Passing for local could be life or death. A British spy in WWII might lose everything over the way a button was sewn, or how he held up three fingers. It’s the tiniest details that betray us—on the battlefield, in foreign lands, or even just trying to order coffee after moving countries. Trust me: I’ve lived it. The wrong Tuesday nearly gave me a migraine.
You know the feeling: you open your email and the unread counter just says “999+” because the program can’t count any higher. You scroll—and scroll—and scroll—only to see repeat subject lines from people who’ve pinged you three times because you never answered the first one. Maybe you’ve just come back from holiday, maybe a life-event set the world texting and emailing you, or maybe you simply haven’t wrangled your inbox in a while. Whatever the cause, you’ve got a big, sick-making inbox on your hands.
What if, instead of waiting for those rare marathon writing sessions, you fit your writing into the cracks of your day—one or two hours at a time? Puzzle-Piece Scheduling is about breaking your writing into smaller chunks that still add up to real progress. It’s not about being perfect—it’s about being consistent. Even short sprints can keep your story warm and moving forward.
Romance in science fiction isn’t a takeover. It’s an infusion. A graft that’s thriving—and in some ways, it may be what’s keeping the heart of genre fiction beating.
Ever felt that gut-punch of inadequacy scrolling past yet another impossibly slender model? I’ve spent years battling that feeling—until I stumbled upon a dead-simple image hack that flipped the script on photoshopped perfection. This post dives into the body distortion we’re fed daily, and the oddly calming trick that helped me reclaim a little peace (and joy in fashion again).
I adored Season 1 of The Last of Us—not because it echoed the game (I’ve never dared touch the game), but because it gave us that rare, aching dynamic: a broken man given one last chance to do right, and a broken girl who just might live through it. Then Season 2 came along and killed Joel with a golf club. In Episode 2. And just like that, the show lost its soul.
Mark Manson recently released a 4.5-hour video on how to stop procrastinating—which sounds like a great way to procrastinate for 4.5 hours. At The Productive Indie Fiction Writer, we’ve tackled this beast from every angle. This post pulls together some greatest hits, a few uncomfortably true quotes, and a flexible mindset to help you find your way around the monster.
Who should control space? As satellites multiply and commercial players crowd low Earth orbit, the old question of ownership gives way to something trickier: governance. From traffic control to peacekeeping, enforcing rules in orbit isn’t just hard—it may be impossible in the traditional sense. But if no one can own space, does anyone have the right—or responsibility—to police it? This post explores the real-world state of space management, the challenges of enforcement, and how science fiction—from Star Cops to The Ptolemy Lane Tales—offers unexpected insight into the future of orbital order.
Can we talk about the death grip serial killers have on romantic suspense?
Ah, “high production costs.” The new “it’s not you, it’s me” of the streaming world.
First it was Andor, quietly sliced from five seasons to two. Now it’s The Wheel of Time, which spun valiantly for three seasons on Prime Video before the thread was abruptly severed—despite critical acclaim and a devout fanbase. “Too expensive,” they say. “Too complex.” As if they didn’t know, going in, that adapting a sprawling 14-book fantasy epic might require some…commitment?
