Nathan Lowell (he/him)

Professional teller of tales

I write the books I want to read but can't find.

he/him

#selfpublishing #sff #dailyhaikuprompt #bookstodon #fountainpens

What Am I Reading Now:: Tim Rangnow: Rim Jumper series
Link Tree: https://bio.link/nlowell
Opinions on Writing: https://farkascity.org/nlowell/table-of-contents
Website: https://nathanlowell.com

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nlowell_at_zirk.us@momostr.pink

Profile Code

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relay.momostr.pink

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Last Notes

2024-11-07 18:30:04

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Loved this book.
Great characters and some excellent, deep world building.

2024-10-16 12:34:59

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
The morning's reading is about healing wounds w/a focus on those inflicted on us by others.
The harder ones to heal are those we inflict on ourselves.
Once I let go of the external hurts, I'm faced with all the things I've done to myself. The lies I've told me.
My therapist once asked, "If somebody else said that to you, would you believe it? Accept it?"
"Probably" wasn't the answer she expected.
Please don't believe everything you think #today

2024-09-25 12:15:49

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I did. Even met Joe Haldeman and his wife at the Nebulas a few years ago. It's a powerful work.
My service during that period was more involved with the "Lobster War" off Cape Cod and standing radio watch at Kodiak.
I never got close to the pointy end of the spear.

2024-09-20 11:44:01

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
Things to do. People to meet. Places to be.
Not my usual day.
Might be nice to break up the routine a little.
An unexpected boon yesterday enabled some positive changes this morning. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all works out.
Perhaps the wave will toss me or maybe I'll ride it all the way to the beach but either way, looks like surf's up and I need to get paddling.
I hope you ride your waves #today

2024-09-19 19:36:23

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I have an app for that with time stamps to wave them in my face.
I'm scheduled through December. 🤪

2024-09-19 14:05:50

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Hoping the weather is fine? 🤪

2024-09-19 12:29:01

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I hate that game.
My wife plays it with me all the time and 90% of the time, I don't smell anything and have to wonder "Is it ME?"
Usually, yes, but not because I'm the source. My olfactory sense appears to be close to non-existent compared to her bloodhound-level genes.
She knows this and continues to plague me.
Good luck with your "treasure" hunt. 🤪

2024-09-18 11:48:28

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
This morning's reading on loneliness made me smile. It's a subject I've pondered off and on my whole life.
I'm an introvert although my therapist said I'm more "ambivert." One who becomes extroverted in certain contexts while introverted in others.
I'm often most comfortable alone, even in a crowd.
Perhaps that's why these early morning moments before the family wakes feel so peaceful.
I hope your day brings you at least a few moments of peace #today

2024-09-17 12:31:34

marking the harvest
climbing into autumn skies
bright corn moon rising
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-16 12:52:59

summer's bright farewell
golden queen of fall flowers
chrysanthemums bloom
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-16 12:52:49

A new day. Another chance to succeed.
I'm not sure what to do with myself this morning.
I can't remember the last time I got nine hours of sleep in a single night. Too many early mornings caught up with me last night.
I don't feel any better. A bit groggy, tbh. My arthritis doesn't like it.
But I have to believe this tired old body knows best and I'd be well advised to believe it and move on.
I hope you get some good advice in your life #today

2024-09-15 11:07:53

no summer freshet
harbinger of season's change
first storm of autumn
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-14 11:41:55

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
I woke with a nightmare hangover. Not from drinking last night. From the nightmare that woke me this morning.
It's been a while but it's a theme I recognize. Almost like an old, somewhat obnoxious, friend.
Terrible way to start the day but, like most of life, I don't have much choice. Going back to sleep is not an option. Getting jolted awake took care of that.
I can do laundry today. That calms me.
I hope you find an island of calm #today

2024-09-13 10:52:26

golden pampas grass
feathered stalks among the green
waving in the breeze
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-12 10:42:07

sparrows in the grass
blending in the browning stalks
dun gleaners feeding
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-12 10:38:41

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
Another early morning here. The calm before the day's storm.
Some tasks today. A repair or two. I'll probably need to set bread to rise in the fridge tonight.
Mostly it's a day to go with the flow.
When I think about it, they all are.
I'm much less stressed with this "surf" word of the year than last year. Maybe not having a success or failure state, having a more in the moment mind makes a difference.
I hope you're able to go with your flow #today

2024-09-11 12:47:43

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We had a service for a few months but it drove my spouse crazy having to clean the place up before they arrived so they wouldn't see what slobs we are.
I wish I were joking.

2024-09-11 11:00:09

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
Early morning. Quiet house. Brain still pushing away the strange dreams that woke me. A liminal space between awake and asleep.
I accomplished more than I planned yesterday but less than I might have.
At this point, I'm happy with what I managed to do. It was enough to get me to this morning.
There's little point to regretting what I haven't done. The weight of a lifetime of those sins would crush me.
Please forgive yourself and move on #today

2024-09-10 13:52:50

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What is this "break" of which you speak? 🤪

2024-09-10 12:48:51

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Yeah. The chicken-egg metaphor made that clear.
What hangs me up is the idea that there are two things to reconcile to begin with.

2024-09-10 12:03:50

cool day fades away
autumn dusk falls quietly
creeping from the east
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-10 11:58:49

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
I'm always puzzled by the "meaning of life." It came up in my reading this morning.
Like there's some kind of reason I'm breathing and I'm supposed to figure it out?
It's not enough that I'm here? Sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding.
Just trying to make it to tomorrow again.
Why would there be some kind of meaning? Some deep, ineffable truth I'm supposed to find?
I don't get it.
I hope you find what you're looking for #today

2024-09-09 10:49:12

willow leaves swaying
still green in autumn's breezes
grasses turn to gold
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-09-07 14:47:41

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Congrats. A big accomplishment!

2024-09-07 13:41:03

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I like this. Thanks.

2024-09-06 11:57:50

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
This morning's reading caught that first thing in the morning feeling when everything is quiet, dark, and filled with potential.
Reverence.
It's not the immediate feeling of crawling out of bed. Rising rituals must be observed. Cat must be fed. A pen on paper notation. A reset of the screens and zeroing out yesterday's books.
But then it comes, the moment when I look for the one small, positive thought to share.
May your morning have such a moment #today

2024-09-05 15:26:09

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I wanted to go All Linux for years but my games ... :(
I've been all-in for about a year now.
Proton is - literally - a game changer. 😆

2024-09-05 15:20:55

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Some of the older games work best with older versions of Proton but most of the games I play work perfectly well right out of the box.
It really opens the doors to a huge library of games.

2024-09-05 15:18:02

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Who could have predicted...?
Certainly a mystery for the ages. 😑

2024-09-05 14:55:49

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Got an example?
Yeah. "Pure exposure" isn't going to foster even very much interaction, let along engagement.
As for discussion, there have to be other people there who can participate and posts that encourage the same.
Very few posts are like that, even here.
And how many people have an understanding of architecture deep enough to even recognize the names (let alone the differences) between Wright and Corbusier? 🤔

2024-09-05 00:21:29

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I'm glad you be with us as we try to unfuck it. ❤️

2024-08-31 14:01:30

in their multitudes
sardines roil ocean's waters
each one so tiny
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-30 17:37:17

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Thanks. Snarfed a sample.

2024-08-30 17:22:23

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I think he's getting a little tired. I just noticed he's started a fantasy series.
I see it as "comfort read" but "popcorn" works, too.
The running gags get to be a little stale ("Put a hat on") but I'll still drop $3 on him for the next one unless I get overwhelmed with new authors that I can't put down.
It's cheap entertainment for an afternoon. :D

2024-08-30 17:15:16

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As many as it needs.
I've hit the "Are we doing this again?" on the 3rd occasionally.
It took me a while to realize that one author's books looked like cut and paste jobs with the names and setting details changed arranged in a different order. I think book 6. (I won't say who. A big name Trad Pupper)
I'm happily reading Jerry Boyd's series and eagerly awaiting book 51
Not to say I haven't pulled the plug on a series. Just never because of the number of books.

2024-08-30 17:05:03

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According to Tineye
The typewriter alone is a stock image used thousands of times since 2014
The composition with those words shows up first on Medium in 2021 with a url at the bottom.
https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:480/1*yOcwaYl2Q98O-EMZUJolmg.jpeg
https://katieroseguestpryal.com/

2024-08-30 16:03:18

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I would watch the hell out of that channel.

2024-08-30 12:11:37

port and perfect pear
bit of stilton on the side
sweet contemplation
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-30 11:58:49

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Thanks

2024-08-29 17:59:41

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Yeah. I'm building my framework up based on what I want to see.

2024-08-29 17:50:17

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this is *so* close to working
but the header and page-to-page navigation doesn't resolve correctly.
https://nathanlowell.com/view/

2024-08-29 13:27:35

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Ugh.
This is all in the top, left, front.
The first 10 minutes will be the worst.
I've spent worse mornings. 🤪

2024-08-29 13:23:35

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I could. I've resisted because my opportunities to listen are few and far between these days. I'd hate to get 3hrs into a 10hr story...
🤪
I go every 4 months for cleaning. 30-40 minutes each time. It's doable.
I like my dental team. They're all wonderful to work with. Trust goes a long way to alleviating the stress.

2024-08-29 13:16:10

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I have hearing aids that let me listen to audio while still hearing the "outside world."
An audiobook is a good idea.
I'll probably just listen to the morning public radio programming. Maybe pick up a podcast or two

2024-08-29 11:55:38

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
The postponed dental appointment from a couple of weeks back comes back to haunt me today.
I'm blessed with a good dentist and sufficient means to cover the financial burden. It wasn't always the case and that trauma will probably never leave.
It'll be unpleasant as much for the boredom of having to sit still for 3 hours as much as the drilling.
I'm treating myself to goblin mode this afternoon.
I hope you have something good to look forward to #today

2024-08-28 17:34:02

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I've been trying to make Zola work. I *had* it working until I tried to deploy it and then the logo graphic in the header failed.
There's something I'm missing.
Do you host on Github or just store your pages there?

2024-08-28 12:15:11

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
Another day without demands except the ones I place on myself.
I have a coding problem that's driving me today. I almost said "crazy" but frustration isn't crazy. It's the normal response to a seemingly intractable problem.
It's an itch I can't stop scratching.
Time to scrap it all, go back to basics, and rebuild, but starting with more information than I had the last time.
I think I've been here before.
I hope your iterations go smoothly #today

2024-08-27 10:57:02

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ahhh, good times.
my thanks to both of you.

2024-08-27 02:15:00

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Peanut butter (especially Addams or any other "just peanut butter with maybe a bit of salt) is my snacking friend.
There's enough protein in it to temper the carb spike.

2024-08-27 01:20:46

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Same.

2024-08-26 15:15:03

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I found the node v20 and installed that. Not sure why Mint is still on 12 but wev. :D
FWIW I like what I see in 11th

2024-08-26 13:49:39

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Yeah. Some days are like that.

2024-08-26 11:32:20

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I'm currently enjoying Way of the Wielder by @npub12ft…9lty
Before that I finished off P D Ball's Princess Cayce fantasy series.
Before that most of Tim Rangnow's Rim Jumper pulpy SF series. I still have a few books to go on that one.

2024-08-26 11:25:29

fields filled with hay bales
hills painted in bright fall colors
harvest time arrives
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-26 11:25:15

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
Gah! This day has so many moving parts. Things that need careful timing for them all to fit.
I have the oven heating so I can bake bread before the sun gets up. Family support functions. Refill the larder.
All in addition to the things I want to accomplish today just for me.
The morning reading reminded me about the importance of caring for my own health and well-being.
In the banquet of life, I'm not the dessert.
I hope you eat dessert first #today

2024-08-25 16:02:30

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I'll need to find the right release of node.js. Mint distributes 12. :/

2024-08-25 13:19:59

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Thanks!
I'm settling in with Zola but haven't done more than mock up a few pages to see how it works.
I'll look into it.

2024-08-25 12:11:29

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
A day to practice my metaphorical surfing.
It always seems to happen when life has started to click into place. You're toodling along nicely and get smacked in the face with a dead trout.
Of course, it's all in the perception. I have no reason to think "Well, things are going in my favor. Nary a trout in sight" when life rolls along.
And when things are rough to begin with, a sudden, dead fish makes little impact.
I hope your day is fish free #today

2024-08-24 14:38:48

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Oh! I loved Woodspell!!
I'm going to have to put these books into rotation.
Thanks for the reminder.
Good luck with being wide.

2024-08-24 12:17:13

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There's a reason there are 9million variations on Solitaire.

2024-08-24 12:14:03

yellow aspen leaves
red leaves among the maples
autumn's colors spread
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-23 11:58:48

threadbare and alone
nothing left but scraps and sticks
forgotten scarecrow
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-23 11:54:56

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
Sunrise in 40 minutes.
I'm feeling the minutes slip away and getting anxious about getting out for my morning walk before the day gets away.
The day is long enough.
Sure, I'll struggle with the lessons I'll learn, the tasks I'll do badly a couple of times before finding the right solutions.
Maybe more than a couple of times.
But I'm really looking forward to the challenges.
After breakfast, maybe.
I hope you beat a challenge or two #today

2024-08-22 12:54:18

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Thanks for this one.

2024-08-22 12:52:20

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Liberation Serif for body and Liberation Sans for headings. (They work well enough with my editor's Times New Roman default)
I can't control what the reader will see on their device so it really doesn't matter. I picked two faces in the same family.
For print, where I do have some control, I tend use the default although Bookman lays down well on the page for me.

2024-08-22 12:27:53

full moon at midnight
painting the forest silver
racing through the clouds
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-22 12:20:42

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
The sun will be up in a few minutes.
Sunrise is my touchstone.
It centers me in an odd way. The same way noting the moon's phase does when I envision the geometry that puts the last quarter moon due south at dawn. That the full moon rises at sunset and sets at sunrise.
With so much in flux, I take comfort in knowing the sun will rise, the earth will spin, and the moon is up there somewhere.
I hope you feel part of something larger than yourself #today

2024-08-21 12:53:37

a hard rain falling
soaked to the skin and grinning
splashing through puddles
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-20 16:39:50

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I can't decide which is worse.
Cold? Or Warm.

2024-08-20 16:36:58

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I'll look at it again.

2024-08-19 18:35:27

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My market niche consists of heavy readers in a couple of fairly narrow niches.
I don't use crowdfunding because it takes sales away from open publication, reducing visibility of my work in the marketplace.
While I understand the pull of "keeping more of the money" I am not willing to sink the additional effort into an activity that actively hurts my sales.

2024-08-19 12:17:41

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
My moment of quiet contemplation this morning has been invaded by brain weasels intent on keeping me busy chasing them down.
It would be easy to label this as weakness. A failure of something. A lack of something.
Not what I should be doing.
Meh.
Who says?
The sun is just peeking over the horizon. The day has only barely started. There's time enough in the day for me to take a few moments.
I hope you find a few moments for yourself #today

2024-08-18 20:19:17

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Some excellent points, particularly about the misapplication (misappropriation?) of Stoic philosophy.
The original idea behind Stoicism (if I understand it correctly and which the article states) involves accepting and understanding emotions, learning to deal with them instead of walling them off.
The goal is striving for the 4 pillars of Stoicism: wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice.
Not achieving them but working toward them.
JMO. YMMV.

2024-08-18 14:37:35

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I've been thinking a lot about this piece.
While inspiration resists organization (almost by definition), the opportunities that might court it ...?
I've always said "If I'm not writing, it's because I'm not reading."
I set aside time every day to read, to play games, to unplug and get outside. Part of that is to give my wetware a chance to recover.
But it also opens the door to inspiration, even if it doesn't guarantee it.

2024-08-18 14:29:23

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Agreed.
The "composition that pleases us" carries a lot of water.

2024-08-18 13:18:38

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7:18 AM

2024-08-18 13:16:05

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Everything Trump says is a lie, usually painting himself as a relevant actor.
Why would this be any different?

2024-08-18 12:58:19

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#today collects a bunch of people who post in various modes from a daily post in the morning to the odd happenings that happened and pictures they just took.

2024-08-18 12:51:01

owl asks the question
grasshopper says katydid
crickets in the dark
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-18 12:39:24

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
The morning's reading about living an organized life has me pondering.
It talks about the importance of organizing life's details, which I agree with, but demands they all be in order, which I don't.
Sparks of inspiration happen when they will, though I'd love to schedule them.
Serendipity adds spice to a dull stew of days.
But maybe I'm applying too strict a rule to organization.
I hope you find the right level of organization in your day #today

2024-08-18 01:09:27

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Yes.
Not very.
I include them for those who do and to, maybe, pique the curiosity of those who don't.

2024-08-17 14:26:28

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The first - often most difficult - task in solving one is understanding what - exactly - it is. 🤪

2024-08-17 13:02:21

stone wrapped in sunshine
golden flesh in fuzzy skins
peaches store summer
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-17 12:54:00

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
I've been struggling with writing for months. Beating my head against a story that wouldn't gel. Throwing words against the page.
"Write every day" only works until it becomes work instead of joy.
I thought I might get more books written if I focused on that.
I tried it for a time but that was never my process. Never the way I found joy in creation.
All this time, I thought the problem was the story.
I hope you work on the right problem #today

2024-08-16 00:34:21

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Take the win 🤪

2024-08-15 19:55:55

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Almost always private, but one time - long ago - I did NaNoWriMo in an open GoogleDoc so people could see the story develop in real time like some latter day Harlan Ellison in the store window - or at least check in periodically to see how the story was coming.

2024-08-15 19:37:55

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Adequate to "field quality" work. It's no Rode, but it's adequate to purpose.
This morning's post is here if you want to hear what it sounds like for yourself.
https://www.nathanlowell.com/tommw/podcast/day-2507-progress/
The problem is finding something that works well in the "studio" as well as outside where there are added complications of recording, wind noise, etc.
My elder offspring uses Blue Yeti for their YouTube work and found the Blue Snowball to be a bit tinny.

2024-08-15 17:22:43

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For a straight up mic, Shure SM58 is pretty popular as are the Blue Snowball and Blue Yeti.
When I was doing audio recording, I used a Rode NT1A XLR coupled with a Zoom H4 recorder, but that was a long time ago.
Now, I just use a cheap off-brand lapel mic that plugs into my phone and use the voice recorder app for my (somewhat) daily podcast, that I record while I'm walking around the neighborhood.

2024-08-15 14:14:04

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Oh, man. I feel this so much.
Hang in there.

2024-08-15 13:56:59

Pro-tip: Every artist is a startup business, whether they accept it or not.
Some fund their art by taking other work so they can continue to eat while creating their art.
Some lucky few manage to earn enough to make their art self-sufficient.
Very few can support themselves on the profits.
While most startups fail, the artist has an advantage. The only way they fail is if they quit.
Or die with art still in them.
Most artists - eventually - fail.
#SelfPublishing #WritingCommunity

2024-08-15 11:16:24

summer's fading light
growing dimmer every day
still gives me sunburn
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-15 11:12:40

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
Some chores. A few to-do's. Nothing major on the horizon this morning.
Unless a storm blows up, my surfing today should be quiet. Routine. Perhaps boring but a good chance to practice technique. To build resilience and muscle memory.
A cool morning. Still and dark.
My favorite time of day.
A time to take a few minutes to breathe. To imagine what the day might bring if anything were possible.
Then do it.
I hope you're able to do something good #today

2024-08-15 01:44:21

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Nice Jinhao!
I don't know that I could write a draft long hand and still be able to read it afterwards. Even after six months of handwriting drills, I'm barely out of the hen scratching phase.
After 50 years on the keyboard, I find it much harder to write letters on the page than I do typing whole paragraphs.
I'm envious of that skill, but not enough to do the work to acquire it. 🤪

2024-08-14 14:32:37

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I need the find the people I don't know yet but might like to.
So far, the one I have seems to be working pretty well. 🤪

2024-08-14 14:16:09

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Good luck and best wishes on the outcomes.
At 52 I published my first novel.
Never too late, unless your WIP becomes RIP. 🤪

2024-08-14 12:11:45

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I feel this.
I don't have any answers either.

2024-08-14 11:31:44

seasons clash above
green clouds pouring cold rain down
autumn thunder roars
#DailyHaikuPrompt

2024-08-14 11:18:28

A new day. A new chance to succeed.
I feel oddly calm this morning.
I spent most of the day yesterday drifting along with the flow. Not making any significant effort. Waiting for the seeds I've planted to grow.
I have a busy day ahead, if I'm reading the signs and portents correctly.
In addition to the normal chores, a large, long term project might get its final sign off. A tedious and frustrating process should reach a final resolution.
I hope your day is filled with resolutions #today

2024-08-13 14:35:38

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Same.
A year and half of the New Day posts and the daily haiku.
Makes me appreciate that some days aren't going to be great but every once in a while I manage to do something good with the day.
And that those are enough.

2024-08-13 11:41:01

humble potato
food for rich and poor alike
gift from the Andes
#DailyHaikuPrompt