sums up what's happening accurately

you cannot be serious!

yes. War is failure to get along.

a show of my youth

Writing problem of the day: 1st person character alone, doing an investigation. First draft had 8 consecutive paragraphs starting with "I". A lot of paragraph rearrangement needed.

Writing disaster averted this morning : having a character smell something through a closed airlock. Er... no. It wouldn't be airtight then, and would've killed everybody on board the moment the shuttle got into vacuum. Try again.

THIS. Did you know sickle cell is curable, now? FULLY curable. If you're feeling down or despairing about what FEELS like technology/advancement/science "standing still" or being fully malicious, I have great news: You're not paying attention to actual science. Just tech industry marketing.

I don't know how many times it needs to be said that you absolutely should not let fucking "AI" anywhere near your legal contracts, either in creating them or evaluating them, but apparently it needs to be said at least one more time, so allow me to say it again, here, right now

oh FFS

INCIDENTALLY for those who don't know--Yes, Ancillary Justice WAS optioned and WAS greenlit and there were scripts and concept art and talks with actors and then...the streamer decided not to do it. Yes, I was a bit miffed. But the experience of meeting folks and learning things was amazing.

Murderbot is checking the perimeter. Ilya and Shane are going to the cottage. Even in the darkest times, our imaginations create places for love and safety.

Fascinating. I'd never have thought of looking there for data.

Heh.

oh FFS. The whole "celebrities" writing books thing infuriates me to start with. If it had been anyone else they'd have been instantly dropped.

Every time there's a breaking story about a celeb's treatment of women, everyone in the book world asks, "Is it finally Walliams?" Well, it finally is.

In case you haven't already seen posts about this horror show of a publishing contract. The commentary here and in other threads is an tutorial in spotting red flags, and this sort of deal is something no author should EVER sign.

Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.

And the hero who disarmed one of the Bondi gun men is Ahmed al Ahmed, a fruit shop owner, who took two bullets in the arm for his trouble. Absolute legend. Glad I got to see that at the end of a rough night. Tomorrow's going to be a tough one in Australia.

Here is a bit of my resignation speech from last night

as a hopepunk writer myself, I really hope so

The fact is no presenter has ever had to leave the BBC for expressing conservative views, or even explicitly endorsing a right-wing party. Was never a problem for Jeremy Clarkson. Was never a problem for Andrew Neil. Was never a problem for Alan Sugar

I have started writing the new novel and have already finished chapter 1. 1500 words. I'm discovering again how joyous creating is.

is the price going to be less then?

It's not even Christmas and I'm deep into arranging next year's outings. Just checked the wording for the Portsmouth Bookfest workshop I'll be doing in February 2026, and have already filled in the programme form for next Eastercon. Can I have a rest now?

chapter plan for new novel completed. Started writing chapter one. It's about five years since I've written a completely new novel (I've written 8 novellas instead) so am having to adjust to the different pacing again.

I have reached the stage in my story planning where I have to choreograph the conflict. This is the thing I find hardest to do. Somebody remind me why I chose to write action/adventure stories

The point about Farage saying and doing racist shit as a schoolboy is, of course, to establish intent. If he hadn't been racist as a child, you could entertain the notion that his current behaviour was hapless, or at worst performative, and didn't reflect his sincere beliefs.

The Women's Institute has been forced into excluding trans women too "Not doing so would leave us at risk of costly legal challenge and potential regulatory action from the Charity Commission. We have a public duty to ensure our charity is not in breach of the law." www.thewi.org.uk/media-centre...

Got to that place in the chapter plan where I have to start setting up the big conflict at the end of the book. Choreographing fights is my least favourite thing. I always need to go over the Supreme Ordeal two or three times before it's right.

chapter plan has got to chapter 42. Now gearing up for the Plot Point 2 reveal. This project has been sloshing around for two years without me getting a handle on the plot. Suddenly, it's revealed itself. Creativity truly is magic.

Most creative industries run on a business model that demands creatives constantly feed it with pitched ideas or free work on spec, but offers them no long-term employment or financial security. These industries are *subsidized* by the other work artists are forced to take on to support themselves.

Handing back student work that’s been written by ChatGPT with a 0 followed by the comment “This essay will never stand in authentic wonder before the Beauty of God’s creation.”

Art is an act of hope. Writing is an act of rebellion. The world will always need more stories--from real human beings, not bullshit plagiarism machines. Every book is a love story from the author, and every reader is fighting the war against cruelty, ignorance, and hopelessness. We are fighting.

so i'm not the only one who smears butter down my well read books then?

Struggling to plan out new novel series. Note to self: don't try to pluck creative ideas out of nowhere when you have the worst cold of the year. My brain does nor want to play.

The one thing the useless incompetent Boris Johnson clung on to for his failed premiership was the UK’s Covid response. Turns out he killed 20,000 people.

NEW: A risk assessment found that leading general-use chatbots — ChatGPT, Gemini, Meta AI, and Claude — are "fundamentally unsafe" for teen mental health support, failing to catch important red flags and responding inappropriately to users exhibiting signs of crisis. futurism.com/artificial-i...

Watching Inside Museums from the Kelvingrove in Glasgow. Reminds me of being there last year for Worldcon.

So this morning I get an urgent email for a same day cardiology appointment at my local treatment centre. I was surprised (and alarmed) but fine. I moved things around and went there a few minutes ago. Only there was no real appointment. The receptionist said I wasn't supposed to receive any 1/

My 11-year-old subscribes to Teen Vogue and reads the newsletters almost daily. It's been a reliable source of news for her, and fodder for thoughtful dinner table discussions. Now, it will serve a new role in our house--as an opportunity to learn about boycotting companies that let us down.

These meetings underscore how much hard work, time and focus volunteer committees put in to keep SF&F fan organisations thriving. It's important to recognise that, and to publicly thank them.

See @jstpwalsh.bsky.social thread for a more detailed overview and significance of this ongoing off-world human presence here 👇

only downside of World Fantasy Con is listening to all these trad pubbed authors. No discussion of self publishing as a valid alternative.

Observations from World Fantasy Con: 1. intergenerational, from kids to 80+ adults 2. Inclusive. lots of panels about queer and older representation 3. polite. very busy, but people move out of the way in crowded hallways, wait patiently to get into and out of rooms. A change from everyday

All ready for day three of World Fantasy Con.

Last night's panel went very well. Already had two people today tell me that it was great.

Obligatory mirror selfie. All dressed up to moderate my panel at @worldfantasy2025.bsky.social

Brilliant!

Forgot it was half term. Easy but noisy journey to @worldfantasy2025.bsky.social hotel. Just dropped off my books to sell and sold two the moment they were put out. Makes up for the stressy travelling. And my suitcase will be lighter on the way back.