This is another repeat prompt, dealing with structure this time. I see writers in various forums talking about churning out 170,000 word drafts. These are touch typists I assume,. or fans of speech to text apps, and an admirable accomplishment. But then I often hear them complaining that the plot is stuck, or characters are messed up, or they just... Continue reading

The challenge was to write in the present tense as much as possible, 1000 words max. This can make the action seem more immediate and intimate. I was stuck for an actual story idea, so I I used the writer-igniter from diymfa.com to give me idea. I got Character -... Continue reading

From Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Caroll Reposted from my SubStack I'm trying a new series, Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Caroll, just to see if you like it. I'll read a chapter at a time. In the last chapter, Alice had fallen down the rabbit hole, and found a... Continue reading

From Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Caroll Reposted from my SubStack I'm trying a new series, Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Caroll, just to see if you like it. I'll read a chapter at a time. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you'll get notified of my updates as soon... Continue reading

(Moved from main blog) The challenge for this was one from the blog Terrible Minds, a few years ago. Use this link to get a set of nine random 'interesting' pics from Flickr. Pick three. Write a story, 1000 words max. I can't post my images (copyrights) but can describe... Continue reading

I did this a few years ago, let's try again. Write in the present tense, as in simple tense, "Bob clubs the seal". Or present progressive, "I am chopping a cord of firewood". It's a bit of a challenge to focus on it, but it makes the action seem immediate and intimate. It forces the reader to see everything through... Continue reading

Exploring funeral options, shipping alternatives, and Halloween cut-backs. Fancy custom funerals - Have you planned your own funeral yet? Either to leave one final unique imprint on the world or just save your family the fuss and bother. CBC had an interesting article (link) on some of the variations people... Continue reading

Getting the kids to leave, evolving mushrooms, and back to roommates. Photo by Allan Vega on Unsplash Mother evicts kids - From a New York Post article (link) - Italian mom wins court battle to evict her ‘parasite’ grown sons from home. Their 74-year-old single mother refers to them mockingly... Continue reading

Drinking less, scanning your own stuff, and dealing with food waste. Are you sober curious? - Meaning you’ve not cut out alcohol completely, you’re just cutting back, either with fewer drinks or with non-alcoholic ones. Not just something like a Cuba Libre without the rum either, as there are alcohol-free... Continue reading

Better zoning rules, coping skills in a stressful world, and olden play structures De-suburbification - There’s a new convenience store on Forward, just across from my building, or rather a new owner for an old place. And newer stock, hopefully. It’s a small single-use building, next to an old wooden... Continue reading

By hikkyo ikan on Unsplash More flip flops than a beach holiday - From a Toronto Star Editorial - Another day, another policy climbdown for Doug Ford’s government They will be cancelling their arbitrary planned changes to the municipal boundaries of Hamilton, Ottawa, Barie, Guelph and many others. This is... Continue reading

Note - I’ve always been aware of a variety of both newsworthy and quirky subjects passing by every day, and now I may have found a nice spot to share them. I note them in passing, then spend a couple of hours collating and composing. Thanks for the comments so... Continue reading

Comments - I’d really like to see your comments on my posts, and I’m sure other readers would too. But to comment, you will first need to create a free SubStack account. It’s quick to do, and then with an account, you can also subscribe to other writers, many of... Continue reading

NORCs - Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities - CBC had an article on one of these being set up in a Halifax apartment building. The original concept is from an Ontario group, Oasis Senior Supportive Living. The idea is to set up in an existing apartment building, offering to any seniors... Continue reading

Note to my readers - I’ve decided to remodel how I share my view of the world. I’ve added this section, Odds and Ends, to my SubStack. It will be a place for me to collect, every day or so, various news items, thoughts and tidbits that have caught my... Continue reading

I posted the following on my SubStack yesterday, in a new section called Odds and Ends. I'll try posting there every day or so, to summarize things that catch my fancy in the day. Not a newsletter every day on this, maybe a weekly letter. And maybe less FaceBook too,... Continue reading

I like this prompt. It was originally from the Blog Terrible Minds, for this prompt in 2012. Let's try the idea again. This time, follow this link, for nine 'interesting' photos at a time from Flickr. From those, pick three, and use those as inspiration for a short story, 1000 words max. By noon, September 29, or your best shot.... Continue reading

After a looong break, here's another Flash Fiction story. It's a tad dystopian, but I've been in a mood. The challenge was as follows - It's 3 AM. An official phone alert wakes you up. It says "DO NOT LOOK AT THE MOON". You have hundreds of notifications. Hundreds of... Continue reading

Repost from Aug 22/23 Offsets are off-putting Is this just a Shell game? Hopefully, this is not a pessimistic rant, but more of an exploration as I try to understand how some of these solutions work. Corrections are welcome, I'll edit them in after. The capture/offset process is pretty simple.... Continue reading

Here I am, inching closer and closer to the end. My last update was almost 2 months ago, at 99.5 km. I had hope this would challenge me to get out there and walk the walk, but it's more of a passive record or the bits I do from day... Continue reading

Repost from Aug 11/23 Dumb and dumber? What happened to critical thinking? The world seems full of outlandish and illogical beliefs about COVID, recession, UFO’s, world domination, stolen elections, yada yada. Beliefs that are based on a personal faith or morality, as opposed to opinions based on facts. Beliefs that... Continue reading