CB

Yes. Similarly, one of the hardest things for a writer is to get out of their own way.

Hope it helps! The only caveat emptor is the reintegration of the isolated text—making sure the puzzle piece fits back into the grander picture without, say, repeating verbs or sentence structure in the previous bit. 😀

White-boxing. When editing inline, I’ll copy/paste sentences, paragraphs, and dialogue into a separate Word file. Decontextualized and isolated, the text is easily parsed. Sharper verbs? Do I need that adjective? Passive v. active voice rep? Rhythm/pacing? Interiority at the right distance? Etc. 📚

Share an unforgettable film image.
#filmsky

But when we crave power over life—endless wealth, unassailable safety, immortality—then desire becomes greed. And if knowledge allies itself to that greed, then comes evil. Then the balance of the world is swayed, and ruin weighs heavy in the scale.

Hi 👋 Follow-up question. Should a sci-fi story (with a strong voice) rely upon a novum?

A yellow pod streaks into jagged darkness. The title, Shroud, hovers ominously above. The author’s name—Adrian Tchaikovsky—appears in bold at the top.

@aptshadow.bsky.social has written another banger. I’m midway Act 2, and I think the main conflict’s humanity v. our own hubris—our own ignorance. Humanity’s soul is a dark place. But don’t quote me on that yet. Just go read this book. And listen hard enough to hear your own echo.

Ahsoka in white and Baylan in black, facing off before a duel. Ahsoka’s swords are outstretched.

I’ve been rewatching #Ahsoka and the cinematography is breathtaking. This shot’s an instant classic. #StarWars

Character of the Day: Chirrut Îmwe

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

Often attributed to Einstein, this rule of thumb is useful writing advice.

Niji Nodachi 😎

I’m holding up an aged, silvery mechanical pencil.

Almost 30 years old.

I finished reading Persephone Station a few days ago. Just phenomenal. Immersive prose, twisty plot, magnetic characters, and crisp action. Loved it.

A photo from NASA's Curiosity rover showing a desert landscape with rough, rocky terrain in the foreground, dunes at the base of a hill in the background, along with a relatively small, layered hillock of sandstone.

A photo from NASA's Perseverance rover of a desert landscape with flat, rocky terrain in the foreground, a gentle slope in the background, with rover tracks leading the rover's current position, where one of its antennas can be seen in the lower right corner of the frame.

A photo from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter with a shallow crater seen from above and parallel lines of small dunes within it. Other, smaller craters dot the landscape as well.

A day on Mars.

May 22 was an ordinary day on the Red Planet, but three of NASA's five active missions snapped striking images of its desert landscapes:
- Gale Crater from Curiosity
- Outside Jezero Crater from Perseverance
- Dunes in a smaller crater inside Williams Crater from MRO

Repeated verbs. When they repeat too often, there’s an issue with action and the scene needs at least a partial rewrite—just swapping out one verb for another only solves the issue on a surface level.

“Sure, readers want to add 1+1 on their own, but never underestimate their ability to become confused.”

French poster for Masaki Kobayashi's film Harakiri. It features a silhouetted samurai, his lower body covered in a trailing splash of blood. Up top, "Harakiri" is written in stick letters.

Just finished a new #sci-fi novel, The Harakiri Code. Tight 82k words. The story's a homage to Akira Kurosawa and Japanese period dramas more broadly. Playing with a quick pitch:

In a world scarred by war, a retired warrior searches for purpose beyond violence. But death is not done with her yet.

I gotcha. His name’s Djokovic. Psychopath with carte blanche governmental power. Inverse of Wick. In space. 👍

If you see this, quote with an anime you'd give a 10/10

This is insanely cool.

French poster for Masaki Kobayashi's film Harakiri. It features a silhouetted samurai, his lower body covered in a trailing splash of blood. Up top, "Harakiri" is written in stick letters.

Just finished a new #sci-fi novel, The Harakiri Code. Tight 82k words. The story's a homage to Akira Kurosawa and Japanese period dramas more broadly. Playing with a quick pitch:

In a world scarred by war, a retired warrior searches for purpose beyond violence. But death is not done with her yet.

15!? Jeez. In 400 pages of my latest WIP, I think I’ve got 3-4 paragraphs, two scenes for wardrobe. Both help build the world too.

Some of this is of course very subjective—but that’s kind of the point. An interesting look behind the curtain with some good insights into slush reading.

Is there an excerpt available somewhere? I’d *love* to give this one a look! Also, I only found the ebook. Is there a print edition? Thanks! 🙏

Bad dog. #Superman

#SmallPitch is in 3 weeks! A few reminders and news about this upcoming session.

- Like last time, authors will submit pitches via a Google Form (July 7-8).
- New: you will be able to receive a copy of your submitted pitches via email for your records.
- This session is for all unagented authors.

Random reminder that I curate the Secret SciFi Network, a collection of hard core science fiction creators, reviewers, and consumers.

If that sounds like you or someone you know, comment below and I'll happily fill this puppy up.
#BookSky 📚🪐

bsky.app/starter-pack...

I’d love an add. This list looks fantastic. Thanks 🙏

A good twist’s seeded. Those seeds keep the reader reading, and the twist should answer questions they have, but in an unexpected way. At least, that’s my understanding 🤷‍♂️