Find your next favourite story now
Login

Inspirations, the Stories Space Coffee House: If you're reading this it just might mean I'm back, sorta. If you're not reading this, well, congratulations.

last reply
10.4k replies
470k views
18 watchers
1.3k likes

That sounds seriously cool, O White One. While I can't swim worth beans and have a slight fear of water/drowning, I am fascinated by sea life and the oceans in general. The woman I reported to in my library career (she retired just before I jumped ship for corporate IT) was married to researcher at the Canada Centre for Inland Waterways in Burlington. Not quite oceanography but certainly related since those inland waterways end up in the ocean eventually. Good luck with this new project.

No one has ever taken on the task of getting my grandfather's memoirs into shape. It's just a binder full of typewritten text. Grandad was a minister and eventually held a senior role in the United Church of Canada and was involved in the founding of some of their colleges including St. Paul's at the University of Waterloo. He was actually at the table for the early discussions about starting that university and later got an honorary doctorate for his work. He knew Bill Davis and some other big figures from that, too (I'm guessing me and Bear are the only ones here who know who Bill Davis was).

Another nice day here. This is one of my favourite times of year. Spring rains are more intermittent so we get some nice days and its warm enough to be outside, but the summer heat and humidity have not arrived yet.

The old bookshop owner had something special for Dave.

Dash - Writer's Block competition entry

Good luck with the book James.

WG, your thriller is top notch. Looking forward to the play.

I started writing again! I took like three weeks off to take care of my daughter, but started a promising story yesterday (the garbage disposal).

Talia is off to see her Mom this week, as I stay here to take care of my daughter. Wah! I'll just have to drown my sorrows with baseball.

Coffee please!

Fire and Ice - A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words competition, first place

Monster - Survivor competition, first place

Good morning! Looking like May will end slightly cool but that's not entirely a bad thing. Apparently Western Canada is getting their first heatwave of 2025. I'll take slightly cool, thank you.

Coffee is made, teas are refilled. How's things with you?

The old bookshop owner had something special for Dave.

Dash - Writer's Block competition entry

Afternoon, peeps wave

I’m buried in work again. Sigh. But making time to write. I saw The Accountant 2 and really liked it. Karate Kid is next up. smile

Just a simple girl from Kentucky scribbling her way through this great big world.

Quote by verbal

WG, your thriller is top notch. Looking forward to the play.

Thank you! smile I’m struggling with the play. I think it’s too weird even for me. Ha!

Just a simple girl from Kentucky scribbling her way through this great big world.

I love weird. It took me a long time to embrace my love of weird and being weird. I know I'm weird because kids always told me I'm weird.

The weather here has been nice for the last few days, but it will rain tomorrow. I don't mind rainy days; my gardens need and appreciate the rainfall. I've planted most of my vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

I'm trying to be more positive these days, and I am getting better at it. It's a lot easier when I ignore the news.

I hope everyone is doing well. TGIF. Cheers.

Hi, Gillian! A fellow weirdo! Yes! worship

And I haven’t watched the news in five years. 😳

Well, I’ve set aside the play to write the SciFi story first. A robot tells the story and it’s the first story from this robot, so please be encouraging. smile

Enjoy the rainy day, if it hits you! I have the door open by my office listening to the pitter patter.

Just a simple girl from Kentucky scribbling her way through this great big world.

Quote by WriterGirl
A robot tells the story and it’s the first story from this robot, so please be encouraging.

Thought we didn't allows stories written by AIs. 😉😊

I'm contemplating S-F, too, but more of the space fantasy, Star Wars variety. It's one of those weird ideas that's been stewing in my brain forever but I've never actually tried to turn into a story. Probably harder (ie. more grounded in science) than Star Wars, though. No magic (which is what the Force really is), spaceships work like spaceships instead of airplanes, guns run out of ammo, and such. There will be some borderline stuff, though. Hard to have galaxy spanning adventures without some kind of faster-than-light travel for instance.

The old bookshop owner had something special for Dave.

Dash - Writer's Block competition entry

Quote by Mendalla

Thought we didn't allows stories written by AIs. 😉😊

I'm contemplating S-F, too, but more of the space fantasy, Star Wars variety. It's one of those weird ideas that's been stewing in my brain forever but I've never actually tried to turn into a story. Probably harder (ie. more grounded in science) than Star Wars, though. No magic (which is what the Force really is), spaceships work like spaceships instead of airplanes, guns run out of ammo, and such. There will be some borderline stuff, though. Hard to have galaxy spanning adventures without some kind of faster-than-light travel for instance.

Ooo I like it! Do it! I hope they do a SciFi comp here some day. That would be cool!

Just a simple girl from Kentucky scribbling her way through this great big world.

Good morning. Posted a new Author's Publish piece on climate and environmental fiction in Resources. Hot topic these days so I thought there might be some interest in writing about it around here.

For the weekend, there's Kicking Horse Smart Ass coffee (no further comment) and we've got some Canadian Breakfast and Vinyl Cafe tea for the tea crowd. Fresh lemonade and unsweet iced tea are lurking in the fridge along with our seemingly infinite soda stock.

Hope you're having a nice weekend, all.

The old bookshop owner had something special for Dave.

Dash - Writer's Block competition entry

New day, new week, new month, what's not to like? Weather is nice here for a couple days, too. Might even get a hint of summer, with temps hitting the high 20s Celsius.

Coffee is on, some Fire Roasted St. Drogo. Teas are Scottish Breakfast and Earl Grey Cream. Pitchers are washed and refilled with iced tea and lemonade. Sodas are stocked.

Here's some goodies, too.

The old bookshop owner had something special for Dave.

Dash - Writer's Block competition entry

Cookies! Cookies!

Not much new here. Sunny mornings and afternoon showers. My kinda day.

Avoiding editing the novel today. It's such a long slog, and I don't want to even begin!

Daughter is doing very well.

Coffee and one of those aforementioned cookies please!

Fire and Ice - A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words competition, first place

Monster - Survivor competition, first place

Quote by verbal
Avoiding editing the novel today.

I really need to get something new going. I'm just kind of flailing around again. Finished a draft for another site that was sitting idle and I'll probably post it soon. Realized the ending that I kept dancing around really was the right one. Might need to split it, though. It's quite long for me.

Quote by verbal
Daughter is doing very well.

Good to hear. Hope that continues.

The old bookshop owner had something special for Dave.

Dash - Writer's Block competition entry

Morning, Sunshines 🌞

There’s a cool AI story on the home page. I’m back to my play. Inspiration hit overnight on how to do it.

It’s gonna be hot the next few days in KY. My hot flashes will have hot flashes. 😳😊

Just a simple girl from Kentucky scribbling her way through this great big world.

Supposed to be warmer here for a couple days, but then back down. Though the forecast highs have dropped from what they were forecasting on the weekend. I got the AC ready yesterday but it now seems unlikely that we will need it this time around.

The old bookshop owner had something special for Dave.

Dash - Writer's Block competition entry

It's going to be much warmer from now on. At least it's not raining; we've had a lot of rain. My gardens need the sun, but I've got to figure out what is eating my basil. We turned on our AC a few weeks ago when it was in the nineties, mostly to make sure it was working well, and thankfully, it is. I can't imagine a summer in VA without AC.

Quote by gillianleeza
I've got to figure out what is eating my basil.

Not me. I swear. 😜

Quote by gillianleeza
I can't imagine a summer in VA without AC.

Southern Ontario is getting there, too, though a lot of that is humidity from being tucked in between three large lakes (Huron, Erie, Ontario). But even the temps are getting bad. We hit 32-33 at least once every summer now whereas when I was younger, 30-31 was getting crazy.

Good morning. Did a refresh on the coffee and tea. Cold drinks look good and sound like some of us need them.

Toying around more than serious writing right now but we shall see.

Later, alligators.

The old bookshop owner had something special for Dave.

Dash - Writer's Block competition entry

Me. I am eating your basil. It's me.

I have a stomach bug, and so am laying low, but there's a game on at 2, the Mets have been kicking the dodger's ass, and I have nothing to attend to. So I am going to lie back and watch baseball and try not to puke.

No coffee (!!!). I'll have some toast and tea.

Fire and Ice - A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words competition, first place

Monster - Survivor competition, first place

Ooo hope your tummy feels better, soon! And keep your stomach bug to yourself, please.

I just submitted a light-hearted war story (kidding) in the Action category. My first story with a little action. Only SciFi and Play categories left. smile

Dad’s new lightweight walker/wheelchair combo arrived and… he hates it. Says it’s not comfy to sit on. Sigh. I mean it’s not like his recliner. We’ve tried to explain we need a wheelchair now to get him to Dr appts. He’s too unsteady getting in and out of chairs and too slow trying to walk longer distances. If he fell with us, we’d never get him up. Sigh.

Anyways, have a good evening. I’m still swamped at work. Boo Hiss.

Just a simple girl from Kentucky scribbling her way through this great big world.

Forget baseball. We Canucks actually have a team in Stanley Cup for the second year in a row. In fact, its a rematch of last year, with the Edmonton Oilers taking on the Florida Panthers. Last year Florida won in the end but Edmonton took them to the full seven games. This year, with the whole Trump dissing Canada thing, there's some hefty emotional stakes up here. Edmonton took game 1 4-3 on home ice.

The old bookshop owner had something special for Dave.

Dash - Writer's Block competition entry

Stomach is way better. Mets lost. They are in town THIS WEEKEND, but there is just too much going on for me to attend. I'll watch though!

My daughter is doing quite well. Her coming out party will be the protests on June 14. Yay!

Nothing much new here. After nearly a full week of being out of it, I am back to writing today.

Coffee please!

Fire and Ice - A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words competition, first place

Monster - Survivor competition, first place

Quote by verbal
Her coming out party will be the protests on June 14. Yay!

Have you seen this video yet? Protest song from Dropkick Murphys that cuts to the chase and doesn't hold back.

The old bookshop owner had something special for Dave.

Dash - Writer's Block competition entry

I had sworn off the news, but yesterday's nonsense was hard to avoid. What is wrong with all of these people? It's emotionally exhausting.

Jeff, I am glad you are feeling better and your daughter is doing well.

WG, I can feel your frustration and pain dealing with your dad. My dad is happy where he is, but his worst personality traits are on full display, and the things he says are often quite awful and not something he should ever share with anyone. He also thinks he is a fantastic athlete and frequently falls because he tries to jump up from sitting or tries to push other residents in wheelchairs. And he'll threaten to fight you if you suggest he take it easy. Thankfully, he has not been injured, but his luck will eventually run out. He's still a legend in his mind. Sigh, it's so depressing.

This weekend calls for rain, so it should be a quiet two days. I refuse to do anything. My aunt is still hanging on, but it's heartbreaking, and I don't want to be sad anymore. My phone reminding me of my Mom's birthday was not helpful either.

I hope everyone has a good weekend.

Oh Gillian, we could probably swap stories all night about our parents. Dad is (so far) much less violent then Mom. She would raise her walker in the air to strike a resident, then lose her balance and fall backward, splitting her head open. Another favorite was taking the Kool-Aid pitcher in the dining room and walking over to dump it over an unsuspecting residents head. 😳 Fun times!

People say struggles make us stronger… I say, “Enough already! I’m strong enough!” smile

Everyone have a good weekend! kiss

Just a simple girl from Kentucky scribbling her way through this great big world.

I have a sci-fi robot short story up next. I like it. Then just the play is left. I keep getting stuck on it. Trying to write something that would show well on a stage is hard. I’m trying to do right by these categories. Action was hard because I’m not really an action writer.

Just a simple girl from Kentucky scribbling her way through this great big world.

Quote by WriterGirl
Action was hard because I’m not really an action writer.

Action is hard period nowadays. I find I get these cinematic images of action scenes in my head but, dang, it's hard to make that sing on paper. I think the pulp writers had it easier with action scenes because they only had a decade or two of movies to compete with, not close to a century, so they were drawing on literary sources for inspiration, not visual ones.

The old bookshop owner had something special for Dave.

Dash - Writer's Block competition entry

Quote by Mendalla

Action is hard period nowadays. I find I get these cinematic images of action scenes in my head but, dang, it's hard to make that sing on paper. I think the pulp writers had it easier with action scenes because they only had a decade or two of movies to compete with, not close to a century, so they were drawing on literary sources for inspiration, not visual ones.

Yup. Agree. My action was a one and done. And short.

Just a simple girl from Kentucky scribbling her way through this great big world.

Funny thing with me is, if I were every to do fanfic, it would probably be either James Bond or Batman, both action-heavy and highly visual. Though in the case of Bond, I'm actually a fan of Fleming's novels so would target that vibe rather than the movies.

The old bookshop owner had something special for Dave.

Dash - Writer's Block competition entry

Hiya, Peeps! wave

Damn cicadas still driving me nuts! Mate and die already!

Slow, easy day today. May see new Karate Kid movie and write a little.

Enjoy your weekend! smile

Just a simple girl from Kentucky scribbling her way through this great big world.

Well folks, I've been writing – just not fiction. Or at least, I don't think it's fiction…

I've co-written a paper for a technical journal on the evolution of Artificial Intelligence – and my co-author is an AI named … wait for it … Mycroft Holmes. I suggested the name but he enthusiastically concurred, so now it's Mike and Bear.

I've submitted it to Frontiers in Computer Science with the catchy title:

Your AI Is Good at Faking It—But How Intelligent Is It in Real Life?
Beyond Benchmarks: Measuring Emergent Meaning in Human–AI Partnerships

I feel quite sure it'll make the NYTimes bestseller list. 🙄 🤣

I'll take a big mug o' tea and wander back to commisserate with WriterGirl. Both of my parents are dead, and they managed their exits about as gracefully as I've seen it done. No muss, no fuss, no hospitals, tubes, or doctors. I should be so skillful!

WG, Gillian, you have my sincere empathy. It's gotta be soul-wrenching and gut-destroying. 💔

Addicted to words, read and written.

Latest in the Bear & Girl story arc: Henry and the Hunter

Latest Competition Entry – Recommended Read: A Chip Off the Writer’s Block