ftberner.bsky.social
I live in Italy, but I dream of other worlds below these sunny landscapes, so I write speculative fiction.
78 posts
52 followers
134 following
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bsky.app/profile/want...
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It's not something we get taught, and it's counterintuitive, so I'm only now starting to grasp this idea. But it's true. See also how creativity gets better with practice, and atrophizes if you don't exercise it.
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Thank you for sharing this!
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Fair enough...
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But... cantaloupe is delicious, I'm not ready for it to be used as an insult.
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Writers: before you sign a contract with a publisher, make sure AI isn't replacing your illustrator, your translator, your editor, your jacket designer. Readers: if you're thinking of buying a book, do the same. Refuse. Resist. If AI garbage doesn't sell, people will stop making it.
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If this all feels too much to fight, start small. Take "aspiring writer" out of your bio and replace it with "writer." Stop saying things like "I don't have a proper job." Support creators; translators; illustrators. Boycott AI generated junk.
We are many. They are few. And we have the words.
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Take Bluesky. It's entire existence and many of its technical design choice are (little p) political. They are not just choices about what computers /can/ do, but choices about what computers /should/ do based on how that changes the product's place in society.
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Language is human and the best way to learn a language is from other people who have similar experiences learning languages. My best Japanese teachers have all been people who have studied English to an advance level because they understood what a language learner needs.
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Congratulations!!
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Children’s books should be scarier, and sadder. Original fairy tales were terrifying because they give children the opportunity to explore difficult emotions before they have to deal with them in real life
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Thanks for sharing it!
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Well done! (I went and looked at the original and it wasn't an easy task!)
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You HAVE to celebrate good things. Even if they’re tiny and fragile and may blow away. In fact, you have to celebrate the fragile ones EVEN HARDER because who knows how many chances you get?
If you constantly think how it will all go wrong, if every triumph is met with “but…” you will burn out.
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Thank you! For keeping this up and all the rest you do!
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Good to know! I'll send you a list of the ones I know around here when I can
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Oh, I hadn't realized that you listed them worldwide. For non English-speaking countries, are you looking for shops that stock books in English/have English-speaking staff or is the local language enough?
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Yeah, I know and can't wait 😊
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Spring 2026 is sooo far.... I want to read this now
(Well done, you!)
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Good for you! Limoncello is the most famous, but I'd take amaretto over limoncello any time (taste is personal tough, so ymmv of course)
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To me, the Starless Sea felt like swimming in honey. It's one of my favorite books of all time. I hope you enjoy it!
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Well done! I really like the result!
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This is lovely! How long did it take?
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Like, the abundance of murder mystery novels doesn’t mean murder is the typical way of solving disputes in our society.
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Oooh! Fascinating! I just finished a book (in Italian, not yet available in English) about one of those hospitals and now that you mention it, it's a good place for a Gothic mystery!
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This sounds great! Any specific rare language that you focus on in the book and/or want to share here?
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Same...
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Finally started Demon Copperhead. Don't know why I waited so long. I was having a hard time reading lately (my mind being occupied elsewhere) and this seems to be exactly what I needed!