These are great rules for anyone, even if you aren't a writer.

The post George Orwell shared ‘6 rules for writing’ in 1946. People say they’re more essential than ever. appeared first on Upworthy.

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George Orwell shared ‘6 rules for writing’ in 1946. People say they’re more essential than ever.

The Last American Road Trip by Sarah Kendzior #books #literature #dedication

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For my beloved family, and our elusive dreams

Disappearing Scrapbooks
The fate of Willa Cather’s archives, real and fictional.

By Liz Cettina

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/willa-cather-archive-unl-cdrh-scrapbooks-letters-materiality/?utm_source=Los+Angeles+Review+of+Books+Subscribers&utm_campaign=4f2d70cdac-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_06_18_06_07&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-4f2d70cdac-346160725&mc_cid=4f2d70cdac&mc_eid=dcb55ac191

Books by Willa Cather at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/22

#books #literature

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Photograph of Willa Cather by Van Vechten; smiling; looking toward the camera. (1936) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willa_Cather#/media/File:Cather_Van_Vechten.jpg

43 of the Most Iconic Short Stories in the English Language
From Washington Irving to Kristen Roupenian

by Emily Temple

https://lithub.com/43-of-the-most-iconic-short-stories-in-the-english-language/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_id=01KVN7055WWMVWMPK8VZ5RACV2&_kx=3MZUehzXM-41qlWAMPUiuNZadX2p0SByuNf_t0eMLB0.U5D8ER

Some Iconic Short Stories at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60976
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2148
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11231
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/375
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1952
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/209
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27411
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12122
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7256
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2814
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5200

#Books #Literature

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Cover image of the book Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and translated by David Wyllie. It features an illustration of a distressed man covering his face near an open door, evoking the story's themes of horror and alienation. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/5200/pg5200-images.html

🌕🖤 Un cuento donde el hambre, la desaparición y el abandono toman forma de pesadilla. Berto busca a su familia entre promesas rotas, mientras descubre que la luna nunca se come todo...
https://fictograma.com/d/3289-lo-que-no-se-come-la-luna

#books #literature #writing

No es un portazo. Es un martes cualquiera. Decís algo y del otro lado llega una respuesta seca, el teléfono, la mirada que se va. No discutís. Solo entendés, en silencio, que ya no estás cayendo en el mismo lugar...
https://fictograma.com/d/3290-el-numero-invisible

#books #literature #writing

Después del incendio de las crisis y la penumbra del cansancio, llegas al Blanco: no es vacío, es luz total donde todos los colores del dolor se funden en paz. La salud mental no es un destino, es un cristal que...
https://fictograma.com/d/3291-codigo-blanco-el-cristal-de-la-mente

#books #literature #writing

FLAT. A bubble, gull, or silly fellow.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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#books #literature #dictionaries #history #society #language #slang @histodons

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): FLAT. A bubble, gull, or silly fellow. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

📖 #RestosDeAlmasRotas Cap. 23: Mariposas 🦋

Entre un desayuno cálido y conversaciones incómodas, Aiden y Erina muestran nuevas facetas de sí mismos. Mientras el campamento ofrece un respiro...
https://fictograma.com/d/3294-restos-de-almas-rotas-capitulo-23

#books #literature #writing

"There are limits beyond which your folly will not carry you. I am glad of that. In fact, I am relieved."

#literature

Cada vez que parpadeo, la realidad desaparece. Hoy el oftalmólogo me dijo que estoy perdiendo la vista. Poco a poco mi mundo se oscurece.

Y ustedes siguen.
https://fictograma.com/d/3295-mueren-los-angeles-cuando-dios-pestanea

#books #literature #writing

Break My Heart, Take Me Home by Gigi Guldas #books #literature #dedication

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To all the lovers—past, present, or stranger—and those who may see pieces of themselves here.

☕📈 Enzo descubre que las medialunas pueden alterar mercados más que Wall Street. Entre Batman vs. Iron Man, cafés interminables y una inesperada reacción de Zurin ante una guitarra..
https://fictograma.com/d/3286-hora-extra-cap-013-enzo

#books #literature #writing

🍦😂 En una heladería, Ruan demuestra científicamente que la frutilla es una conspiración social, que la menta granizada debería ser ilegal y que el sabor de helado revela más de...
https://fictograma.com/d/3287-hora-extra-cap-014-ruan

#books #literature #writing

🥤😂 Enzo descubre que sobrevivir al recreo cuesta una Coca Zero. Entre teorías absurdas, guitarras acústicas y una Zurin más peligrosa que un examen...
https://fictograma.com/d/3288-hora-extra-cap-015-especial

#books #literature #writing

🌕🖤 Un cuento donde el hambre, la desaparición y el abandono toman forma de pesadilla. Berto busca a su familia entre promesas rotas, mientras descubre que la luna nunca se come todo...
https://fictograma.com/d/3289-lo-que-no-se-come-la-luna

#books #literature #writing

No es un portazo. Es un martes cualquiera. Decís algo y del otro lado llega una respuesta seca, el teléfono, la mirada que se va. No discutís. Solo entendés, en silencio, que ya no estás cayendo...
https://fictograma.com/d/3290-el-numero-invisible

#books #literature #writing

Después del incendio de las crisis y la penumbra del cansancio, llegas al Blanco: no es vacío, es luz total donde todos los colores del dolor se funden en paz. La salud mental no es...
https://fictograma.com/d/3291-codigo-blanco-el-cristal-de-la-mente

#books #literature #writing

Greg lanzó a Mérida al otro edificio con una fuerza brutal mientras “Los Bolos” los acorralaban. Balas, puñaladas y sangre por todas partes. Pero al volver… una moto, un disparo preciso...
https://fictograma.com/d/3293-el-cuerno-del-toro-capitulo-7

#books #literature #writing

📖 #RestosDeAlmasRotas Cap. 23: Mariposas 🦋

Entre un desayuno cálido y conversaciones incómodas, Aiden y Erina muestran nuevas facetas de sí mismos. Mientras el campamento ofrece un...
https://fictograma.com/d/3294-restos-de-almas-rotas-capitulo-23

#books #literature #writing

What can Jane Austen teach us about today's landed gentry in the United States?

A lot.

Dr. Sarah Taber explains:

https://youtu.be/rbcVCDr6PZI

#farming #gentry #literature #economy #FarmToTaber

"There is more to a science fiction story than the science it contains. There is also the story."

#literature

Cada vez que parpadeo, la realidad desaparece. Hoy el oftalmólogo me dijo que estoy perdiendo la vista. Poco a poco mi mundo se oscurece.

Y ustedes siguen.
https://fictograma.com/d/3295-mueren-los-angeles-cuando-dios-pestanea

#books #literature #writing

The Striker by Ana Huang #books #literature #dedication

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To loving every version of yourself, even the ones you want to leave behind.

☕📈 Enzo descubre que las medialunas pueden alterar mercados más que Wall Street. Entre Batman vs. Iron Man, cafés interminables y una inesperada reacción de Zurin ante una guitarra..
https://fictograma.com/d/3286-hora-extra-cap-013-enzo

#books #literature #writing

🍦😂 En una heladería, Ruan demuestra científicamente que la frutilla es una conspiración social, que la menta granizada debería ser ilegal y que el sabor de helado revela más de...
https://fictograma.com/d/3287-hora-extra-cap-014-ruan

#books #literature #writing

🥤😂 Enzo descubre que sobrevivir al recreo cuesta una Coca Zero. Entre teorías absurdas, guitarras acústicas y una Zurin más peligrosa que un examen...
https://fictograma.com/d/3288-hora-extra-cap-015-especial

#books #literature #writing

Words of the Wild
Deadline 12 July 2026

The Scottish Wildlife Trust’s nature writing competition is back for a third year. The 2026 theme is “changing seasons”. Submissions can be in English, Gaelic, or Scots, up to 1,000 words long & written in any form.

@writerscommunity

https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/wordsofthewild/competition/

#Scottish #literature #naturewriting #writingcompetition #writerscommunity #iamwriting #gaidhlig #Gaelic #Scots #Scotslanguage

Martha C. Nussbaum, _El conocimiento del amor: ensayos sobre filosofía y literatura_.

#libros #literatura #books #literature #filosofía

Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They're Too Much by Cynthia Erivo #books #literature #dedication

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I want to dedicate this book to: Stephanie, a fearless traveler who hasn't even begun to see how fiercely brilliant she is. I see it. To the one I love: You see me, and you ask me to expand every day and I am grateful for it. To my mother, the original lioness who has always believed I could be whatever I want to be. To every single being trying their hardest to discover who they are, whilst existing in circumstances that don't allow for them to feel safe or supported; you have my deepest admiration.

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑵𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝑬𝒑𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒅𝒆 - 7.01 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝑷𝒕 1: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝑰𝒍𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏

https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/grand-tours-pt-1/

#frictionalreading #booksandsociety #literarygeography #readingforchange #bookphilosophy #literarypodcast #bookpodcast #criticalreading #literarycriticism #readingcommunity #bookdiscussion #travelwriting #travelogues #intellectual #literature #podcast #books #reading #bookclub #booktube #literarylovers #booklovers #bookworm

the back-en turnt grey
the colourt wuids wis wae an wan
ye’d taen the auld auld road, man
an left the rosie leaf ahint…

—Brian Holton, “For Ma Faither”
1st Prize winner for Scots in the inaugural Tannahill Poetry Competition, 2017

https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/for-ma-faither/

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #fathers #FathersDay #Scots #Scotslanguage

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For Ma Faither Brian Holton In Memoriam Cyril Stanley Holton the back-en turnt grey the colourt wuids wis wae an wan ye’d taen the auld auld road, man an left the rosie leaf ahint the spring wis late o comin nae heat, nae graith wis gien ti the hill an aa the wells o christentie cudna slocken the drouth at cam an checkt oor season then nae cauldrife bed for you, man, reishlt wi the wund ye tuik the simmer’s lang white road whaur lichtsome hills is daft wi sang an siller watter rummles doun the linn the herd hed come ti lead ye in to set ye on yir auld white road the birselt hill abune ye, the sweit upon yir brou rinnin doun the tropic road yir lane A mind ye yet, ye chairmer, an mercy me in ither airts oo’ll aiblins meet, afore lang gae – a gairden mebbes, whaur ye’ll turn an fauld uis, ma weill-luvit an ma absent dear ma gowd wis turnt ti bress then an aa ma joys wis turn ti leid in the birselt wearie days o hairst-en ye tuik the bitter road, the auld white road, an ran the back-en wis grey as stane, man, the colourt wuids wis pale an wan ye tuik the auld auld road, man an aa yir warkin days wis dune

Lying asleep walking
Last night I met my father
Who seemed pleased to see me.
He wanted to speak. I saw
His mouth saying something
But the dream had no sound…

—W.S. Graham, “To Alexander Graham”
published in Collected Poems 1942–1977 (Faber, 1979)

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48732/to-alexander-graham

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #20thcentury #fathers #FathersDay

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To Alexander Graham by W. S. Graham Lying asleep walking Last night I met my father Who seemed pleased to see me. He wanted to speak. I saw His mouth saying something But the dream had no sound. We were surrounded by Laid-up paddle steamers In The Old Quay in Greenock. I smelt the tar and the ropes. It seemed that I was standing Beside the big iron cannon The tugs used to tie up to When I was a boy. I turned To see Dad standing just Across the causeway under That one lamp they keep on. He recognised me immediately. I could see that. He was The handsome, same age With his good brows as when He would take me on Sundays Saying we’ll go for a walk. Dad, what am I doing here? What is it I am doing now? Are you proud of me? Going away, I knew You wanted to tell me something. You stopped and almost turned back To say something. My father, I try to be the best In you you give me always. Lying asleep turning Round in the quay-lit dark It was my father standing As real as life. I smelt The quay’s tar and the ropes. I think he wanted to speak. But the dream had no sound. I think I must have loved him.

FACE-MAKING. Begetting children. To face it out; to persist in a falsity. No face but his own: a saying of one who has no money in his pocket or no court cards in his hand.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

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#books #literature #dictionaries #history #society #language #slang @histodons

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Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): FACE-MAKING. Begetting children. To face it out; to persist in a falsity. No face but his own: a saying of one who has no money in his pocket or no court cards in his hand. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

I hate midsummer in the north.
There’s no night to speak of,
just day in and day in
with maybe a slight hesitancy
about two o’clock in the morning…

—Alasdair Maclean, “I Hate Midsummer in the North”
published in FROM THE WILDERNESS (Gollancz, 1973)

#Scottish #literature #midsummer #poem #poetry

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I Hate Midsummer in the North by Alasdair Maclean I hate midsummer in the north. There’s no night to speak of, just day in and day in with maybe a slight hesitancy about two o’clock in the morning. The sun’s at work continually, zooming in from some part of the sky, at some angle or another. In time it penetrates the thickest skull. In time it levels up the most forbidding brow. Light pours down. It makes thing clear. I see there’s only one world after all, and it’s a hot one and a bright one. My hayfield curls up at the corners. My lips, too. While the days swagger, elbow one another, I wait, with what sadness I can muster. This white weather doesn’t suit me, I think. I get fatter all the time. For weeks I live off my stored darkness.

Roadwarden: Text-Based RPG With Pixel Art ⚔️

Here’s a fancy pants text-based RPG by Moral Anxiety Studio from Wrocław, Poland. It launched on PC in September 2022 and made its way over to Nintendo Switch in August 2025, too.

Think of it as an interactive novel, a bit like choose your own adventure book, where you pick narrative arcs and guide your mysterious loner through Medieval human settlements. All wrapped up with neat pixel art graphics and a moody soundtrack.

We’re on a Roadwarden to Nowhere

During our research for this review, we discovered a new word. Roadwarden belongs in the grimdark subgenre of sci-fi and fantasy fiction. The genre deals with bleak themes with amoral characters and dystopian concepts.

Its mood and style are quite similar to the phenomenal Disco Elysium (2019), one of the best ever indie games. And whilst not as good, this is still a mighty impressive piece of work.

Roadwarden is, essentially, a short story. There’s a lot of reading to do, so it plays out over about 10 hours or so (or longer, if you’re a slow reader, dumbass). And kind of like text-based adventures of yesteryear, players must put narrative options to guide the Roadwarden toward his/her fate.

You’re hired by merchants to protect the lands of a remote peninsula, all with the goal of ensuring the safe passage of trade. We’ll leave off spoilers from here, but it’s fair to say things get increasingly tense and dramatic. Especially as you must manage the RPG elements, your character’s survival, and a 40-day time limit to get the job done.

Here it is in action. Again, an interactive novel, so your best experience of it will be reading/playing it. Not watching it.

So, yeah, as with any book the more time you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. Its fantasy setting is very well realised, with some great pixel art, and the store and interactive elements are very well managed.

It’s like a more fully realised version of Choice of Robots (2014), the 300,000 word text adventure by Kevin Gold. But… Roadwarden has more pictures! Hurray.

The game also packs in a great little score by composer Nicholas Roder. This plays along whilst you play, really help to immerse you into the story.

These are great guitar-driven pieces and set a fabulous atmosphere. Reading with music? Yes, it can work pretty well.

It’s all less than £10 and provides a neat little, fun, immersive time of it. It’s more complex than just reading, but minimalistic enough to still be a treat to enjoy.

Well worth your time. Plus, when you finish it, you can claim you’ve read a book!

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Roadwarden the text adventure game

Born this day: 06/21/1955
Sue Burke is an American writer and translator. Semiosis (2019) was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke, John W. Campbell, Kitschies Golden Tentacle & Locus Awards.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_Burke

#Literature #SciFi #ScienceFiction #books #bookstodon #coverart #bookart #bookcovers
#SueBurke @books @scifi @Scifiart @sciencefiction

https://astralcomputing.com

Cover art by Nigel Cattlin

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SEMIOSIS by Sue Burke. Cover art by Nigel Cattlin. The cover features a large, bioluminescent, tentacle-like organic structure that dominates the composition. Curving from the top right toward the center-left, it spirals into a tight coil at the bottom left. The structure is a deep, saturated reddish-orange, textured with dense, fine, hair-like filaments. These microscopic cilia are tipped with brilliant, glowing white and pale yellow light, creating a shimmering effect along the curve. The appendage displays segmented, ringed patterns illuminated from within by a warm, pulsating orange glow, suggesting a biological internal light source. The background is a vast, abyssal, star-filled expanse resembling deep space or a dense field of microscopic organisms. This void consists of countless tiny, sharp white and pale cream-colored dots scattered irregularly against profound blackness. In the upper right, the text "SENTIENCE TAKES MANY FORMS" is written in a clean, white, sans-serif font across two lines. The title "SEMIOSIS" is prominently displayed in a large, bold, white, sans-serif typeface across the lower third of the frame. Directly below it, the author's name, "SUE BURKE," appears in a slightly smaller, similarly styled white font. At the very bottom, a centered white blurb reads: '"A fascinating world." —The Verge'.

Prices Reduced!
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#Literature #SciFi #ScienceFiction #books #bookstodon
@books @scifi @sciencefiction

https://astralcomputing.com

Weird Tales vol 11 number 05 (May 1928) - featured story: The Bat-Men of Thorium by Bertram Russell.

#Literature #SciFi #ScienceFiction #books #bookstodon #coverart #bookart #bookcovers
#BertramRussell
@books @scifi @Scifiart @sciencefiction

https://astralcomputing.com

Cover art by C. C. Senf.

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Weird Tales vol 11 number 05 (May 1928) - featured story: The Bat-Men of Thorium by Bertram Russell. Cover art by C. C. Senf. Two humanoid creatures with grey skin and dense patches of brown fur covering their lower bodies, legs, and limbs hold a human woman aloft. The figure on the left possesses an open mouth and reaches toward the woman's waist with a clawed hand while looking toward the right, while the figure on the right carries the woman across its wide hip, looking toward the left with a similar gaze. Her arms are raised upward and outward in a wide arc, and her head is tilted back with her eyes wide. A thin, white, jagged line, resembling a crack or a bolt of energy, extends from her raised hand toward the upper right corner. White, leaf-like shapes with pointed edges are scattered throughout the scene. The background contains small, faint white flecks resembling distant stars or dust within a dark blue void. The central figures are enclosed within a thick red frame. The musculature of the creatures is visible through their skin, particularly on their arms and shoulders, where the texture is smooth compared to the coarse hair on their thighs and calves. The entire central illustration is composed of sharp lines and high-contrast shading between the dark blue void and the brightly lit skin of the figures.

Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library! 📚📙📖📗📘

Here’s a unique indie game gem from two-person Japanese indie team ArtRising. It’s called Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library! and it’s an organisation simulator about organising a disorderly library.

It’s got a lot of attention during the week on social media, although it launched in April 2026 on Steam. Its quiet focus on arranging a library is a welcome ode to solitude, with some 3,072 books to use your skills and strategising on.

Plenty of Glorious Repetition in Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library!

Some gamers will wonder why anyone would make, or play, a game like this. To which we kindly refer you on to our list of best video games for autistic adults. Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library! will be going on that list.

It seem odd to the uninitiated, but games like this are very popular in many gaming communities. Considering it’s also only £5 and offers between four and ten hours of gameplay (given how fast you are), this is good bang for your book (pun alert!).

For the plot here, a mischievous fair has decided to leave university library in total chaos. As the player, you’re commanded  by the outraged principal to stay put until all 3,072 books are returned to their correct spot.

Thus, you must take it all on book by book. And so begins the process of categorisation of genres, with the more you stack leading to unlockable skills that make the experience easier. Here it all is in action, with this user completing the lot in about four hours.

Naturally, a game like this has also triggered off gaming spreedrunners. That’s where players race to complete a game as fast as possible in the name of world record prestige.

We enjoyed it a great deal and it’s an escapist game to return to when the mood takes you. This sort of thing really takes your mind off the world and is great for your mental health.

However, if you’re a gamer… you’ll already know if this thing sounds appealing to you.

Also, an interesting note. The use of AI is controversial everywhere, including the gaming world, but the devs are upfront about their use of it. Tools like this make sense when you’re an indie dev on a tiny budget. We have no issue with it and it’s interesting to see how it supported the game’s completion.

The four assets in this work—one UI component and three landscape paintings used as wall decorations (frames not included)—were produced using additional AI for refinement. None of them were created by AI from the ground up.

AI helped with grammatical corrections for in-game text, which were then carefully reviewed and adjusted by hand.

We only consider AI to be a supportive tool. Every detail is meticulously crafted with human intent, as our creative process is still firmly anchored in manual craftsmanship.

A facilitation tool, then, with great results. As this is a relaxing, immersive game that’ll well and truly take your mind off things. Innit.

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson #books #literature #dedication

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To Lottie. Welcome to you, too.

"Science fiction offers its writers chances of embarrassment that no other form of fiction does."

#literature