The word "trivia" comes from the Latin word "trivium," which referred to the three-way intersection of roads in ancient Rome. #etymology

The word "book" comes from the Old English word "boc," which originally meant "beech tree." #etymology

"Lonely" made its debut in Shakespeare's Coriolanus. #etymology

"Kaleidoscope" comes from Greek "kalos" (beautiful) + "eidos" (form) + "skopos" (watcher). #etymology

“The future is there... looking back at us. Trying to make sense of the fiction we will have become.” -William Gibson

"He who studies old books will always find in them something new, and he who reads new books will always find in them something old." —from The Coming Race by Edward Bulwer-Lytton

🧐 The Surprising Power of Letting Myself Be Silly 😜 I did a guest post on Jennifer L. Gadd's blog about my new book: We've Come for Your Eggs. Check it out: jenniferlgadd.wordpress.com/2025/10/29/g... Thanks @jenniferlgadd.bsky.social 🤩

What's your favorite book cover design, and why? (Share an image) #writingcommunity

Book Broker — An interview with Bonnie Nadell "Simplicity and clarity are two of the hardest things to achieve for any writer but the best books always have it." darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b... #amquerying #mswl

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” —from The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hero's Journey Versus Three-Act Structure "The hero's journey can be a bit daunting, but when we superimpose the terms of three-act-structure on it, it becomes a lot more familiar." darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/t... #writingcommunity

Story Skeleton: The Picture of Dorian Gray "Tragic climaxes typically end in catastrophe: the final consequence of the protagonist’s fatal flaw." darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/d... #writingcommunity

“Average” comes from French avarie (“damage at sea”), from Arabic ʿawār (“defect, damaged goods”). The mathematical sense arose from dividing the shared loss among merchants—literally spreading the damage. #etymology

"Silhouette" is named after Etienne de Silhouette, a French finance minister known for his frugality. People started calling cheap, black cutout portraits "silhouettes" as a joke. #etymology

👻📚

"Fiasco" comes from Italian theatre slang far fiasco—“to make a bottle,” meaning a performance that bombs. #etymology

Been warned against using a prologue? I often issue that warning. But prologues do have a place in some stories, if they're done well. Several different types of prologues are reviewed here, along with examples of effective ones, from @marykabiaggio.bsky.social.

"We miss so much out of life if we don't love. The more we love the richer life is—even if it is only some little furry or feathery pet." —from Rainbow Valley by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Book Broker—an interview with Eric Myers "Nonfiction these days demands a strong author platform." darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/b... #amquerying #mswl

The Long Game: Writing a Mystery Series While most agents and publishers want a first book to stand alone, it’s a bonus if your mystery novel (or any novel) has series potential. darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/m... #writingcommunity #writerslife #booksky

The First Page Challenge 2025—3rd place CITY by Andrew Riddles "The bronchial whining of the elevator always reminds Jonathan of the night he accidentally murdered his father." darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/f... #writingcommunity #writingcontest #booksky

"Ostracize" has a pottery past. Ancient Athenians voted to banish people by writing names on potsherds called "ostraka." #etymology

"Graffiti" comes from Italian "graffiato," meaning "scratched." Ancient graffiti was often scratched into walls. #etymology

What's the difference between vanity publishing and hybrid publishing? How can you find a "good" hybrid publisher? These questions are not straightforward to answer. If you're considering any kind of paid publishing arrangement, hybrid or otherwise, I encourage you to read this Q&A with David Wilk

The First Page Challenge 2025—2nd place CLOUDIA WITH A CHANCE OF DARKNESS by Melissa Grant "It was her 11th birthday, and the sky had the nerve to be blue." darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/f... #writingcommunity #writingcontest #booksky

The First Page Challenge 2025—3rd place CITY by Andrew Riddles "The bronchial whining of the elevator always reminds Jonathan of the night he accidentally murdered his father." darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/f... #writingcommunity #writingcontest #booksky

What drives tension isn't merely risk; it's risk in the face of potential failure—the protagonist *must* take this risk because they have a goal (a need!) that is bigger than the possibility of defeat. #writingtip

The First Page Challenge 2025—1st place INFINITY LAND by Mark Daniel Taylor "Long time lurker, first time poster." Congrats, Mark!! darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/f... #writingcommunity @katamazov.bsky.social

The First Page Challenge 2025—2nd place CLOUDIA WITH A CHANCE OF DARKNESS by Melissa Grant "It was her 11th birthday, and the sky had the nerve to be blue." darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/f... #writingcommunity #writingcontest #booksky

Still getting over the fact that I've won first prize in the @darlingaxe.com First Page Challenge 2025! Thank you so much to David G. Brown and Michelle Barker for seeing something in the first page of my novel, INFINITY LAND. And congratulations to the other nominees and finalists! ♥️♥️♥️♥️

People seek out life coaches for many reasons, but one theme is ever-present: people strive to achieve a goal but are trapped in a cage of their own patterns, until they gain an insight that sets them free. Learn how to use the toolkit of a life coach for fiction character building.

Contest results are in!!

Coming to your very own brain theatre... tomorrow!!! We’ve Come For Your Eggs is a comic fantasy adventure equal parts Dungeons & Dragons romp and razor-sharp satire, lampooning the US-Canada trade war and a few infamous celebrities along the way.

The First Page Challenge 2025—1st place INFINITY LAND by Mark Daniel Taylor "Long time lurker, first time poster." Congrats, Mark!! darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/f... #writingcommunity @katamazov.bsky.social

Tragedy and Comedy: The Two Faces of Story Structure If the protagonist is going to succeed, then you want to bring them closer and closer to failure. If they are going to fail, you want to bring them closer and closer to victory. darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/t... #writingcommunity #booksky

This one is wonderful. From darlingaxe.com

One of my favorite things is when a piece I write takes on a new life in someone else’s hands. Tiffany Graham Charkosky read my 2022 article describing the types of memoirists who land book deals & found a new way to look at her journey. Her memoir releases today: janefriedman.com/all-others-t...

Recently I taught a class that discussed hybrid publishing, and it made me realize that some writers believe paying a hybrid will relieve them of marketing and promoting their book. Unhappy wake-up call: it doesn't matter how you publish. You still have to market and promote if you want sales.

“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say "It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem." Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.” -Fred Rogers

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." —from Animal Farm by George Orwell

No Kings #Caturday ❤️

A practical look at how authors and illustrators can avoid burnout and bad contracts in publishing, by @mandacomisari.bsky.social.

“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” -Aristotle

We’ve Come For Your Eggs is a comic fantasy adventure equal parts Dungeons & Dragons romp and razor-sharp satire, lampooning the US-Canada trade war and a few infamous celebrities along the way. Book launch: Oct 23 Kindle pre-orders are live 🐲 mybook.to/dragoneggs

"Damn right," he behemothed hoarsely.

"I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend." —from The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien

"Bungalow" comes from the Hindi "bangla," meaning "belonging to Bengal." #etymology

The word "puzzle" comes from the Old French word "pusle," which meant "bewilderment." #etymology

"Trivial" comes from Latin "trivium," meaning "crossroads." It originally referred to common, everyday matters discussed at crossroads. #etymology

Tragedy and Comedy: The Two Faces of Story Structure If the protagonist is going to succeed, then you want to bring them closer and closer to failure. If they are going to fail, you want to bring them closer and closer to victory. darlingaxe.com/blogs/news/t... #writingcommunity #booksky