In short:

Dagnabbit, if people could just make or inspire solid art without being shitty human beings that would be great. Bonus points if it's in one of my favourite wheelhouses, like hard SF, but at this point the bar is pretty low.

I've only seen the first episode so far, but Three-Body (the Chinese series) might be the ticket for my next hard-SF view.

However, Liu Cixin, author of the original books, is now strongly in disfavour for endorsing China's human rights abuses against the Uighur people. Those crimes are also why many in #SFF oppose this year's WorldCon being held in Chengdu - though others think this hypocritical because the US engages in rights abuses, too.

Nothing is ever simple with humans involved. #CoSoTV

Also, I was highly amused today when someone commented on my French having a Spanish accent rather than an English one. I'm picking up the practice again, after years when it was subordinated to Spanish. Arabic, I probably won't be conversant in by year's end - but I *would* like to be a much sharper reader of its prose, at least, in the coming months.

#Languages! What fun. :)

The next #indie book in my six-book year will be a second edition of Tomás Carrasquilla's stories, with additions to my supporting materials, out March 4. Most found the work in the first edition fascinating, but some were unsettled by cultural differences. I'm glad to sharpen how I introduce another culture to Anglo-Western readers. There's just *so* much to learn about translation as we go!

#Publishing #IndiePublishing #WritersOfCoSo #Translation

Good morning, CoSo! :)

Chuckling over a Writer's Rite of Passage today. I have an issue with Kindle Direct Publishing that needs to be resolved before they'll approve my next book, and which might involve calling directly, depending on their next email reply.

This will be interesting because Amazon is notorious for blocking accounts without redress. (Plus, who enjoys being on hold for an hour?)

But! There's always something on this side of the green. Happy Saturday! #AmWriting #AndWaiting 🤞

I'd put off watching Season 3 of For All Mankind (spacing out my hard SF because I love it dearly and there's so little out there) - but tonight I finished the last episode, and whew, did that ever leave me a) with big feels, and b) itching to get back to writing fiction after I finish the next eight (!) nonfiction items on my list.

What a special thing, to be able to tell stories that envision hard paths to concretely better worlds.

Lots to live up to, I tell you what. #CoSoTV #SFF #Writing

Also... I need to practise going out at night again. Don't particularly want to, which is... a good reminder that my body is processing what happened on Wednesday at a different level.

As the expression goes, when it comes to healing from trauma or changing habits: "The brain runs. The heart walks."

Logically, I know I'm safe. Emotionally? Eh.

So no cell phone with me this time, obviously. Just a quick wander to the park to walk a lap, soak in normal nightlife, and come back to write. 🤞

Almost caught up with book promo and prep-work - just have to solve a mystery with Goodreads, and receive a proper sales link from Amazon - and then do a thorough final readthrough of Carrasquilla Version Two, Secondary-Material-Boosted Boogaloo!

But now I'm going to draft my newsletter for Sunday, so I can spend the next two days on podcast-work alone.

The next #BetterWorldsTheory's working title? "Crabs in a bucket". 😂 I think you can guess what it's going to be about!

mlclark.substack.com

Reposted text of the #poem, because of course there was a typo. That's why we post our work to the internet: to find errors after the fact! #Poetry #Writing

This year's war #poem in a café. I very much look forward to this *not* being an annual tradition. #Poetry #WritersOfCoSo

To be super clear, Colombian news ain't pullin' any punches this awful anniversary.

#Ukraine #Politics #News #Colombia

And just as quick proof, I did indeed write a poem in a café last year, while processing the heavy news of war. I might do similar today, if I finish my promo work this morning, and get an essay draft started in the afternoon. What a world.

Good morning lovelies.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has now reached the one-year mark.

I hope we'll all be gentle with ourselves as we move through the weight of this cruelty.

Today for #OnlySky, I start with my recent experience of armed robbery, to reflect on what we talk about when we talk about "bad" humans - and whether a better vocabulary might serve us, as we try to move ahead in a world where so many make terrible choices that do harm to us all.

#Humanism
https://onlysky.media/mclark/what-makes-a-bad-human-being/

Victory! 🎉 On both accounts! 🍰 🏢

Now back to work. :)

Unfortunately, that robbery might have caused me some bigger problems. (Bureaucracy: the best.)

Anyway, I have sent out feelers to some friends while trying to resolve the issue, but... it might be a pretty big problem that requires more upheaval. Alack. Not going to catastrophize too much! Just - take everything a day at a time.

But definitely eating cake today. :/