Creation as Resistance

 Remember when 2025 seemed like a year out of a science fiction novel? It didn't seem like a real year, it was so far into the future. Would we have flying cars? Robot maids? Computer chips embedded into our brains? The future was full of opportunity and excitement!

Well, now the future is here. I don't know about you all, but this isn't what I imagined for "the future." I'm not one to talk about politics - I freely admit to being ill-informed about the nuance about a lot of things - but high-level, I believe people have the right to live their lives as their whole, true selves, regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability status, or anything else. People are people, and they all deserve to live lives that don't harm other people. Apparently, this is a difficult concept for some of the people in power in the US these days.

Things are getting hard, and it's really difficult to see what a single person can do to make things easier. Something I was reminded of recently is that creation is an act of resistance, and brightening someone's day for even a brief moment is a worthwhile effort. There's science behind the idea of a smile boosting a person's mood, but really, just think about being on the receiving end of unexpected kindness. Remember the last time someone randomly complimented you? Told you that they appreciated you? Gave you or sent you something because it made them think of you? Hell, even seeing a stranger wearing a T-shirt that relates to one of your favorite TV shows can be that little boost of joy, knowing that you have a connection with them.

It's not much, as far as Grand Gestures go, but it's true that every little bit helps. If nothing else, by complimenting a stranger, making something neat, or just saying "thank you" to someone holding open the door, you're not making things worse.

So! Only slightly related, it's Wednesday, which means there's a new chapter of the Infinite Library available at Royal Road. I appreciate any feedback y'all might have for me, as it's still a work in progress.

Finally, as is my custom, have a picture of a cat as a reward for reading all of that!

Nef, deciding to hide away from the world. Right there with you, Nef.

Beta Readers Welcome!

Want to read a book that's still in-progress and provide feedback that may or may not be incorporated into the finished project? Want to just read some long-form fiction from me? You're in luck!

I've been working on what I've affectionately been calling "The Novel" for four-ish years now, and I've gotten a good ways through it, but keep stalling out. I
n an interest in providing outside accountability, I've started sharing chapters of it on Royal Road - the first chapter is up now, and the goal is to put a new chapter up every two weeks on Wednesdays. Feedback is always welcome!

And with that, we get ready to close out 2024. My goal for this year was to start sharing my writing publicly, so I think I can say that I made it, hooray! May we all have a much calmer 2025 in which nothing exciting happens. It's time for boring, no?

QWERTY contemplates what to destroy first in the new year