J L Wilson

I used to take a train from Pittsburgh to Iowa 3 or 4 times a year. It was so much fun and relaxing. Much prefer it to flying if it's doable.

Mini Book of Signs Discover El Arroyo’s Mini Book of Signs—pocket-sized collections of our funniest restaurant signs that bring humor and Texas charm anywhere you go.

I like the car one. I have some El Arroyo books and I love to leaf through them when I need a laugh. They're the best.

elarroyo.com/collections/...

Perhaps your dreams will coincide with your social life?

I remember a similar cross-country trek when the Pittsburgh airport was a CF a month or two after 9/11. 16 hours with a snowstorm chasing us. Get a good car (we had a Crown Vic and it was sweet).

One of the perils of being a writer is you get asked to do writerly things, like write the speech for the funeral of a dear friend. Which I did and presented today.

Since June, six people I was close to have died. I really hope we're done with this for a few months, at least.

Unlike so many folks, I love this time of year. Dark at 5:00PM? Okay, that works for me. Dark at 6AM? That works, too. Cold, windy, rainy, snowy? I'll add another layer of clothing. I get more done in Nov-March than any other time of the year. There's something to be said for hibernation.

That's why it's awesome to check out books from the library. If you don't like it then, hey, return it. I've done that with 99% of Scalzi books -- tried 3 chapters and returned them. The one I did finish was great. I do the same with other authors: try it, you might like it!

Fallen Books and Other Subtle Clues in Zelazny’s “A Night in the Lonesome October”, by Dr. Christopher S. Kovacs An essay by Dr. Christopher S. Kovacs.  About the essay, in his own words: Part of the enjoyment of A Night in the Lonesome October comes from recognizing obvious characters and puzzling over the i…

I think "A Night in the Lonesome October" by Zelazny & read by Zelazny is perhaps the perfect audiobook. I either read or listen to it every October and I am still discovering characters. I mean, Virginia Woolf? Yep, she's there.

lovecraftzine.com/magazine/iss...

The JR books go into long descriptions of all kinds of force (mainly guns), their history, ammo, how to kill somebody quietly, and other combat-like stuff. It's like an ad for a video game sometimes.

The Percy Jackson books are a nice balance to that. Still action but (oddly) more realistic.

The Percy Jackson books are refreshing--somewhat abbreviated (less long descriptions, more action). It's like I get the gist of what is happening without a long build-up and explanatory text.

Note that I am listening to Jack Reacher books on audio, so to compare the two is...surprising.

I am reading some YA books (thanks to @rickriordan.bsky.social). When I was a kid, I kind of skipped over YA and went straight to adult mysteries and other fiction. My mother evaluated books for the library so I read what she brought home by the time I was in 5th grade or so.

Our cat (Opie Dopie) used to barf a lot. But we put him on special dry food and he's gone from barf every 3 days to maybe once a week. I didn't change the wet food, just the dry, so who knows?

good dog (to go outside). not so good about the early timing.

I notice it here because there are people here I've never encountered before on any other social media platform. Thus I don't recognize their sarcasm or humor.

My reaction is often the same as my school days: wariness about commenting or replying.

It's interesting.

I often read social media posts (especially here) and I feel like the Clever Kids are making comments and I'm out of the loop. Okay, I'm old (70s), so I get it, but I don't encounter it as much anywhere else. I think ...

I'm ramping up to write a new book during NaNo. I love the feeling of creativity in the morning! Sorry about the snot...

I lived in Pgh for 10 years and am so happy to see my old town is marching today!

I enjoy seeing mentions of articles that folks post, but inevitably when I follow the link I'm asked to subscribe. I understand that these sites need $$ to stay in business, but I'm limited in how much I can spend on online sites.

If you post links, please, if possible, make it a gift link.

I spent a few days brainstorming books with friends; as always, I learned a lot about the characters in my WIP and had a great time. It's such an interesting experience to get away, unhook from social media, and just be real for a time.

I've had some bad experiences with Open Source in the past so I've avoided it. I've had no bad experiences with MS (knock on wood) so I haven't felt like I need to leave it behind. It's good to know others are having good experience with Libre and Joplin so if I need it ...

The Spousal Unit is using an older version of the app; I'll check with him & see if he knows about exporting. He's gone through several iterations of ON and might know of a cheat.

For now, ON is working for me, so I'll stick around for a time. Let me know how Joplin works for you.

On my version of One Note, which might be different than yours, it's under the File menu. I find the multiple versions confusing, but other than that, I've been okay with ON.

At least you could find the same ones. It seems like every time I find a shoe that works for me, the next time I try to buy them, the style has changed or is no longer available. I am on a continual hunt for The Right Shoes.

@scalzi.com Welcome to Flyover Land! I wish I could attend your event tomorrow but I'm leading a workshop on writing and won't get back in time. Enjoy IC; hope you're staying at the Graduate which is one of the more interesting hotels in the area.

That brings back memories. I well remember pushing my aunt in a wheelchair from A to F. We set a land speed record, I think.

She was one of a kind.

What a face! I think she looks more confused than unhappy, like, 'whoa, it's chilly, how come?'

Wow. I know some authors do this but I have never been that organized when writing a book. I tend to be a pantser for a time then I plot a bit then I plow onward. I'm doing workshops right now on writing and it's fun to actually articulate my process.

I would like to thank Jules Verne and Jude Devereaux for making my preparation for a colonoscopy bearable. I realize that this is not a goal that many authors aspire to, but nonetheless, there it is. Thank you.

Courtney Milan might be the person to ask. She has a lot of experience with legalese.