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Reposted by Jarch

Joanne Harris @joannechocolat.bsky.social · 1h

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 1579: If you’re going to write in any genre (children’s fiction, SFF, romance, etc), you need to read EXTENSIVELY in that genre. You need to read current authors in the genre. You need to know what’s been done; what tropes exist; how the genre has changed.

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Jarch @itsokihaveabook.bsky.social · 1d

"I sometimes feel so destabilized by what reality looks and feels like these days."

Josh Gondelman @joshgondelman.bsky.social · 1d

I did some time sensitive reader pep talks in this week's newsletter so you might want to read them NOW before they expire! And then subscribe and toss me a couple of bucks so I can continue to write these even through a hangover!

#152. Time Sensitive Reader Pep Talks

Hi everyone, Did you know that it's nice to be around people with shared values to celebrate or mourn collectively? Did you know that??? On Friday night I had the good fortune to get to pinch hit fo...

www.thatsmarvelousnewsletter.com

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Jarch @itsokihaveabook.bsky.social · 1d

I did not know this either! "Comptroller is not the only word that's often mispronounced, according to lexicographer Jesse Scheidlower." No kidding! (PS, this is why audiobooks are amazing.)

Matt Baline @mattbaline.net · 1d

Josh just sent me down a mini “comptroller” rabbit hole and now I just don’t know what to think. www.npr.org/2013/08/19/2...

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Jarch @itsokihaveabook.bsky.social · 3d

YES. Took 9yo to see community theater production of NEWSIES last January and it was magical.

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Jarch @itsokihaveabook.bsky.social · 7d

I don't want to be a frog (in this pot)

Jarch @itsokihaveabook.bsky.social · 7d

...But it's fun to write stories and make pictures and build things, and I hope you'll do these things because they're satisfying. Focus on the enjoyment while your skills are coming along. You can make pretty much anything you want to, if you teach yourself how." @brianlies.bsky.social

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Jarch @itsokihaveabook.bsky.social · 7d

From the author's note in CAT NAP by @brianlies.bsky.social: "If you like making things, practice. Practice makes better! It takes time to develop skills so things turn out the way you want them to; the way you see them in your imagination - you can't simply leap ahead and skip all that work...

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Jarch @itsokihaveabook.bsky.social · 8d

@ala-pla.bsky.social When the PLA conference was scheduled for April 1-3, 2026, did anyone realize those were the first days of Passover?

Jarch @itsokihaveabook.bsky.social · 8d

Thank YOU!

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Jarch @itsokihaveabook.bsky.social · 8d

AND I believe there's a Lovesick reference!! What a week.

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Jarch @itsokihaveabook.bsky.social · 8d

"Nobody who has friends needs an AI companion to chat with while enhancing the capacity of the surveillance state to a degree that would make George Orwell drink a jar of room temperature mercury."
"That's Marvelous" is consistently a bright spot on Mondays.

Josh Gondelman @joshgondelman.bsky.social · 8d

After a brief delay, this week's That's Marvelous newsletter is now available to read and enjoy! It's a little bit about what comedy is now and a little bit about AI "friends" and a little bit about good cheese!

#151. AI "Friends" and You

Hi everyone, It's been a huge week for me, not because anything exceptional happened, but because I tested negative for covid and rejoined the general public. I was so happy to be in the same room wi...

www.thatsmarvelousnewsletter.com

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