My black and white photograph of a seascape under a dramatic sky. Sunbeams break through dark, heavy clouds at the top of the frame, casting a bright reflection on the calm water below. A thick line of lower clouds is just above the horizon. A small silhouette of a ship is visible on the water to the right of the shimmering light reflection.
My black and white close-up photo of a tabby cat's profile. The cat has prominent whiskers, and black lines going from the corner of its eyes and whiskers. The background features a patterned fabric with zebra-like stripes.
Five black square coasters arranged in a pyramid. Each coaster has a central square part featuring a different colorful Chinese opera mask against a shimmering background. The masks display intricate facial paint in various colors and patterns. The top coaster shows a mask with a blue base and black and white patterns around the eyes and forehead. The middle left coaster shows a mask with a white face, a black mustache, and a red egg-like symbol on the forehead. The middle right coaster shows a mask with a black base and white swirls and red dots. The bottom left coaster shows a mask with a green base and patterns in red, yellow, and black. The bottom right coaster shows a mask with large red sections on the cheeks and forehead, and a silver center.
TIL that the main color of #Peking opera #masks represents a certain trait of a character: blue for stubbornness, white for evil, black for integrity.
There's so little info online. Feel free to share if you know more. It's such a captivating concept to convey a personality through visual patterns.
I just realized that this piece of advice about first drafts doesn't work for me because it's given by such pro writers who can't make the mistakes I'm still capable of. They say: "Just write the first draft, don't overthink it", but if I do, I might never untangle the result.
#writing
That's why I don't believe in writing first drafts quickly. I'd rather spend a few extra hours thinking than lose days of work, erasing the characters who feel alive by that point.
#AmWriting #draft
My biggest fear during editing is that I will discover that the main construction of the story is something that looks like Escher's Belvedere(mcescher.com/gallery/impo...), and there will be no way to mend it without erasing the core pillars and losing the essence of the story.
#writing #editing
It's been a while since I knew which piece is real news and which is someone joking.
A screenshot of I Write Like text editor in dark mode. The screen is divided into two main sections. On the left, there is a text document titled Into the Water.txt. The text visible is: "We came from water, and to the water we will go. Did he say this aloud? The old man wasn’t sure. And there was nobody he could ask. There was the dog, though. It didn’t speak, but it would pull its ears back when spoken to. The dog listened. It hardly ever looked at him, but it never interrupted either. The huge ears were at the back of the head now. He had said it aloud, after all." The first sentence is highlighted in orange. On the right, there is a Read aloud sidebar. It shows settings for a text-to-speech feature. Voice is set to Google UK English Male (en-GB). Speed is set to 0.8. Pitch is set to 0.6. At the bottom, there are two buttons: Resume with a play icon and Stop with a square icon.
One of my favorite #tools in I Write Like is Read Aloud.
I need this tool the way singers need their in-ear monitors. You have to hear your own voice. You can't get this feedback unless you have a special tool. It's like getting an extra sensor that helps you shape your work.
#writing #software
Same here :)
If you had to choose only one, which would it be:
1. Actively participate in small talk for one hour
2. Enduring the sound of drilling into a wall for one hour
#people #communication #poll
The article about the history of pronouns is from BBC Future, a section described by its creators as "a home for slowing down, delving deep and shifting perspectives." What a peculiar world we're living in where "future" is defined as slowing down to read about the past.
#irony #life #thoughts
An article on what happened to "thou" and the beautiful concept of "wit".
#Linguistics #EnglishLanguage #history
www.bbc.com/future/artic...
My black and white photograph of a small, worn white boat resting on dry, rocky ground. A thick rope is on its side and tied in a knot. In the background, there are low bushes, a stone wall, and layered mountain peaks under a clear sky.
Two kittens are eating kibbles outdoors. One kitten has brown and grey tabby markings with white on its face and chest. It is leaning down. Behind it, a black and white kitten is looking toward the camera with its mouth open, showing its tongue. The background includes a large grey rock and green trees under a blue sky.
Relatable :)
The last line is heartbreaking. It all sounds very tough.
I'm so sorry for your loss...
These days I mostly type, but I spent decades journaling longhand. When I'm really stuck, and nothing helps, the only rescue is to go back to pen and paper. The hum of the world dies down then, and in that silence I can follow this one strand of thought as deeply as it needs to go.
#mind #writing
A dark-themed I Write Like text editor interface showing an empty file named New.txt. The top left corner features the I Write Like logo, followed by a layers menu for opening files, a folder menu for accessing files, and an icon for saving the current file. To the right, icons include a book icon for markdown preview and a tools menu containing tools for writers to work with their writing. The main area displays the placeholder text Type away in a light grey font. A character counter in the bottom right corner shows 0 characters.
Having a designated writing space probably works the same way as putting on sportswear before a workout. It signals to the brain what type of work is about to start, so it locks in on the task. When I see my writing space, my brain goes into writing mode.
#AmWriting #IWriteLike #writing #software
Photo - black and white - of a mountain range seen in Antarctica.
Absolutely gorgeous!
My black and white photograph showing a low angle view of two yacht bows. The hulls are dark on top with light colored undersides that reflect in the shimmering water. Six mooring lines stretch diagonally from the vessels down into the dark water. The water surface is covered in high contrast ripples and wavy light reflections.
A page of printed text from a book is repurposed as blackout poetry and art. A large cat, sketched in grey and black colored pencil, sits in the foreground facing right. Its fur is textured with fine lines, and it has one visible bright green eye. Behind the cat there's a green and yellow tree drawn within an arched frame, set against a background of faint purple and grey brickwork. Several words and phrases from the original text remain clear and visible in small white boxes, forming the poem: too tired again, too tired to eat, make some tea, have a bath, go to bed, read. Is it enough? Maybe.
moss climbs up the bark,
softening two carved names there,
may they have found north
#WildWalkPrompt #moss #haiku #writing #writingcommunity
#micropoetry
My black and white photograph of a dramatic high-contrast sky filled with large, textured clouds reflecting in a still pool of water in the foreground. In the distance, a horizon line separates the water from the sky. There's a small lighthouse on a jetty under the glow of a low sun.
My black and white close-up photo of a sleeping cat's face, reflected in a smooth, slightly distorted dark surface below. The focus is on the cat's nose and whiskers, creating a symmetrical image.
I want to tell people about #Markdown, but I'm not sure whether they need the info. Some writers already use it. Those who don't might have made the choice consciously. Maybe Markdown is common knowledge by now. I have no idea. It would be really informative if you shared what you think.
#Writing
Did you know that #Chekhov never said "show, don't tell"? What he actually said was:
"In descriptions of nature one must seize on small details, grouping them so that when the reader closes their eyes they get a picture."
Which makes so much more sense.
#WritingTips #Writing #literature
This blog post covers a recent conversation and some questions about I Write Like.
ellanew.com/2026/03/19/i...
#markdown #software #iwl #IWriteLike #writing
Markdown Ate The World https://matduggan.com/markdown-ate-the-world/