Fifteen Minutes of Scrawl

In case you haven't heard, the Writers Guild of America is on strike . These are not all equally serious.  They do the work that makes so much money Actors' likenesses are often what sells merch Writers won't give every character "piercing green eyes" (yes, Chat GPT did do that when I was using it to help plan a D&D one shot) Writers can remember more than Chat GPT (yes, while using it to help plan the aforementioned one shot, it forgot the main character!) They create joy They spark important conversations They create beauty They change people's lives They can make people laugh even in dark times They create important representation They do this job because they're passionate They are often the spokespeople for these valued works They're talented and creative individuals They make the shows human They are human beings Finally, a quote from "The 2023 Hollywood Strike for Dummies," by Jason P. Frank, Vulture :  "How do I support the s...

Time for some tragedy?  Oh, Sheila, I'm so sorry Gosh this interpreter is getting more than she bargained for Jasmine definitely lost the ring on purpose You should have a lawyer, Gino Jasmine could have the money if you hadn't caused her to lose her job, Gino Also, Gino, you were supposed to take that hat off in the jewelry store Okay I do think Dempsey is being a little rude to Statler with the sage Ah Dempsey is a Carnie (or is that term offensive?) Oh, Dempsey, I'm so sorry Statler...you think out loud (or are prompted to) a lot Well Statler, that was a poor plan So, Riley, you can block Violet...but like get out and explore Vietnam! You came all this way! (Eventually, he does) Violet...I don't think you did answer the questions Wow, Violet, your ex sounds like a coward Riley...Violet can't reach out to you because you blocked her Cleo...Christian is not the dude for you Jasmine...I thought the point of this evening was to celebrate your sister...not fight with ...

I've done a few blogs in my time (this one you're reading, my book review blog , and a blog I did while studying abroad in undergrad ).  Pick a theme (it can be broad like this one or hyper-specific) Pick an easy platform to use (I like Blogger, obviously) Start easy. Make your first few posts ones you can get through quickly so you can build up content  Find supporters (friends and family make a good start) Set a schedule. Will you post daily? Weekly? Monthly? All work, but it's important to keep up the habit Do it in a way so you can keep up this schedule  Bank posts if you can when you have more time Forgive yourself when you alter the schedule as it's just bound to happen Find ways to look forward to it Get good images to use (your own or use Flickr or Unsplash or similar sites) Get prompts from friends When in doubt, cite your sources  Make your blog interactive if you can  Promote across other social media platforms Be flexible with your goals (Prompt by...

Here are some short pieces based on things that have happened in my life recently. Exit I got a call from my dog walker (though I didn't know it at the time as I didn't have his number saved in my phone, just the phone number for the dog walking service) and it started off with, "Hey I just walked Hoban, but..." But what? Did Hoban get bit? Did he bite you? Did my apartment catch fire? But no, he simply couldn't exit my building. As bizarre of a pickle as this was, I quickly breathed a sigh of relief before instructing him on how to properly exit the building: "You have to push the lever and pull the door hard--like you're going to break it." I reassured him that I'd stay on the phone with him until he got out and, luckily, he did, but it was still a concerning problem. I wonder what the dog walker thought. Had he gone crazy, he'd used this door before? Had I planned to trap him? Had the world cursed the door or, worse, him? None of these thi...

I've done some of these, but not all, for my book review blog . Many of these ideas came from this Reedsy article .  If you're a prime member, you can get a free digital ARC (advanced reader copy) every month Go to your local indie bookstore and explain you're getting into the book reviewing business and ask if you can check out their spare advanced copies (be sure you have a website to show). Furthermore, see if they ever solicit customer reviews of books to display (I haven't done this so no idea if it'll work, but I think it's worth a try) Make an Edelweiss account (you can download some copies there and request others) Sign up for  Hidden Gems Books (you'll get emails about available ARCs) Have a favorite indie author? It's worth a try writing fan mail and explaining you'd like to review their upcoming work (maybe include a positive review for their previous work along with this) (I haven't done this so no idea if it'll work, but I thi...

Time for some arrivals? It's adorable that Kirsten is excited for squirrels  Of course keeping her a secret would be an issue, Julio! Julio...you do have to tell your mom Mary, you need some serious therapy (so does Brandan) So Brandan has to ask permission to hold Mary's hand? (Ah Mary's explains this is normal in her culture) Actually, Kimberly, you've left the planning to his family, not him That's not duct tape This pirate scene is weird First time out of the country...this'll be a culture shock for Holly's mom Holly looks so sick Oof killing a dog is dark Okay but surely a hug before marriage would be less of an issue than kids before marriage, right Mary? Kenny and Armando have such a pretty opener I hope they're asking like..."You chill with gay dads who are on TV?" Kenny...don't use Hannah like this Okay I don't think either of you is "controlling" Kimberly also likely has a camera crew with her... Why isn't Wayne ...

Yes, again, this is a bit of a plug for my book review blog .  Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee  by Dee Brown Smoke  by Dan Vyleta Mexican Gothic  by Silvia Moreno-Garcia The Paper Girls  series by Brian K Vaughan (Author), Cliff Chiang (Artist), and Matt Wilson (Artist) The Monstress  series by Marjorie Liu (Author) and Sana Takeda (Artist) Carmilla  by by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu The Hallowed Ones series by Laura Bickle  Anansi Boys  by Neil Gaiman The Afterschool Charisma  series by Kumiko Suekane The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron Princesses Behaving Badly  by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie 1491  by Charles C. Mann Hidden Figures  by Margot Lee Shetterly  Join by Steve Toutonghi  (Prompt by me) "Woman reading" posted by the National Science and Media Museum