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screwturn

@[email protected]

60+ three-time immigrant, whose life in Africa, Australia, and America, work with industrial and medical quality & safety, and obsession with mortality data and accidents, results in morbid short stories.

I write fiction #shortstories that are like “Final Destination” meets “The Monkey’s Paw” (W. W. Jacobs, 1902). A little bit Poe, a touch of Dahl, and a hint of Gorey.

When I am not writing, I do bare-bow archery, walk a husky, and pick up other people's litter.
#writer #author #fiction

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@Binder@petrous.vislae.town avatar Binder , to random

The wages of sin are the wages of tan multiplied by the wages of cos.

screwturn ,
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@Binder
Sec me out, I got best cot

@Binder@petrous.vislae.town avatar Binder , to random

The dignity of nattering.

screwturn ,
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@Binder
I love natterers.
Tell me more about the daisies at the bottom of your garden, and which brand of Worcestershire sauce you like most on your pie

@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar futurebird , to random

Was there ever a newspaper called “The New York Daily Mail” I’m seeing a reference to the April 16 issue from 1924 (about a landslide) and disappointed that I can’t find archives online.

The paper doesn’t even have a wikipedia page so maybe it is fictional? (it was in a book of fiction)

screwturn ,
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@futurebird
I checked EBSCO historical reference, and no luck.
Hopefully one of your followers has a LexisNexis account and can look.

@aeva@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar aeva , (edited ) to random

for all you beautiful hard working professional computer touchers out there:

"my day job has me making the world a ____ place"

(be honest, don't just repeat what your CEO says)

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@aeva
Survivable

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

Many of you are going to be pissed off with this statement, but LLMs are actually rather useful in doing an editing pass over a manuscript. They have some very weird oversights, like not seeing commas or capitalization where those do exist, and also seeing backslashes where they don't.

But they do spot name inconsistencies, give good capitalization and punctuation advice, and spot when incorrect character names are used - Like when I inadvertently called "Lia", "Lea" or "Agnes" became "Agatha"

@bobonbooks@mindly.social avatar bobonbooks , to random

Question of the Day: Where would you rather be, in a well-stocked, chain bookstore, or an old used bookstore with miles of shelves?

screwturn ,
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@bobonbooks
Will the old bookstore let me just sit in a corner and write?

@theverge@flipboard.com avatar theverge , to random

Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month
https://www.theverge.com/tech/875309/discord-age-verification-global-roll-out?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

Posted into Tech News @

screwturn ,
@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar

That is actually worse.

Their underlying security posture and capability is bad, and adding biometric data on top in an effort to make it more secure, just means that peoples biometric data will also be stolen, and then weaken the use of biometric screening everywhere else.

Discord in inherently flawed and compromisable, adding a new pain job doesn't change that

@ @

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

Feb. 8: How do you define a book? Do audio books and graphic novels fit your definition?

I don't
I also don't care whether audio or graphic novel fit anything.

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

Dear

As a and , there are a few things of which I would like to remind you.

Firstly, covers, titles, blurbs are seldom under full control of the , if at all. If they went through a traditional publisher, even less so.

But this is the least of it.

The entire publishing industry, which includes you, is a nasty, predatory, and exploitative machine that sucks in, chews them, and often dumps their corpses

screwturn OP ,
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There are gatekeepers and tolls at every corner, and bandstands lining the literary path, filled with scolds who are eager to proclaim lists of rules and criteria for writing to be considered "good"

The net effect is that writing easily becomes torture, and writers often give up or die because of the mountainous barriers and the predatory practices that about. Suicide amongst writers is around double that of the general public, and this environment plays a role.

Just saying

screwturn OP ,
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Now, just to touch on some finance and time issues

Yeah, a better cover would be great, and maybe another editing pass would improve the work, but let's talk about the money and then the time

The typical book gets a tiny advance (trad pub), and doesn't earn out. For an indie author, same, but worse. Typically, a book might earn $200-$1000 in the first year. Just dwell there a moment. It takes most authors a year or two to write a book

A cover costs $350 on average
Editing $500-$1000
Plus ...

screwturn OP ,
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That's just "basic" editing. A full edit runs many thousands

Bottom line, many of the things that would "make the book better" are direct and likely irrecoverable costs that the writer pays

Now time

There are a lot of pundits out there saying that the marketing of a book should be 20%-50% of their time.
Think about that
The thing that actually drives me as a writer, the actual writing, needs to be put aside to make space for blogging about the book, chasing reviews, signing events, interviews

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

Jan 27. Are you good at threading needles?

I was before my cataract surgery. I was short sighted and could essentially bring the needle right up to my eye and focus on something a few millimeters away. After surgery, I need reading glasses and a magnifying glass.

My hand tremor has always been a thing, but I learned how to stabilize in order to solder, wire-wrap, or do fine work.

Now the two problems combine forces and threading a needle or soldering is an adventure

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

"sinkhole of sniveling cowardice"

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

day 26: What is your current project teaching you, craft-wise or personally?

That the work after completing the writing, proof-reading, beta-reading, editing, and packaging a novel, is tedious, Byzantine, and filled with people who have their hand out for money - to create cover art, review, list, stock, or sell your book

Like there is apparently an entire industry of people who sell lists of reviewers, or will review your book for a fee, or will charge for advice on getting one

screwturn OP ,
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For example

Here is a site that will eagerly charge a writer to promote an ARC

screwturn OP ,
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Like think about that a moment.

This isn't to actually read and respond to an ARC.
This is just a gatekeeper who wants to charge a writer money to LIST their ARC to people who want to read ARCs. They at least don't charge the readers, which I suppose is a small blessing.

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

Hey and people,

Can you recommend a or that does the more complex noire books?

I have a bit of a genre problem, and my book is in a liminal space where modern-noire, thriller, mystery, suspense, and goth intersect

Here's the press release blog with details and a link to the book

https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/26263842-book-release-announcement

Portrait image of the main character. Wednesday Adams kind of pale girl with green eyes and dark hair in purple-ribboned pigtails, with a blank and menacing stare
ALT
@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

Q4: Do you have a trick or process you can use to heighten or mitigate the effects of ‘it’? Please share your ideas.

I have three tricks

  • Ignore it. Just write and self publish
  • Deflect it. Focus on writing, attending weekly writing group meetings, and doing all the "writerly" things writers are supposed to do
  • Embrace my version of it. Not joining FB, or create a book webpage. Do send a weekly newsletter, post on social media, do a GoodReads blog, and email press releases

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

Q2: Does ‘it’ only affect one aspect of your craft, or all aspects of your creativity and making, and how?

It eats creative time and energy.
In the five days I have been fooling about with a "press release", I have done zero writing. It not only steals my time, but it also drains my creativity.

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

I love that people do on Fedi, but I always wonder what their selection process is for deciding what book ends up on their

It's ok to review books on the Amazon bestseller list or on the NYT list, but those sorts of lists tend to boost the traditional publishers at the cost of the

So if you review books, please cast your net out a bit further, and sample some of the indie books

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

So
It's midwinter and the coldest month of the year, and today is so warm in Denver, that people are in the park in shorts and t-shirts

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

Question please to current

Deirdre is otherwise very pretty, but at 14, the left side of her face was badly burnt by a firework. She rejected cosmetic surgery, although she agreed to lip, ear, and eyelid reconstruction, as well as some bone work. Her left eye is blind and entirely white.

She usually wears her black hair down and over that side of her face

You glanced a bit too long at this hair habit, and now she looks directly at you, and sweeps the curtain of hair aside

Your reaction?

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

So far, every time I see this sentiment, a tiny bit of scratching reveals someone who wants to steal the work of writers.

I get the whole resistance to DRM thing, and I can see where some publishers and some high-profile writers get very litigious, but for the most part, a writer asking that people don't copy and resell their works is not a huge barrier for readers.

https://mastodon.social/@cmconseils/115683427878737601

@FediTips@social.growyourown.services avatar FediTips , to random

BookWyrm is a Fediverse alternative to Amazon's Goodreads. It lets people keep track of their books, publish reviews and discover new titles. Find out more about BookWyrm at:

➡️ https://fedi.tips/bookwyrm-a-social-network-for-people-who-enjoy-reading

There's a list of servers you can sign up on at:

➡️ https://joinbookwyrm.com/instances

(The flagship is overcrowded, you might want to use a different server.)

You can import your data from Goodreads, LibraryThing, StoryGraph, OpenLibrary or Calibre:

➡️ https://fedi.tips/importing-your-data-into-bookwyrm-from-goodreads-librarything-storygraph-openlibrary-or-calibre

screwturn ,
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@FediTips

But has no author component

screwturn ,
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@FediTips

So ... as much as I hate that Amazon runs GoodReads, they have a specific section for authors to blog, engage with readers, and link their books. They have created a full-spectrum platform

Bookwyrm caters only to the reader, and has no similar author features.

@lowqualityfacts@mstdn.social avatar lowqualityfacts , to random

It's only right.

Every NASA employee must be cremated and have their ashes shot into space.
ALT
screwturn ,
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@lowqualityfacts
Hopefully only after they die of other causes?

@stux@mstdn.social avatar stux , to random

Politicians should probably held twice or five times more accountable than any other job

Maybe we would end up with less nutjobs in power

Just a random thought

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@stux
Yup, same as cops.
They should get at least twice the penalty

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

- 16 Nov. How much work goes into naming your characters?

Sometimes a lot, and the name has foreshadowing implications
Sometimes a little, and I invite people on Mastodon to suggest a name. Especially a name of a person that needs to come to a sticky end.
Sometimes no effort beyond using a fake name geberator

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

No US government officials will attend this year's G-20 summit in South Africa, says President Trump, citing the country’s treatment of white farmers.

screwturn ,
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@w7voa

South Africa says, that's fine baba, we'll carry on without you

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

Hey @alice @h3mmy I have a request.

What is your take on someone who wears what you see here, and what else are they wearing? Who are they? What sort of person? What are they into? What work do they do? Coffee or tea? Beer or wine? etc.

screwturn OP ,
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@alice @h3mmy

OMG what a delightful description!
Thanks both, this is very helpful.

On a different topic, I was in a discussion in writers group this week and the topic came up about "man writes woman", and I must admit, that these days I am almost ONLY writing women. Like the Joy stories have almost nobody in MC roles that isn't a woman, and May is all women.

So, honest answer please, are my female characters cringe or am I doing this right?

screwturn OP ,
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@alice

Oh, didn't know the coffee thing

But

  • unfiltered clove cigarettes - oh yuck, also emphysema
  • hand-rolled unfiltered cigarettes - I used to roll my own, but it's a schlep
  • Jägermeister shots - oh yuck gross eww. JM is like downing mouthwash. Brandy, yes. Cognac, sure. JM, no, I prefer chugging diesel

@agturcz @h3mmy

screwturn OP ,
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@alice @h3mmy

Thanks, good to know.

I did one cleavage scene. Joy used boobs as a distraction and then shot my dude
Tingling in the crotch... hmm sounds fatal. I did a guy with crotch tingle, and then his electronic chastity belt was hacked and burst into flames

screwturn OP ,
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@alice

"They're all social signals"

Totally underappreciated thought.
Soooo much of human behavior, preferences, and thinking is "this is the group I am in, this is what we value"

@Stoori @h3mmy @agturcz

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

The correct setting shown here is:

  1. New Year celebration
  2. Christmas do
  3. Halloween
  4. May Day
  5. Trans-inclusion week
  6. Gothaday celebration
  7. BDSM appreciation week
  8. Wiccan celebration
  9. ?
person in fishnet stocking standing facing camera in above-ankle shiny studded stiletto-heel boots, on a wooden floor. Stage left background are some miniature fluffy snowpeople, maybe a tiny tree, and a whit furry head with a red brimless wizard hat whit a white eight-pointed star emblem in front
ALT
@lowqualityfacts@mstdn.social avatar lowqualityfacts , to random

I would like to see the new freak.

Russian scientists have successfully crossbred an owl and an orangutan together to create the first-ever owlangutan.
ALT
screwturn ,
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@lowqualityfacts
What a hoot!

18+ @alice@lgbtqia.space avatar alice , to random

In celebration of sexy costumes and all the work that was done today to make Fedi safer for adult content creators, here's my end of the bargain.

Happy Halloween :Blobhaj_Pumpkin_Face: Enjoy 💝

-text

Bunny-Alice sits on a full-length pink fur coat which sprawls across the bed, glass of champagne in hand, black yoga pants hiked down to their knee-high white fur leg warmers, exposing Bunny-Alice's long, muscular thighs. Alice arches their back, white fur crop top hanging off their perky tits, bare midriff on full display. Everything here looks like a pleasure to touch—so soft, so smooth, so willing.
Bunny-Alice sits, knees together on a pink fur coat. Alice's pert tits are framed by their short white fur crop-top which matches their knee-high fur leg warmers. Bunny-Alice's tight black yoga pants have been rolled down, exposing their navy blue panties and curvy hips—curves that would make a perfect place to rest your hands, if you found yourself needing to hold on to something.
Bunny-Alice glances back over their shoulder, ears perked, eyes wide—"is someone there?" they whisper, cautiously. They freeze, mid-step, one long, powerful leg raised up, the other still planted on the ground. Their slender body twists as they peer around for signs of predators—the kind who might lie waiting, drooling at the thought of sinking their teeth into Alice's beautiful heart-shaped ass. The kind that might want to play with their food before finishing Alice off, perhaps by nibbling along their lean thighs, mauling their perky tits, or burying their face between Alice's legs and tasting their little enby muff.

Bunny-Alice glances back over their shoulder, ears perked, eyes wide—"is someone there?" they whisper, cautiously. They freeze, mid-step, one long, powerful leg raised up, the other still planted on the ground. Their slender body twists as they peer around for signs of predators—the kind who might lie waiting, drooling at the thought of sinking their teeth into Alice's beautiful heart-shaped ass. The kind that might want to play with their food before finishing Alice off, perhaps by nibbling along their lean thighs, mauling their perky tits, or burying their face between Alice's legs and tasting their little enby muff.
ALT
screwturn ,
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@agturcz @alice
Sadly, whenever I try writing erotica, someone ends up slipping on something and breaking their neck, or the hot babe turns out to be a serial killer

screwturn ,
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@alice
Would that be like JD dry-humping a well-upholstered couch?

@agturcz

@nixCraft@mastodon.social avatar nixCraft , to random

Before ChatGPT, Nvidia was a modest $400 billion. Now, at $5.1 trillion, it's clear they've simply discovered the cheat code for infinite market cap. This isn't a company, it's a glitch in the Matrix... and it's probably running on an Nvidia GPU. This is gonna crash so hard because it is not sustainable.

A screenshot of Nvidia market cap from Google
ALT
screwturn ,
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@nixCraft the risk of unplanned success

@ProPublica@newsie.social avatar ProPublica , to random

Russell Vought is the architect of President Trump’s broader plan to fire civil servants, freeze government programs and dismantle entire agencies. Here are some key things to know about the D.C. insider who wants to take a hatchet to the federal government.

https://www.propublica.org/article/about-russell-vought-trump-shadow-president?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

screwturn ,
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@ProPublica
I hope for his sake that he has a plan to disappear once an enraged and injured horde come looking to get a pound of flesh

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

Hey @alice @h3mmy

I am starting to put down ideas about Joy and Colette's daughter.
One of the thoughts is whether and how she interacts with the two of you.

You would be maybe 20 years older than you are now, she is different to Joy - she gets guidance and structure where Joy didn't, she has two nurturing mothers, and she gets a lot of early exposure and training in the "dark arts" that Joy has developed.

So how do you react to meeting her?
What questions are in your mind?
What concerns?

screwturn OP ,
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@h3mmy @alice
My current feeling is that where Joy was silent, avoided contact and visibility, and used a lot of props to hide herself, Adele is going to be boisterous, loud, visible, but with a masking that you as reader just can't exactly see through.

You aren't going to know if she is actually Joy with a really good cover story, or if this is who she really is.

I am going to try to make her unreliably unreliable as a narrator and that you want to believe what she says and shows

screwturn OP ,
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@h3mmy @alice

Food for thought then - If Adele said what you just did, you aren't going to be entirely sure if she is being honest or lying, but she will come across as friendly and believable. Maybe what she said is true, and she can't quite tell if you are hungry, but maybe she read your body language perfectly.

I think she is going to be really interesting to write, but a whole bunch harder than Joy, Jenna, or Colette

@georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random

These aren’t “kids,” JD.

image/jpeg

screwturn ,
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@georgetakei
Weird conceptualization of age

embryo: child
35yr old: teen

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

814 — Your MC or SC meets a vampire. What do they do?

Lilith would recruit them, because she is a vampire queen and runs a clinic for elderly vampires. Joy is a psychopath and really doesn't care if someone is a vampire, so long as they aren't harming women or threatening her family - in which case, their is going to be some focused violence and a vampire turned to dust.

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

I am grimly plodding through the five-volume "Game of Thrones" book. The writing is good, the world-building is very good, but holy whack, there are just So. Many. Characters.

At this point I just want to read about Arya. Jon Snow is boring, Brienne is boring, Sansa is irritating, Danearys is a twit, the Red Queen is a ninny, all these other two dozen characters like Davos, and Theon, and whoever are just tedious. Tyrion is entertaining and a useful character, but good grief just too many arcs

@screwturn@mastodon.social avatar screwturn , to random

Hey @autolycos

Scenario in which a surgeon is a psychopath and she ends up stranded at a mountain hotel with a bunch of people. Shades of The Shining. One guy is an irritating lecherous tease who annoys the women and is sneaky aggressive.

In the kitchen, dude does something annoying
Woman 1: such an asshole. you make life worse for everyone
W2: real sociopath
Surgeon: Purses lips, that isn't a real thing. Psychopaths are real, sociopaths aren't
Guy: what if I am a psychopath?
S: naw
/2

screwturn OP ,
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  1. Is is likely a psychopath would self-identify like that
  2. how much injury can I expect from freshly brewed coffee in a preheated insulated mug. Let's assume she splashes ~50-75 ml into his shoe
  3. ditto injury from ~250 ml in the face
  4. Assume she rotates the mug so the base is in her palm and repeatedly strikes him in the head with the mouth. Where is the injury site most likely to be fatal? Triangle of death? forehead? Neck? Temporal?

@autolycos