@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop

I recently discovered several series of recordings of Korean artists that appear to have been made during the pandemic that are outdoors and done with acoustic instruments (Sea of Hope, Begin Again Korea, and others). I also discovered Lee Su-Hyun, a charming vocalist with a beautiful voice. I found she did a couple of little videos of *Santa Tell Me* that are cute and fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ukfe1qr64c

I think maybe I like Nayeon's a tiny bit better. But these are fabulous and heartwarming. #Kpop

I saw someone commenting about the Brown University shooting, saying that they needed to have a lot more CCTVs because in British crime dramas they were always instrumental for solving crimes.

"That's fiction," I said. "Just like how in the US, crime shows were used to propagandize forensic science. By persuading jurors to uncritically accept forensic science, a lot of innocent people got railroaded."

I'm all for science. But let's use science — not fiction — for decision-making.

oh, no

#WritersCoffeeClub Give a shout-out to a resource or site you think more writers should know.

The @SFWA Contracts Committee helps authors identify problems with SFF publishing contracts and offers a lot of useful resources to help with negotiation. https://www.sfwa.org/what-is-sfwa/committees/contracts-committee/

#WritersCoffeeClub Do you have one format you write in, or many?

I write all of my manuscripts using Shunn https://shunn.net/format/

I prefer Shunn Classic.

When I submit manuscripts, I'll modify the format as necessary to match the submission guidelines. But most markets will accept Shunn Classic

I wrote this on Dec 16, 2003: Alisa tells me that at school the other day Daniel's kindergarten teacher was describing the story writing that they're going to be doing.
"You can choose the topic," he said. "You can write about whatever you want!"
"Can we write about toilets?" Daniel asked.
"Well, maybe there are some things you can't write about," the teacher clarified.
That's my boy!

I've been using Mozilla products since forever. But their monomaniacal fixation on AI may finally drive me away. I kept hoping they'd wake up. Sigh…

If anyone is wondering, I've finished my rough draft of the Toasterella story, tentatively entitled, "What's For Breakfast, Toasterella?"

He set out his own meal first, a bento. Then, for Forrest, he set out a tray with several dead squirrels, small rabbits, pheasants, and quail. For the bear, he dragged out a huge salmon, a dozen pints each of blueberries and raspberries, and a bushel of apples. (2/2) #wss366 from Bearly Believable

"Let's have a welcome party! What would you like, Forrest?"
"Just the usual for me."
The Ranger punched in orders for himself and Forrest. Then, with his tongue out, he began punching in an order for the bear. While the replicator was running he spread a large tarpaulin over the floor. (1/2) #wss366

Ooh! You can now order a signed edition of *A Familiar Problem*! https://water-dragon-publishing.square.site/product/a-familiar-problem/BRPMUUBXP35JQ3TAAXN4GXIU?cs=true&cst=custom

For #writephant, I'll pitch my new book, *A Familiar Problem*, a cozy, dark fantasy out last week from Water Dragon Publishing. A young man, who is supposed to get his familiar, instead is captured as the familiar of a powerful demon who trains him up to enter him in an illegal familiar-fighting contest. https://waterdragonpublishing.com/product/familiar-problem/

#Writephant A3. How does practicing journaling affect your writing practice?

Undoubtedly, the 15 years of writing I did on my blog contributed to the writing skills that I was able to bring to my fiction. It also simply gave me an excuse to reflect on experiences and work through ideas that have all been grist for the mill.

#Writephant A1. Many writers are also journalers. Does this describe you? How long have you been journaling?

I started blogging in 2002. I recorded my thoughts in a wiki which I was able to export to a static site at some point. http://revo.bierfaristo.com/phpwiki/BrewerJournalArchive.html

Exactly 20 years ago today, I switched to using a Drupal site: https://blog.bierfaristo.com/

When I started trying to get published in English, I created an author website that I still use today: https://stevendbrewer.com/

He went around collecting all the books he'd been meaning to read. Some were in his study. Others were in his nightstand. Some were in the bathroom. There were even a couple in the kitchen. He'd been studying them when he was developing the spell to form the contract with Toasterella. (3/3) #wss366

Once, he would have needed to go out for a job. But since he'd perfected and licensed his contracting spell, he'd been able to live off the #proceeds and dedicate his time to research. Well̛… When he got around to it. It's not like he was rich, but he was comfortably well off. (2/3) #wss366

"You can't survive for a month without going out!"
"Watch me."
"But what will you eat?" Dre was grinning, as if he'd scored a point.
"Did you forget about Toasterella?" Roge said.
Dre looked like he'd been slapped.
Roge closed the door and grinned to himself. A month! All to himself! (1/3) #wss366

Ooh! On Friday, it's supposed to get into the high 40s! At 4am. While it's raining. And by the time it stops raining, it will already be at freezing. Thanks a lot, weather lords.

Kindle’s New Gen AI-Powered “Ask This Book” Feature Raises Rights Concerns https://writerbeware.blog/2025/12/12/kindles-new-gen-ai-powered-ask-this-book-feature-raises-rights-concerns/

I read an excerpt from *A Familiar Problem* at the Second Sunday open mic for Straw Dog Writers Guild. It's fun to read for an appreciative audience. https://waterdragonpublishing.com/product/familiar-problem/