Elizabeth Rubio

Today was a hard one. She will be so, so missed.

Personally it's very hard for me to choose a favorite. Two have made a very big impression on me though. When I was a child, "The Princess, the Cat, and the Unicorn" by Patricia C Wrede had a big effect. As an adult, "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience" by Rebecca Roanhorse did the same.

It's my birthday!

Since I'm mostly a short story writer, please tell me your fave short story.

#PretendPanel #WriterSky

I am going to finish writing this novel. (I'm essentially fully rewriting it and getting very demotivated.)

#PretendPanel #WriterSky

A View from the Slush

I wrote a thing about short stories, why they get rejected, and what you can apply to your own work.

clhellisen.beehiiv.com/p/a-view-fro...

A person with red hair and glasses kissing the top of the head of a tortoiseshell cat

Cat photo tax

Donate to Care for Tali's Renal Failure Needs, organized by Elizabeth Rubio Tali has had a rough go of it, and now she's fighting renal failure. She almost lo… Elizabeth Rubio needs your support for Care for Tali's Renal Failure Needs

My cat Tali has kidney disease and had to be hospitalized last week. As a freelance writer I am struggling to keep up with her vet bills. Any help you can give is appreciated! www.gofundme.com/f/care-for-t...

My unique Microsoft problem: I can't log in online to see my account. None of the account recovery options work. When I call them they recognize my phone number, tell me to go online, and hang up. Literally no way to make changes. I had to dispute the charge w/ my credit card company to get it done

The biggest by far was the one that motivated me to get into the biz, that without an audience I was a daydreamer not a storyteller.

Then later at a workshop we examined contrast rather than conflict and that's really helped me build strong characters.

#PretendPanel #WriterSky

Exactly! I know it works for a lot of people but I have never felt worse about myself or my craft as when I was trying to hit a daily wordcount.

Tell me your pet's name with a gif

Tell me your pet's name with a gif

I tend not to have many regrets but for a while I was very dedicated to daily wordcount goals and it was extremely demotivating. I lost a fair bit of progress feeling bad about performing poorly. I don't hold myself to those standards anymore.

#PretendPanel #WriterSky

Last term I tried an experiment: I walked into my Tech and Design Ethics class, admitted that I had *no idea* what to do about ChatGPT - so I would let them figure it out.

As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class.

Here's what happened:

He’s our own Puxsutawney Ted, predicting ice and a possible grid collapse.

HE'S FUCKING DOING IT AGAIN

Must Reads Magazines Statement on Changes Made to Standard Contract in Response to SFWA Must Reads Magazines, publisher of Analog, Asimov’s and F&SF, has been working for several months with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association on issues SFWA raised about MRM’s stan…

Must Read Magazine's statement on changes to its contract (Writer Beware has not yet seen a copy of the new boilerplate) file770.com/must-reads-m...

im so sorry..

that anchor is fighting for his liiiifeeeee

2026 Fiction Submissions Strange Horizons January 19 to 21

Strange Horizons fiction submissions open next Monday!

The window will be open for 48 hours from 3 p.m. UTC on January 19th 2026 to 3 p.m. UTC on January 21st 2026.

There will be no cap.

More information on submitting, including the link to our Moksha portal ⬇️
strangehorizons.com/submit/ficti...

Well I've never actually written an entire novel draft. Most of my career I've been a short story writer. And as I mentioned yesterday the novel I'm now working on wasn't coming together in its initial draft so I stopped writing the draft and began revisions instead.

#PretendPanel #WriterSky

I recently updated my masterlist of printers and manufacturers on the Screen Tones website, and there's a fairly sizeable section for sticker printers* if anyone is looking for additional recs!

*non crummy

screentonescast.com/view/66

🌳Texas Everbearing Fig
🌳Elderberry
🌳Mexican Buckeye
🌳Pecans
🌳Bur Oak
🌳Chinquapin Oak

Event details:
📅 Saturday, January 17
⏲️ 11am-1pm
📍Toney Burger Center, 3200 Jones Rd, Austin, TX 78745
The NeighborWoods program is a partnership between the City of Austin Government and Austin Energy 🌱

Minneapolis residents are painting tunnels onto brick walls and ICE agents are running into them. This is not funny.

If you're a writer, wondering why you should bother writing with the world on fire. It feels like it's not important, I need you to understand that it is.

Even if it is just because it keeps you moving forward? Even if it only brings YOU joy, that gives you energy to fight & survive.

The process is ever-evolving. I am currently working on letting my process be its own thing rather than following what everyone else is doing, e.g. I got stuck at 95% of a draft and rather than force the last 5% I started revising to make the last pieces fall into place.

#PretendPanel #WriterSky

Oh this is very exciting!

Absolutely. And I love having a week to process and talk about an episode rather than binging a whole season at once. I'm glad streamers are bringing this back.

Texas solar power surpassed coal in 2025 for the first year ever. Here's why. In 2025 — for the first year ever — solar arrays provided more electricity to Texas’ main power grid than coal-fired power plants.

This is a watershed moment for Texas - for the first time ever, solar supplied more electricity than coal in 2025.

I will say it again: At this rate, TX will likely decarbonize its electricity sector faster than CA.

TX clean electricity is growing at 13%,m more than twice that of CA's at 6%.

wikipedia turns 25 today! the last unenshittified major website! backbone of online info! triumph of humanity! powered by urge of unpaid randos to correct each other! somehow mostly reliable! "good thing wikipedia works in practice, because it sure doesn't work in theory" - old wiki adage

Rest in power, Claudette Colvin.

American pioneer of the 50s civil rights movement. In 1955, she was arrested at the age of 15 in Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a crowded, segregated bus, 9 months before Rosa Parks. (WIKI)

✊🏾