writing on the road and pens.
A really good way to get blocked on Mastodon is to bridge from Bluesky and tag a bunch of communities you have no clue about in your spam. The medium is still the message and each platform is a different medium. #WritingCommunity
Elon Musk vomits: For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years.
*bwahahahaha*
The guy who can't even build a decent truck thinks he can build a city on the moon in less than a decade.
New schoolyard insult: "Don't be such a Dolomite."
Goes with: "Man, you are so friggin' Cumulus!"
It's funny how "it" is just something that's almost obvious, even to other musicians. Many, many moons ago a musician friend of mine told me to catch this new bar band up from Kingston, Ontario because they "had it." That band was The Tragically Hip, on their path to becoming Canadian Icons.
Episode 10 of our "No Hook" podcast is now available at alanlangford.com/l/nohook10 This episode has the usual updates on our progress, a lot of talk about editing, and more.
Episode 9 of our "No Hook" podcast is now available at alanlangford.com/l/nohook9 In addition to updates on our writing progress, we cover the latest winter storm, editing, keeping notes, the end of Gmailify, lots of ranting about AI, and of course the question for next time.
If your new host can't do a transfer, my tool of choice is Akeeba Backup. It is uncompromising, a little anal-retentive (which IMO is exactly what you want a backup tool to be), and will validate that your new hosting environment will work.
I use TFP and the P doesn't stand for President.
Next episode we'll talk about generative AI in writing, so I've got just under two weeks to find a take on the subject that hasn't already been beaten to death. Wish me luck!
Writing Progress Review #8 is up, first one this year. This time we're a little less about progress and more about process, especially when we talk about when we decide to kill a character in our stories off.
youtu.be/FdLyPCTf2Aw
Today in "Not Ultimate", Ingram offers "The Ultimate List of Book Fairs, Festivals, and Conferences for 2026" which features one writer's conference, and one French language book fair.
Ultimate LOL. I can name ten more, and that's without any deep research.
I write this with gratitude for your contributions to SF, well wishes for a fruitful retirement, and deep regret as I remove your name from my "editors to covet" list.
OMG what have I wrought? I needed a hardcopy to refer to as I work to finish the first draft of this book. I didn't anticipate the feeling of having this in a physical form for the first time. So odd that it's now a real thing, full of words I pulled out of nothing.
Introducing SlopGen(tm) 2.0 from MacroSlop (formerly Microsoft)
#MicroSlop
I said chatgpt doesn't have a soul and got put on this list
Our bi-weekly Writing Progress Review is up, last episode before end of year. youtu.be/ZyVou7HBaHw
We talk about yesterday's ice storm, missing our progress targets (so much for year end drafts 🙁), and what makes a book series good, bad, or ugly.
Next week: how to decide when to kill a character.
Based on what's been going on there of late, this is probably because your account has too much integrity, as determined by an AI algorithm. Try shitposting a couple of erroneous pro-fascist conspiracy theories to correct the problem.
Martin short and I once stood beside each other... while doing our business in an airport bathroom.
Man, the past decade or so has been hard on SF review sites. I just followed a bunch of review links on an author's page and only two links still resolve to a real site, and of those two, one was last updated in 2023. I've found the same thing with podcasts; so many just stopped without explanation.
I'm too old for that. I need to know the shortcut. I need it NOW! What is the freakin' shortcut?? [Wanders into the desert arguing with his demons, never to be seen again.]
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
Writing Progress Review #6 where Michael Pinkus and I have too much fun keeping each other on track with our writing goals. youtu.be/uNGzob5p2xw
Between Family, writer's groups, and an abiding dislike of Discord, I have been unable to cut Facebook out of my life, but man, am I waiting for January 13, when I truly hope that this persistent notification that group chats I never participated in will be deleted "after January 12". Bye!
Stop comparing yourself to other authors.
Start collaborating with other authors.
Start celebrating other authors.
Start taking community seriously.
When I was a production assistant on The Office, the only writing of mine that anyone read was the catering menu I typed up each day for the crew. But I realized the menu was my chance to impress the writers. So here’s a quick #Scriptsky #Screenwriting thread on HIDDEN OPPORTUNITIES.
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Your thread echoes a poster I made for myself years ago. It reads:
LUCK is the timely exploitation of opportunities.
OPPORTUNITIES are the result of hard work.
