For writers, voice matters—enormously—for a story's success. But it's an elusive thing to teach someone. What makes it powerful or intriguing or distinct? And if it’s too strong or distinctive, might it not draw attention to itself? @tiffanyyatesmartin.bsky.social advises.

“Reality is not simply there. It has to be searched for and won.” —Celan #amwriting #sci-fi

I’m feeling uncharacteristically optimistic today. Anyone up for a beta read? I just started a dystopian hopepunk novel, and I could use a read on the first twenty or so pages. I’ve already received some enthusiastic feedback, but the more the merrier! #amwriting #writingcommunity #sci-fi

I’m feeling uncharacteristically optimistic today. Anyone up for a beta read? I just started a dystopian hopepunk novel, and I could use a read on the first twenty or so pages. I’ve already received some enthusiastic feedback, but the more the merrier! #amwriting #writingcommunity #sci-fi

Shadow Warrior. George Lucas helped this film 🎥 by Kurosawa get made. The “kagemusha” or shadow warrior is an impersonator or imposter. I’ll leave it up to you to figure out what that might mean in a Star Wars context—Filoni’s no dope.

Shadow Warrior. George Lucas helped this film 🎥 by Kurosawa get made. The “kagemusha” or shadow warrior is an impersonator or imposter. I’ll leave it up to you to figure out what that might mean in a Star Wars context—Filoni’s no dope.

Time optimal, constant acceleration trajectories for low thrust spacecraft, such as between the asteroid belt and Earth, solved using a 'G&CNET' neural model: youtu.be/XdpqDP_hY4k This is work from the @esa.int Advanced Concepts Team.

More Razorback 🤩

Love this one! Yes, planned but not micromanaged. The characters reveal details along the way, e.g., in Bullets for Bushido the protagonist and antagonist are inverted foils: the outlaw fights for justice, the lawman is corrupt. But by page 40 I saw that the lawman was a psychopath. Not planned 😬

The best fight scene I’ve read is in The Expanse series, when Bobbie and Amos duke it out. And it’s both: brutal blow-by-blow action grounded in Amos’ interiority. The moment he realizes that it’s not just a brawl—she’s going to kill him—the stakes skyrocket. Emotional investment’s key, I think. 🤔

'Female Ghost with Sword' from 'The Complete Works of Chikamatsu' - Uemura Shoen, 1923. #GhostMonth #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt

Avasarala: I'm a member of Parliament, not your favorite stripper. Amos: You could be both. #TheExpanse

I’ve a #sci-fi animal rights story centered around a cognitively enhanced chimp and the tech she uses to turn her sign language into speech. I set it aside because it’s rather long—hard to find a home for a long story, no matter how tightly stitched.

These days, it isn't hip to be "woke." But don't tell that to Spike Spiegel or Mugen. Here's how Watanabe Shinichiro's Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo both present a vision for radical acceptance and multicultural soul-searching.

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

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.

@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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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 prefer to save talking till I know what I’m talking about.

“Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.” “He told me enough. He told me you killed him.” “No, I am your father.” “No, no. That’s not true! That’s impossible!” #FathersDay

My world, my Earth is a ruin. A planet spoiled by the human species. We multiplied and fought and gobbled until there was nothing left, and then we died. We controlled neither appetite nor violence; we did not adapt. We destroyed ourselves. But we destroyed the world first.

Oh, shit. Seriously: oh, shit.

OTD, the U.S. premiere of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. When did you see it for the first time? How many times have you seen it since?

Very yes. Food’s a marker of socioeconomic class. The wealthy don’t eat processed, lab-grown, synthetic meals. Farmed foods are prohibitively expensive.

STAR WARS was released on this day 48 years ago. The world was never the same again….

My love of all things #StarWars got me into Japanese influences. Rewatching #Ahsoka, this is obv a different camera angle, but the kamae (form or stance) is very similar. The other shot’s Kyûzô from Seven Samurai. #Sci-fi

Rewatching Ahsoka for the first time. The ronin trope is 🔥 #StarWars #Ahsoka

Hard to explain how much I love this grainy, long-exposure image from the Perseverance rover showing Deimos in the pre-dawn sky. Just hours before it was taken, I was also out in the cold, taking pictures of the sky, one planet away. Perseverance saw the very same constellations that I did.

“You’re too late. The rebellion isn’t here anymore. It’s flown away. It’s everywhere now. There’s a whole galaxy out there waiting to disgust you.”

Yuki-Onna from Japanese folklore. She’s a liminal figure between beauty and death, compassion and vengeance. I didn’t plan for it. The protagonist, kitted in white armor and wielding a kusarihebi (whip-sword), went viral across Japan. Once that happened, her legend grew organically.

Nobody fucking listens to me.

#StarWars has given us some outstanding duels, but this one is THE duel: Musashi using the sun at his back to gain advantage over Kojiro. Classic.

Cross-Section of a Complex Crater This image shows a cross-section of a complex crater in Terra Cimmeria, including central peaks and terraces on part of the rim. More: uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_05... NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona #Mars #science #NASA