WritingAn infographic labels the parts of a writer, from a logical brain to cozy socks. It's cute and mostly right. Here's my own annotated version, with the organs that do the real work and a few the chart left out.
WritingGuillermo del Toro has spent thirty years making monsters into heroes. His advice to writers comes down to nine ideas, from trusting your own voice to giving the villain a real reason. Here they are, with my own take on…
Book MarketingFree book marketing costs nothing but time. Author events, collaborations, blogs and podcasts, guest interviews, PR, email and social media all sell books, but not at the same rate per hour. What has sold my books, and what never did.
Artificial IntelligenceA Florida woman typed threats into an AI chatbot and the company sent them to the police. On the surface it's an easy call. Underneath, private companies are deciding which of your private words get reported, and liability pushes them…
Artificial IntelligenceAnthropic's updated usage policy bans sustained and needless cruelty toward Claude, starting November 12, 2026. Frustration, pushback and dark fiction are all exempt. Here's what the rule covers, why Anthropic made it, and what else changed.
BusinessDonato Giancola turned down an Asimov's cover after the magazine's new owner sent a work-for-hire contract with free revisions, no original art and a fee-clawback NDA, all for a decades-old fee. Here's when work for hire is fair, and when…
FictionGenre fiction outsells literary fiction because it delivers what readers came for. Calling it poorly written usually confuses taste with skill, and many literary classics are genre books in disguise.
Critical ThinkingWhen the cone points at your house, Florida performs the same rituals every storm: the grocery run, the water pallet brawl, the generator still in its box and the flashlights that leaked years ago. Here's the funny version, and how…
FictionJokes don't count. The most insulting line ever written seriously for the screen is She-Hulk telling Bruce Banner that catcalling and mansplaining make her better at controlling anger. Here's why it fails, and the lines that come close.
FictionMatt Damon's Loki ended up floating in the Mediterranean. The original ended up chained in a cave until the end of the world. How the trickster of Norse myth turned into Wagner's fire god, Marvel's adopted brother and Kevin Smith's…
Artificial IntelligenceAn author who uses AI for research and covers, but not her writing, complained about a festival's AI cover ban. The thread ended with a stranger calling her utterly disgusting. Here's where preference ends and cruelty begins.
Artificial IntelligenceThe old story says the river at Sligachan on the Isle of Skye gives wisdom. Google's AI Overview says eternal beauty. Kenny Boyle called it out, and he's right about the folklore, but tourists were hearing the beauty version from…
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