E.R. COOK

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  • Snowstorms and candles: Weather moods and writing

    I’ve gotten a gift this week. Twice I’ve woken up to snow. As I stepped into my cold office, lit the candles and looked out at the darkened landscape, I could just make out the small flakes drifting down in the early dawn light, muted gray by the clouds but allowing me to see the…

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  • Giving Thanks

    So, this is the time of year that everyone’s thoughts turned to giving thanks, and most bloggers have a “Giving Thanks” blog. Normally, I eschew the cliché, just because I like doing my own thing. But on reflection, I realized that this has been a huge year for me. So much has changed, including starting…

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  • And the adventure begins…

    Ever since I was a little girl I knew I wanted to be an author. My first work, prompted by a homework assignment much like my first novel, was a little flipbook called Bugtown that was written and illustrated by yours truly. That simple little book made from nothing but folded over printer paper and…

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  • Learning my craft: 15 minute story writing

    So they say that writing is a craft, and like any craft, it takes time to get good. You need to practice and learn new skills and techniques. Find out your strengths and weaknesses. There’s a lot of ways to do this for writing, according to the internet. But I recently remembered something I tried…

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  • 15 Minute Story : The Ice Dragon

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  • Playing with AI: a winter poem

    There’s been a lot of talk lately about AI being used for writing and creating art. Some are excited and intrigued by the new technology. Others are worried about copyrights and the death of creativity. I’m not really sure which side of the debate I fall on, mostly because I’ve not experienced using it. So,…

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  • Life as a PTPW: When inspiration won’t strike

    Writer’s block is as old as time. In fact, it seems cliché to write about it. I don’t have any sure-fire cures, and there’s nothing I can add that you couldn’t find with a simple search. But what I can talk about is that for all we hear and talk about writer’s block, we don’t…

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  • The First (?) Lady of Science Fiction

    When researching about early science fiction, I came across the name of one of one of the earliest writers to be attributed to the genre and it peaked my interest. Because this writer was a woman. Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle. While I knew that she was far from the only female writer during that…

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  • We all need a break sometimes. . .

    Hi all! Just wanted to let you know that I haven’t forgotten about my followers. Just needed to take a quick break this week. I’ve been having a lot of fun researching my next topic, Mary Cavendish, possibly the first (?) Lady of Science Fiction. But with all in-depth topics, I’m swimming in rabbit trail…

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  • The Birth of Science Fiction

    When I wrote Planetary Feedlot, I did not write it with a genre in mind. It was simply the story that I wanted to tell. But as I moved forward in self-publishing the book, I realized I had to pick a genre. I picked science fiction because with what little I knew; I thought it…

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  • New Year’s Resolutions

    Yes, it is that time of year when you have to decide. Do you make a resolution, knowing that more than likely you’re going to give up on it after a week or two, or do you resign yourself to not making a resolution but feeling like you’re not accomplishing something anyway? I can’t tell…

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  • Yule logs and lessons

    So, the first lesson is: the best laid plans don’t always happen. I wanted to put this out on Saturday. It was a day later than my normal Friday deadline, but I really wanted to include the pictures. Then my body thought it would be a great idea to be sick the rest of the…

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  • O Christmas Tree: the story behind the iconic evergreen

    Is there anything that says Christmas more than a brightly lit Christmas tree? Whether small or tall, the color of the lights or what type of ornaments, there is nothing more beautiful than a twinkling tree in a darkened room. But its not just the sight of the tree that evokes the Christmas spirit. I…

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