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The Word of Ward

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Ghostwriting pros and cons. Is it worthwhile or soul-destroying?

Inspired By Silicon Valley, I Now Want To Be A Quirky Coder. Hello Python!

How To Escape The Per-Word Trap And Make Real Money As A Writer

The Penguin: A Brutal Descent Into Gotham’s Really Grim Underworld

books in black wooden book shelf

Switching Focus To Short Stories To Make A Fortune

AI Writes Poor Prose – Use It To Fix Procrastination

The White Lotus Season 3 is in stunning Thailand, where I live. Is it realistic?

Don’t Watch The Fantastic ‘The White Lotus’ On A Plane!

Scheduled Tasks On ChatGPT Is Actually Pretty Cool

Fantastic tunes to listen to help write more and focus

I’m now addicted to Dredge and Balatro

After Career Advice From ChatGPT I’m Trying Something Drastic

The Occult – Rankin, Lovecraft, And Marenghi Are Warping My Mind

The most depressing day annually, and weird Christmas traditions

Next year, I am improving my chess skills. Here’s how

To Monetize Or Not? Reaching An Astonishing 100 Subscribers On Substack

From Zork to AI Dungeon: How AI is Revolutionizing Interactive Text Adventures

How to be more productive when writing – great music and apps!

Getting Substack subscribers and changing writing focus

Plotting vs. Pantsing: What’s Better for Writers and Readers?

Ghostwriting pros and cons. Is it worthwhile or soul-destroying?

Inspired By Silicon Valley, I Now Want To Be A Quirky Coder. Hello Python!

How To Escape The Per-Word Trap And Make Real Money As A Writer

The Penguin: A Brutal Descent Into Gotham’s Really Grim Underworld

books in black wooden book shelf

Switching Focus To Short Stories To Make A Fortune

AI Writes Poor Prose – Use It To Fix Procrastination

The White Lotus Season 3 is in stunning Thailand, where I live. Is it realistic?

Don’t Watch The Fantastic ‘The White Lotus’ On A Plane!

Scheduled Tasks On ChatGPT Is Actually Pretty Cool

Fantastic tunes to listen to help write more and focus

I’m now addicted to Dredge and Balatro

After Career Advice From ChatGPT I’m Trying Something Drastic

The Occult – Rankin, Lovecraft, And Marenghi Are Warping My Mind

The most depressing day annually, and weird Christmas traditions

Next year, I am improving my chess skills. Here’s how

To Monetize Or Not? Reaching An Astonishing 100 Subscribers On Substack

From Zork to AI Dungeon: How AI is Revolutionizing Interactive Text Adventures

How to be more productive when writing – great music and apps!

Getting Substack subscribers and changing writing focus

Plotting vs. Pantsing: What’s Better for Writers and Readers?

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Category: Writing

Inspired By Silicon Valley, I Now Want To Be A Quirky Coder. Hello Python!
Blog TV Writing

Inspired By Silicon Valley, I Now Want To Be A Quirky Coder. Hello Python!

ward 14/05/2025

I have been binge-watching Silicon Valley on HBO Max, and it has made me want to code. I think I am having a mid-life crisis, which might be related, but … Read More

codingSilicon Valley TVwriting
How To Escape The Per-Word Trap And Make Real Money As A Writer
Blog Writing

How To Escape The Per-Word Trap And Make Real Money As A Writer

ward 08/05/2025

I have been paid per-word or per-hour for about five years now. In my previous bouts of freelance writing, dating back decades (I’m old), it was the same. For writers, … Read More

booksfictionwritingwriting per-work
Switching Focus To Short Stories To Make A Fortune
Blog Books Writing

Switching Focus To Short Stories To Make A Fortune

ward 27/04/2025

Or a pittance. Time will tell… The popularity of short stories has waxed and waned over the decades. They have always been around as myths and fables like the Arthurian … Read More

bookskindleshort storieswriting
AI Writes Poor Prose – Use It To Fix Procrastination
Blog Technology Writing

AI Writes Poor Prose – Use It To Fix Procrastination

ward 16/04/2025

And how to make an AI assistant I use AI to cure my colossal procrastination but don’t use it for any writing – you can probably tell. I was a … Read More

AIAI assistantbooksprocrastinationwriting
Scheduled Tasks On ChatGPT Is Actually Pretty Cool
Blog Technology Writing

Scheduled Tasks On ChatGPT Is Actually Pretty Cool

ward 26/03/2025

Scheduled Tasks is a new function on ChatGPT, which I have been playing around with recently. It is still in Beta, but it works really well. It looks at first … Read More

AIAI functionsChatGPTChatGPT Scheduled Tasks
Fantastic tunes to listen to help write more and focus
Blog Writing

Fantastic tunes to listen to help write more and focus

ward 17/03/2025

I listen to tunes when I write. This is often to drown out the noise of fellow humans, but I also really like it and it can induce flow state. … Read More

Brain.fmmusicmusic for focusmusic for writingwriting
To Monetize Or Not? Reaching An Astonishing 100 Subscribers On Substack
Blog Writing

To Monetize Or Not? Reaching An Astonishing 100 Subscribers On Substack

ward 17/12/2024

I hit 100 subscribers on my Intriguing Times Substack yesterday and am pretty damned excited about it. ‘Astonishing’ is admittedly a bit hyperbolic, but it is apparently good for SEO. … Read More

subscribersSubstackwriting
From Zork to AI Dungeon: How AI is Revolutionizing Interactive Text Adventures
Blog Books Technology Writing

From Zork to AI Dungeon: How AI is Revolutionizing Interactive Text Adventures

ward 10/12/2024

AI is so damned useful that I am overwhelmed and am still thinking of ways to use it. You can probably tell that I don’t use for writing by looking … Read More

AdventureAIgamesgamingText-basedwriting
Blog Writing

How to be more productive when writing – great music and apps!

ward 27/11/2024

I listen to music and use a few apps that really help when writing, and consequently, I thought this might be something helpful for others. I write for a living. … Read More

music for focusproductivityproductivity appswriting
Blog Writing

Getting Substack subscribers and changing writing focus

ward 20/11/2024

It has been around a month and a half since I launched my shiny new Substack. Previously, I’d had a science fiction and fantasy newsletter for a month and it … Read More

Blogbookslifewriting
Plotting vs. Pantsing: What’s Better for Writers and Readers?
Blog Writing

Plotting vs. Pantsing: What’s Better for Writers and Readers?

ward 07/11/2024

In the world of fiction writing, few debates are as enduring as “plotting vs. pantsing.” Writers and readers alike have strong views on the merits of each approach. Some prefer … Read More

lifepantsingplottingReadingwriting
The Intriguing Times Substack is now live!
Blog Writing

The Intriguing Times Substack is now live!

ward 21/10/2024

Intriguing Times – my new Substack newsletter – has been live for almost three weeks. It already has 35 subscribers and over 90 followers, which is pretty damned good if … Read More

Intriguing TimesNewsletterSubstackwriting
MacBook Air 13 inch vs iPad Pro 13 inch after a couple of months. Which am I using most?
Blog Technology Writing

MacBook Air 13 inch vs iPad Pro 13 inch after a couple of months. Which am I using most?

ward 01/08/2024

I’ve had my MacBook Air 13 inch M1 for about three and a half years now. Whereas, I bought the new iPad Pro 13 inch M4 two months ago. I … Read More

iPad 2024iPad ProiPad Pro 13 inchIpad Pro M4Macbook Air
New Substack, The Cosmic Scroll, is essential reading
Blog Writing

New Substack, The Cosmic Scroll, is essential reading

ward 08/07/2024

I started a new Substack called The Cosmic Scroll. If you’re a writer, you will probably know the importance of having an email list. If you are a writer without … Read More

NewsletterSFFSubstackThe Cosmic Scroll
iPad Pro 13-inch M4 the all-in-one device I’ve been looking for
Blog Technology Writing

iPad Pro 13-inch M4 the all-in-one device I’ve been looking for

ward 17/05/2024

I love my iPad Pro. Actually, that should be plural as I have the original 13-inch version from 2015, and an 11-inch from 2021. Remarkably, both still work, if a … Read More

appleiPadiPad 2024iPad ProM4writing
You should do this with subscriptions and despair
Blog Writing

You should do this with subscriptions and despair

ward 03/05/2024

I am increasingly starting to think a lot of subscriptions are scams against the unwary. And that definitely includes me. I recently saw a post somewhere that suggested you list … Read More

Appssubscriptionswriting
How to be more productive and creative
Blog Writing

How to be more productive and creative

ward 04/06/2023

As Ricky Gervais once said: ‘It’s better to create something that others criticise than to create nothing & criticise others. Go create!’

booksCreativityproductivitywriting Comment on How to be more productive and creative
If you have a big project, try Scrivener.
Blog Writing

If you have a big project, try Scrivener.

ward 07/05/2023

I love Scrivener and have been using it for over a decade. However, I was recently chatting with someone who wanted to write a book, and they asked how I … Read More

booksscrivenerwritingwriting software
Brain.fm for writers and creative types
Blog Technology Writing

Brain.fm for writers and creative types

ward 16/02/2023

I have become mildly obsessed with Brain.fm recently. I read a lot about productivity, especially in relation to being a writer – it’s an ironic form of procrastination. I kept … Read More

audioBrain.fmproductivitywriting
How and why you should increase your typing speed
Blog Writing

How and why you should increase your typing speed

ward 30/08/2022

As a writer, I spend a lot of time typing. Yet bizarrely, it had never really occurred to me to get better at it. Thinking back to how much time … Read More

self improvementtypingwritingwriting speed

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In recent news

  • Ghostwriting pros and cons. Is it worthwhile or soul-destroying?
  • Inspired By Silicon Valley, I Now Want To Be A Quirky Coder. Hello Python!
  • How To Escape The Per-Word Trap And Make Real Money As A Writer
  • The Penguin: A Brutal Descent Into Gotham’s Really Grim Underworld
  • Switching Focus To Short Stories To Make A Fortune

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