Mary Catelli's Erraticly Updated and Exceedingly Ill-Organized Journal

vignettes

2026-10-18T14:59:51Z

This week's prompt is:
charge 🔋

Anyone can join, with a 50-word creative fiction vignette in the comments. Your vignette does not have to include the prompt term. Any (G or PG) definition of the word can be used

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In matters of motivation, Ralph does not understand the appeal of the carrot.

2026-10-17T21:48:47Z

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Eureka!

2026-10-16T19:00:15Z

I have it! Pixies!

Was just thinking this morning about a crucial world-building detail and then realized someone with powerful magic but profoundly silly could do the trick. I was pondering a wizard when I realize -- pixies! Pixies run the world! Zanily!

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When visiting crowded festivals, Sluggo and Philomena always bring an emotional support dragon.

2026-10-14T23:30:13Z

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An Eye For Fractals

2026-10-14T23:29:03Z

An Eye For Fractals: A Graphic And Photographic Essay by Michael McGuire

Fractals. Pictures, mathematics, descriptions. The Sierpinski triangle and how you can make it a bit random to make it look very like a stony cliff. The infinite border to a finite area. Dimensions. And more.

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vignettes

2026-10-11T15:11:56Z

This week's prompt is:
general 🌧️

Anyone can join, with a 50-word creative fiction vignette in the comments. Your vignette does not have to include the prompt term. Any (G or PG) definition of the word can be used

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robots to the rescue

2026-10-10T23:22:26Z

Of the story. They are doing quite innocuous things in quite innocuous circumstances, but I was having too many wizards and not enough reminders that this world has SF tropes in abundance. And mundane ones, too. I shall perhaps have some musketeers come through. Or knights.

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The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien

2026-10-10T23:06:14Z

The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter

Concentrated on the ones about his works, though with a few personal ones, such as his horrified reaction to the atom bomb. Some philosophical discussions about life and religion. A lot to ponder about Middle Earth.

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It's Out -- It's Out!

2026-10-08T16:06:32Z

The latest collection is out! Writing And Reflections, Volume 3

Details here:

https://writingandreflections.substack.com/p/its-here-its-here?r=17sx99&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

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Find someone who cherishes you like you’re the last radish in Aiden’s garden.

2026-10-06T23:23:02Z

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The First Salute

2026-10-06T23:11:57Z

The First Salute : View of the American Revolution by Barbara W. Tuchman

A view of the revolution from other countries. The Netherlands, which was not only a supplier of arms, but took shipments of arms from England to sell to the rebels. France. Spain. The maneuvers viewed from the British side. Cornwallis's failure to take bold action when penned in Yorktown and how he referred, for the first time, to General Washington rather than Mr. Washington in his letter explaining his surrender. How King George threatened to abdicate rather than allow peace -- and discovered it did not matter.

A few flaws here and there -- there was nothing magical about the end of the Middle Ages to explain the increase in ship voyages; that was the increased cost of spices owing to high taxes on the land route -- but overall interesting stuff.

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vignettes

2026-10-04T15:00:34Z

This week's prompt is:
clammy 🌫️

Anyone can join, with a 50-word creative fiction vignette in the comments. Your vignette does not have to include the prompt term. Any (G or PG) definition of the word can be used.

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A blessed feast of the Guardian Angels!

2026-10-03T01:54:22Z

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ah outlining

2026-10-02T03:29:15Z

When a character keeps on having more things happening to him the evening of his arrival -- and what I want is what happens the next day

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A blessed Feast of the Archangels!

2026-09-30T01:49:56Z

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I'm publishing again!

2026-09-28T20:59:41Z

And you can pre-order if you want the ebook!

Details here:
https://writingandreflections.substack.com/p/its-coming-its-coming-2f7

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vignettes

2026-09-27T14:57:36Z

This week's prompt is:
cool 🌬️

Anyone can join, with a 50-word creative fiction vignette in the comments. Your vignette does not have to include the prompt term. Any (G or PG) definition of the word can be used.

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Morrie will happily open the door for you, but you have to give him a boost first.

2026-09-22T02:33:36Z

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Kentucky Folktales

2026-09-22T01:20:54Z

Kentucky Folktales: Revealing Stories, Truths, and Outright Lies by Mary Hamilton

A number of tales, from legends to fairy tales, including several variants of most and explaining how she, as a story-teller, retells them, and how others retell them.

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vignettes

2026-09-20T13:44:22Z

This week's prompt is:
examine 🔬

Anyone can join, with a 50-word creative fiction vignette in the comments. Your vignette does not have to include the prompt term. Any (G or PG) definition of the word can be used.

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what was I thinking?

2026-09-20T04:22:22Z

This scene makes no sense.

I don't even know what I was intending --

Ah! To set up the invitation at the end.

But it doesn't do that.

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The Embarrassment of Riches

2026-09-19T22:20:04Z

The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age by Simon Schama

17th century Netherlands. All sorts of things.

( Read more... )

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what was I thinking?

2026-09-18T04:00:32Z

Snow. Right after I indicate it's early fall. and without the consequences of early snow, which tears off boughs burdened by both leaves and snow. . . . .

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the course of fairy tale love

2026-09-17T03:52:08Z

Fairy tales don't often show budding romance. Complications cut them off from the outside.

Which means that when retelling, you need to develop it. And all the complications of forcing it in.

It can be interesting.

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Escape from the Island of the Rat Queen

2026-09-17T03:49:58Z

Escape from the Island of the Rat Queen by Phil Folgio and Kaja Folgio

Book 23 of Agatha Heterodyne, Girl Genius!

Spoilers ahead for earlier books.

( Read more... )

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