As a huge fan of Alexander Skarsgård (The East! Murderbot!) passing through a gas station often triggers fond memories of his scene in Zoolander hahaha. Looking forward to Wicker!

I am buzzing with excitement: my new flash piece "Third Date" is out in PseudoPod! Listen to it or read it here:

PseudoPod 🎙️@pseudopod.org · 5d ago

PseudoPod 1040: Flash on the Borderlands LXXIX (79): Ubi amor, ibi dolor • A Table Set and Waiting, by Jordan Shiveley • Third Date, by Divya Kernan • You’re Still Here, by Thea Liu • 9 Steps to Dissecting a Ghost, by Jeanna Cammarano Multiple content warnings: see website for details

Every now and then, I wish Colin Firth had played Chéri in his youth. Then he would have gifted us the perfect embodied trifecta of male characters: Valmont, Chéri and Darcy.

Gentle chaos and reading intent ^^

Immigrant Punk@porcupunk.eurosky.social · last wk.

Enough of the horrors and doom scrolling. Let's talk about something fun. How do you arrange your books?

Gently dozing off with a friend's manuscript in hand, while laundry dries on the line and the sun bathes cornfields. Have I stepped into a cosy summer slice of life or at last unlocked cottage witch mode ><?

Every once in a while, I think of "What Of This Goldfish Would You Wish?" by E. Keret. It is by far my favorite take on the three wishes tale. Such precise subversion of expectations to reveal the warmest core!

The absolute thrill of creating a new *Secret Project* file... [Sorry current WIP, I'll be back]

Thrilled to have my story "Love for the Artist" out in Strange Pilgrims: www.strangepilgrims.com/p/love-for-t...

Love for the Artist by Divya Kernan

"I own a man. I don’t fuck him—" | Flash Fiction #8

strangepilgrims.com

Writing speculative fiction, a lot of my effort goes into providing enough details for the reader to happily suspend disbelief. Funnily, I've noticed that it is always the elements directly lifted from reality that people challenge most. I guess life is often stranger than fiction?

For a girl who eats up dramatic storytelling, days that start with quiet narratives only to devolve into unhinged laughter are the ultimate, flavorful experience. What is one to do but embrace one's absolute delight in horrific chaos? 😅

The half of my desk that lets me pretend for just a lick of a second I am a serious person. [Posting as a reward for meeting my daily goal]

Personal objective: Finish Novel #3 before July 14 Quest level: Impossible (like all good goals) Protocol: Ignore all distractions Side Quest: Maintain human form (hahaha as if)

Saw this exhilarating urban art show today: We Are [Still] Here. What moved me most was how some of the contemporary pieces were hidden within the historical collection. It made for a sweet treasure hunt.

As I grew up devouring a large number of regency romance novels among my first english reads, odd turns of phrases are part of my linguistic idiosyncrasies ↓

Belatedly getting myself "Platform Decay" by Martha Wells 😁 So excited to go back to that universe!

Got my first acceptance of the year last night (thank you Summer Solstice?)... and gosh, am I excited for this story to get out into the world so very soon!

Pushing through to finish the current novel, whilst another story tries to colonize your whole mind, dropping new plot twists in your lap every other moment, is a heroine's journey

How I fancy myself after one hour and a half of fencing practice:

Spending several hours to figure out a character's "original wound" only to realize, damn, it's that one toxic misbelief you thought you personally defeated years ago... but sure enough, here it is again 😅

When your GM texts you, you're going to need your teddy for the grand finale of the campaign... 😱

1012 words for #1000wordsofsummer fueled by a shameless amount of looping Pacific Rim OST. Dirty draft but it exists!

Today felt like pulling teeth but still got to 1056 words of climax! Only thanks to #1000wordsofsummer: a little accountability goes a long way.

Started #1000wordsofsummer two days late, but with a joyful heart and a sense of possibilities. Today's reason to hit the target resonated deeply: "to create new opportunities." Got to 1010 words for the first time in months 😊

When Brain gets too loud, playing Tetris feels surprisingly like a manual reboot. Glad to have that option 😅

Our Anthologies and Collections call is still open. We’ve seen several amazing Collections – we’re a bit lighter on anthologies. Are you a publisher with a 2026 anthology lurking around the place? We’d love to see it! We’ll feed it and pet it and everything. Send us the whole book – link below 👇

Got so engrossed with my story today, I almost left the house wearing slippers. That, or I need to eat more protein

The urge to write the new shiny project instead of finishing up the main WIP 😬... Well, let's make drafting time a reward for each significant edit

I'm just one person trying to compete in a busy algorithm but still hoping to remind you that 1000 Words of Summer starts this coming Saturday, May 30. Our ninth year of writing 1000 Words a day alongside thousands of other people for two weeks straight. 1000wordsofsummer.substack.com/about

About - CRAFT TALK

CRAFT TALK is a weekly newsletter about writing, creativity and productivity from author Jami Attenberg. This is also the home of #1000wordsofsummer, where, once a year, we write 1000 words a day toge...

1000wordsofsummer.substack.com

Slightly meta craft thought: what if the gap between romance and love lies in the difference between storytelling and conversation?