Motivate deez nuts
I write 200 words a day. Sometimes more, but rarely less.
I call this my "daily half-Pratchett." Terry Pratchett wrote his first novel while he was working a full-time day job, and ostensibly pulled this off by writing 400 words a day. I figure being half as productive as Pratchett is a reasonable goal, so: 200 words a day. It's not that much — one or two paragraphs, really — but it's a steady enough pace that I can finish projects at a surprising rate.
I remember reading a quote somewhere about how it's better to rely on discipline than motivation; discipline will stand by you when motivation, the fickle bitch, has fucked off for parts unknown. It might've been Warren Ellis who said that. Google sucks now, so I can't figure out for sure.
itch.io Spring Sale
itch.io is largely an indie game store, but they offer books and other media as well. Their Spring Sale is on this week, and all my books (the ones that aren't free, anyway) are in it.
You can find the sale here; all my books are 50% off, or you can get the whole library in a bundle for just $3 USD.
Recommendation: Femme
Jules is a drag artist in London who withdraws into himself and loses his career after a horrific attack. Months later, he recognizes one of his assailants in a gay sauna and quickly realizes he has the perfect opportunity to get revenge.
After I finished watching Femme, I felt like I'd been clenching my whole body for hours. I had to pause it multiple times so I could walk off the tension. I kind of wish I'd seen it in the theater, because the atmosphere in that room must've been insane.
This is one of the tightest, most compelling, most unflinching thrillers I've ever seen. Don't watch it with your parents.
This Week's Links
Air Force Employee Indicted for Unlawful Disclosure of Classified National Defense Information
Long story short, a civilian employee of the U.S. Air Force was texting top-secret military information to someone he met on a dating site, who claimed to be a Ukranian woman. Judging by the sample texts in the indictment, this person was almost certainly a Russian spy. And not a particularly subtle one.
To be completely fair, though, "getting so horny you proceed to leak classified information" is a time-honored military tradition.
Ricky Montgomery, a 30-year-old musician with 1.7 million TikTok followers, made a thoughtful follow-up from the perspective of someone who’d gotten a record deal out of a viral moment, saying that even when you land the record deal or have a few hit songs, you’re still stuck on the treadmill of constant self-promotion. “Next thing you know, it’s been three years and you’ve spent almost no time on your art,” he tells me. “You’re getting worse at it, but you’re becoming a great marketer for a product which is less and less good.”
A very cool old-fashioned Neocities site that hybridizes hobby shrines and adventure games. More of the internet should look like this.
I can't help but feel like the Dune movies are an elaborate game of chicken between Denis Villeneuve, Warner Bros, and the moviegoing public. How far will this go? Who'll flinch first? Will we see Leto Atreides II become a giant worm by covering himself with fish? Only time will tell.
-K
