Friday Chatter
What’s something you want to see more of in fiction that can’t be boiled down to a binary?
There Is No Single Story That Will Do The Work
Sometimes when writer social media starts going back and forth about what kind of stories are best - dark edgy ones, or hopeful gentle ones; stories that...
There Is No Single Story That Will Do The Work
Sometimes when writer social media starts going back and forth about what kind of stories are best - dark edgy ones, or hopeful gentle ones; stories that...
Friday Chatter: Hard Science
This week’s book review was a work of hard science fiction, full of detail about marine biology and neuroscience. You might think, given the stereotypes of...
Friday Chatter: Hard Science
This week’s book review was a work of hard science fiction, full of detail about marine biology and neuroscience. You might think, given the stereotypes of...
Autistic Book Party, Episode 72: Submergence
This week’s book review is a really cool marine biology / neuroscience novella by Arula Ratnakar! Check it out here. Meanwhile: Check out this list of...
Autistic Book Party, Episode 72: Submergence
This week’s book review is a really cool marine biology / neuroscience novella by Arula Ratnakar! Check it out here. Meanwhile: Check out this list of...
The Battle of Scarif
I promised you this and it's late but we're going to do it - here's how the Battle of Scarif from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story breaks down according to the...
The Battle of Scarif
I promised you this and it's late but we're going to do it - here's how the Battle of Scarif from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story breaks down according to the...
Friday Chatter: Battles
Now that we’re wrapping up the series on battle scenes, I want to hear more about the battle scenes you love. What are some of your favorites, in any medium?...
Friday Chatter: Battles
Now that we’re wrapping up the series on battle scenes, I want to hear more about the battle scenes you love. What are some of your favorites, in any medium?...
Chekhov's 21-Gun Salute, Part 3: Do It Yourself
Sorry I'm a day late - I'm feeling better, but still scrambling to catch up with everything I missed while I was sick! (Part 1) (Part 2) (Battle of Yavin)...
Chekhov's 21-Gun Salute, Part 3: Do It Yourself
Sorry I'm a day late - I'm feeling better, but still scrambling to catch up with everything I missed while I was sick! (Part 1) (Part 2) (Battle of Yavin)...
short hiatus due to COVID
Hi, all! I know I promised we were doing our analysis of the Battle of Scarif today! I have lots of notes that I’m excited to turn into a polished analysis...
short hiatus due to COVID
Hi, all! I know I promised we were doing our analysis of the Battle of Scarif today! I have lots of notes that I’m excited to turn into a polished analysis...
Chekhov's 21-Gun Salute, Part 2: Fitting Guns Together
Welcome to part 2 of the series on how to do battle scenes when battle doesn't come naturally! In part 1, I talked about where this system comes from for me,...
Chekhov's 21-Gun Salute, Part 2: Fitting Guns Together
Welcome to part 2 of the series on how to do battle scenes when battle doesn't come naturally! In part 1, I talked about where this system comes from for me,...
Friday Chatter: Good Things
Whew. Well, it’s been quite a week. I’m not in the US, but many of my friends and professional network are located there, and my heart goes out to them. It’s...
Friday Chatter: Good Things
Whew. Well, it’s been quite a week. I’m not in the US, but many of my friends and professional network are located there, and my heart goes out to them. It’s...
The Battle of Yavin
Here’s how the Battle of Yavin (from “Star Wars: A New Hope”) breaks down when it’s analyzed using Chekhov’s 21-Gun Salute. You can read an introduction to...
The Battle of Yavin
Here’s how the Battle of Yavin (from “Star Wars: A New Hope”) breaks down when it’s analyzed using Chekhov’s 21-Gun Salute. You can read an introduction to...
Friday Chatter: Embracing the Darkness
We’ve got a batch of new subscribers this week (welcome!!) and as far as I can tell, it seems to be less because of the current series on battle scenes, more...
Friday Chatter: Embracing the Darkness
We’ve got a batch of new subscribers this week (welcome!!) and as far as I can tell, it seems to be less because of the current series on battle scenes, more...
Chekhov's 21-Gun Salute: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Battle Scenes
I'll tell you a secret: I've always had trouble focusing on battle scenes, either in movies and shows or in prose novels. There are so many moving parts,...
Chekhov's 21-Gun Salute: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Battle Scenes
I'll tell you a secret: I've always had trouble focusing on battle scenes, either in movies and shows or in prose novels. There are so many moving parts,...
The Autistic Community Is Actually Many Communities
All the talk of "community" last week has reminded me of something I don't think we talk about often enough. We often talk about "the autistic community," or...
The Autistic Community Is Actually Many Communities
All the talk of "community" last week has reminded me of something I don't think we talk about often enough. We often talk about "the autistic community," or...
Friday Chatter: Community
This week’s book review talked about a fictional group of queer autistic people who have made a home together as a found family. Have you ever encountered,...
Friday Chatter: Community
This week’s book review talked about a fictional group of queer autistic people who have made a home together as a found family. Have you ever encountered,...
Autistic Book Party, Episode 71: Sanctuary
(Sorry this post is a day late! I had a small personal emergency come up yesterday. It’s settled now.) Our first Autistic Book Party review for June is Andi...
Autistic Book Party, Episode 71: Sanctuary
(Sorry this post is a day late! I had a small personal emergency come up yesterday. It’s settled now.) Our first Autistic Book Party review for June is Andi...
Friday Chatter: Othering
I’m still thinking about Tuesday’s discussion of othering. What does othering mean to you? Are there parts of your life that would seem other, or othering,...
Friday Chatter: Othering
I’m still thinking about Tuesday’s discussion of othering. What does othering mean to you? Are there parts of your life that would seem other, or othering,...
Magic and Othering
A piece of advice you'll frequently hear, when writing neurodivergent characters, is not to give them magical abilities. There are lots of potential reasons...
Magic and Othering
A piece of advice you'll frequently hear, when writing neurodivergent characters, is not to give them magical abilities. There are lots of potential reasons...
Friday Chatter: Talking To Things
If you could have a conversation with a particular item in your house, or something else non-living, what would you say to it? Would you expect it to say...
Friday Chatter: Talking To Things
If you could have a conversation with a particular item in your house, or something else non-living, what would you say to it? Would you expect it to say...
Marie Kondo and Talking To My Clothes
One of the most distinctive parts of the KonMari method is the one where you talk to the objects in your house. It's really an emotional method. You don't...
Marie Kondo and Talking To My Clothes
One of the most distinctive parts of the KonMari method is the one where you talk to the objects in your house. It's really an emotional method. You don't...
Friday Chatter: Nebula Time!
It’s Nebula weekend (and a long weekend here in Canada for unrelated reasons) and I’ll be busy doing my 1 panel (and attending a few others in the audience,...
Friday Chatter: Nebula Time!
It’s Nebula weekend (and a long weekend here in Canada for unrelated reasons) and I’ll be busy doing my 1 panel (and attending a few others in the audience,...
Autistic Book Party, Episode 70: Azura Ghost
I was really excited to read Essa Hansen’s AZURA GHOST, the sequel to her debut NOPHEK GLOSS - now with a complex, interesting #ownvoices autistic...
Autistic Book Party, Episode 70: Azura Ghost
I was really excited to read Essa Hansen’s AZURA GHOST, the sequel to her debut NOPHEK GLOSS - now with a complex, interesting #ownvoices autistic...
Friday Chatter: Neurodivergent Space
How would you characterize your relationship with the objects in your space? Do you like a lot of items, or very few? Do you like them ordered, or strewn...
Friday Chatter: Neurodivergent Space
How would you characterize your relationship with the objects in your space? Do you like a lot of items, or very few? Do you like them ordered, or strewn...
Marie Kondo and Neurodivergent Space
I've been meaning to write more about animism, and I’ve been wanting to write about Marie Kondo. It's tricky because many miles of ink have already been...
Marie Kondo and Neurodivergent Space
I've been meaning to write more about animism, and I’ve been wanting to write about Marie Kondo. It's tricky because many miles of ink have already been...
Friday Chatter: Alternate Universes
Richard Ford Burley’s review of “From a Shadow Grave” talks about overlapping and alternate timelines (which, of course, are also a big theme in certain...
Friday Chatter: Alternate Universes
Richard Ford Burley’s review of “From a Shadow Grave” talks about overlapping and alternate timelines (which, of course, are also a big theme in certain...
Autistic Book Party, Episode 69: From a Shadow Grave
Today’s Autistic Book Party is a very special guest post! Richard Ford Burley’s review of “From a Shadow Grave” can be found here. For those of you who want...