Danielle R. Norman

Next piece of advice, when asked what to do when secondary characters start taking control of your story:

“You are running a small business. Those characters work for you.”

Writing advice from Jim Butcher:

“Oh yes! Pile in the doom! I really believe in that.”

#ssws2026 #superstars #aspiringauthor

This is my comfy place. This is where I come to see that the world is full of good people. This is where I recharge after fighting the good fight elsewhere. Love you all ❤️❤️❤️

STATEMENT FROM MATT MOBERG, CHAPLAIN OF THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES IF YOU'RE A CHURCH POSTING PRAYERS FOR PEACE AND UNITY TODAY WHILE MY CITY BLEEDS IN THE STREET. MISS ME WITH THAT SOFTNESS YOU ONLY WEAR WHEN IT COSTS YOU NOTHING. DON'T DRESS AVOIDANCE UP AS HOLINESS. DON'T CALL SILENCE "PEACEMAKING." DON'T LIGHT A CANDLE AND THINK IT SUBSTITUTES FOR SHOWING UP. TONIGHT AN ICE AGENT TOOK A PHOTO OF ME NEXT TO MY CAR, LOOKED ME IN THE EYE AND TOLD ME, "WE'LL BE SEEING YOU SOON." NOT METAPHOR. NOT HYPERBOLE. A THREAT DRESSED UP IN A BADGE AND A PAYCHECK. PEACE ISN'T WHAT YOU ASK FOR WHEN THE BOOT IS ALREADY ON SOMEONE'S NECK. PEACE IS WHAT THE POWERFUL ASK FOR WHEN THEY DON'T WANT TO BE INTERRUPTED. UNITY ISN'T NEUTRAL. UNITY THAT REFUSES TO NAME VIOLENCE IS JUST LOYALTY TO THE ONES HOLDING THE WEAPONS. STOP USING SCRIPTURE LIKE CHLOROFORM. STOP CALLING YOUR FEAR "WISDOM." STOP PRETENDING JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED BECAUSE HE PREACHED GOOD VIBES AND PERSONAL GROWTH. YOU DON'T GET TO QUOTE SCRIPTURE LIKE A LULLABY, WHILE INJUSTICE STAYS WIDE AWAKE. YOU DON'T GET TO ASK GOD TO "HEAL THE LAND" IF YOU WON'T EVEN LOOK AT THE WOUND. THERE IS A KIND OF PEACE THAT ONLY EXISTS BECAUSE IT REFUSES TO TELL THE TRUTH. THAT PEACE IS A LIE. AND LIES DON'T GROW ANYTHING WORTH SAVING. THE SCRIPTURES YOU LOVE WEREN'T WRITTEN TO KEEP THINGS CALM. THEY WERE WRITTEN TO SET THINGS RIGHT. AND SOMETIMES THE MOST FAITHFUL THING YOU CAN DO IS STOP PRAYING AROUND THE PAIN AND START STANDING INSIDE IT. IF THAT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE-GOOD. GROWTH ALWAYS IS.

Amazing statement from the chaplain of the MN Timberwolves, I’m guessing in response to the craven press release co-signed by so many local CEOs today (inc the Timberwolves!) calling for the “deescalation of tensions” here but refusing to assign any specific blame or even *mention* ICE / CBP

“[the mountains were] darkly serrated against the sky”

Beautiful writing.

A gray stone plate holds a slice of sticky toffee pudding covered in powered sugar, a pile of fresh berries and cream, and the words “Happy Anniversary” stenciled in chocolate.

Celebrating 15 years of marriage seems post-worthy. Also that was the best sticky toffee pudding I’ve ever had and we absolutely fought over the last bite.

🎶 Then one soggy Christmas Eve… Santa came to pray 🎶

— tiniest human in the house

Husband: Why so cranky this morning?

Me: capitalism

Husband: Fair.

Very very true… same reason I had a hard time teaching High School. 18 is not an adult.

I am making the professional move from middle school teacher to project/people manager and…

It turns out I have eternal patience for incompetent 12 year olds and absolutely no patience for incompetent adults.

This has been uncomfortable to learn about myself.

Really good thread

I spluttered 😂😂

I may have audibly gasped when I saw what was under the dust jacket.

Tiny human #2 immediately wanted to know if I wanted to be blue or red 😆

A hand holding the delux hardback edition of This Is How You Lose A Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

😍😍😍

This frees up my original copy for gift giving

A large band of pink and blue/turquoise northern lights are visible above some trees and a house.

Mother Nature has blessed us with a surprise night painting.

The cover of a well loved Penguin Classics translation of The Count of Monte Cristo. Pages are falling out and the cover is taped together.

The back of a well loved Penguin Classics translation of The Count of Monte Cristo. The spine is ripped and the pages are falling out.

Possibly it’s time for a new copy

It’s a wonderful time of year!

The post reads: There are no rabbits On the trampoline No squirrels skydiving On the air conditioner The cat is not holding a meeting In a dapper little suit But there’s a fat pit bull at the bus stop And a baby with chubby feet in a stroller And the air smells like fall Real life is happening all around you And it is more beautiful than garbage Vomited up by a machine that eats water and jobs I am begging you to unhook your brain And go eat ice cream on a bench Life is too short To stare at a small screen That turns your dreams into pretty pictures And your brain into mush.

I may be mourning the fact that I can no longer celebrate sharing a birthday with a favorite author. But finding comfort in shipwrecks and vengeance seems fitting.

I do declare that the season between Halloween and Thanksgiving is the season of:

- The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
- V for Vendetta
- Count of Monte Cristo
- My birthday

Not necessarily in that order.

Really?… on that recommendation maybe I’ll give it a try! I am admittedly so in love with the book that any film adaptation makes me nervous.

Except Wishbone. Wishbone did it justice.

The annual rewatch of V for Vendetta hit very different this year…. Can’t help but imagine inflatable frog suits instead of masks.

This also means it’s time for my annual reread of The Count of Monte Cristo for which I’m very excited!

Just hit that submit button again! 🎢

Finally watched Over the Garden Wall tonight. What a delight!

Trump’s Great Gatsby party is evidence that we should all go back and apologize to our English teachers for the times we complained about being forced to understand theme.

Tiny human #2:
“Can I have more little sour humans?”

I’m never calling Sour Patch Kids anything else ever again.

Another rejection notch in the belt. This one stings less because I had so much fun writing to the prompt.

#aspiringauthor #amwriting #rejectionletter

Event Horizon. Partially because I didn’t know it was horror sci fi so I went in VERY UNPREPARED.

Nothing like hitting submit on an anthology submission a mere few hours before the deadline 😵‍💫

I’m tired. Bone-deep tired.