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[archiebwriting]

what makes you exceptional is also what makes you lonely

Lorraine Hansberry first wrote those words in 1969’s To Be Young, Gifted and Black. Eventually it comes to you, the thing that makes you exceptional, if you are at all, is eventually that which must also make you lonely. The wisdom in those words stuck with me since I first read them, and it has proven itself quite accurate in my own daily life, so I’m going to share it here. Continue reading…

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the thing about writing

the thing about writing

It can be messy.Sometimes the words come out sideways, or in a jumbly mess of intrusive thoughts and run-on sentences. It can be scary. Writing brings things to the surface, directly or indirectly revealing our secrets, assumptions and fears. It can be difficult.There requires a certain audacity to write, to dare try capture the human experience on paper (or pixels). Writing, like most…

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archie was here (but not necessarily writing)

archie was here (but not necessarily writing)

I’ve not been writing on here much of late because, to put it bluntly, I struggle with whether my blog (or any non-fiction I write) deserves to be shared with the world. (more…)

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archie reviews a book…. A Princess of Mars (1912)

archie reviews a book…. A Princess of Mars (1912)

My fourth book review! YAY. Same disclaimer as before: I have never thought of myself as much of an art critic – I sort of always thought it wasn’t my place to disagree with the storyteller. As in, if I didn’t enjoy a book or movie, then it probably says more about me not being the intended audience for it.But I don’t think that need stop me from doing just that: sharing my thoughts on my…

[archiebwriting]

how archie won an Omega Sci Fi Award honorable mention

how archie won an Omega Sci Fi Award honorable mention

Greetings! In typical fashion, allow me to share some belated news (my tardy excuse is that I have been reading *so much* lately and haven’t been online much): The much acclaimed Omega Sci-Fi Awards chose my story, out of over 300 entries, as an honorable mention. WOW! It was a science fiction story (duh) set in a future when online bots begin to catfish people. The awards show was online of…

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by archie nicholson (where to read what archie writes)

by archie nicholson (where to read what archie writes)

I am pleased to say I am officially a paid published writer!!! Before I share my successes, let me preface with something I learned along the way.I started this blog in 2017 (five years ago?), and had been writing for longer than that. There are ups-and-downs with writing, but so are there with life too. Part of the job as a writer is dealing with rejection. I am not ashamed to say I am…

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archie won a writing contest - not clickbait

archie won a writing contest - not clickbait! SHORT STORY First Place: “Babble” by Archie Nicholson, Stratford ON Second Place: “Still Life” by Anna Rumin, Ottawa ON Third Place: “Will Destroy for Food” by Adam Jarvis, Ottawa ON #NCWC #CAA #writingcontest

Hi hello!I am so pleased to report that a story I wrote received FIRST PLACE in the 34th Annual National Capital Writing Contest (NCWC)! AND this year coincided with the 100th Anniversary of the Canadian Authors Association (CAA). AMAZING! I am really grateful and honored to be included in this with so many others. SHORT STORYFirst Place: “Babble” by Archie Nicholson, Stratford ONSecond…

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it’s no use going back to before 2020, because I was a different person then

it’s no use going back to before 2020, because I was a different person then

You know those stories where a hero goes to rescue someone from a dangerous land, and they are told one explicit rule to follow: don’t look back. So, of course, they look back. Orpheus rescues Eurydice from the dead but looks back and she vanishes forever. Lot’s wife (unnamed, so let’s call her Lottie why not?) looks back on the doomed town she is fleeing and turns to salt. And so many other…

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archie reviews a book…. The Left Hand of Darkness (1969)

archie reviews a book…. The Left Hand of Darkness (1969)

My third book review! YAY.

Same disclaimer as before: I have never thought of myself as much of an art critic – I sort of always thought it wasn’t my place to disagree with the storyteller. As in, if I didn’t enjoy a book or movie, then it probably says more about me not being the intended audience for it. But I don’t think that need stop me from doing just that: sharing my thoughts on my…

[archiebwriting]

not even home is like home, and other things behind the curtain (life update #5)

not even home is like home, and other things behind the curtain (life update #5)

Hey stranger, It’s been a little while since my last update, so let me catch you up.

What I’ve been Reading: I am keeping busy offline, trying to match my reading pace with the rate I’ve been collecting books from little-free-libraries around town. These have consisted mostly of more short story collections, including old SFF treasures like The Many Worlds of Andre Norton (by Andre Norton of…

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when archie writes - writing depressed af

when archie writes – writing depressed af

I think I’ve only spent about ten percent of my energies on writing… The other ninety percent went to keeping my head above water. Katherine Anne Porter

I have already answered why, as well as where, so let me unpack when I write.

I write when not too worn out by my mental illness. I write when my chronic depression isn’t so overwhelming that I struggle to function. I write when I can, in…

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archie reviews a book…. The Sword of Shannara (1977)

archie reviews a book…. The Sword of Shannara (1977)

My second book review! YAY.

Same disclaimer as before: I have never thought of myself as much of an art critic – I sort of always thought it wasn’t my place to disagree with the storyteller. As in, if I didn’t enjoy a book or movie, then it probably says more about me not being the intended audience for it, right? But I don’t think that need stop me from doing just that: sharing my thoughts and…

[archiebwriting]

how archie wrote words every day of 2020 (so far so good, anyway)

Hey, thanks for clicking! So yea, I’ve been following my own advice – and thus far in this strange year of twenty-twenty, I have been writing every single fucking day. Imagine that? Well, I’ve been journaling every day (3 pages, written by hand) and also writing fiction every day but Sundays (750 words minimum, written on a computer). And no, I haven’t had an easy year either, what with global…

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hi, this might help, bye

Hi – will write more soon – until then, enjoy these helpful lists of helpful things…

Resources for Canadian artists, writers, media workers during COVID-19 shutdowns

Help for Canadian artists and freelancers during COVID-19 shutdowns

COVID-19 Crisis Resources for Creatives (A Giant List of Helpful Links for Artists)

Resources for Artistsin COVID-19 Crisis (Grants, freelance resources, legal…

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archie's 2020 advice for writers

archie’s 2020 advice for writers

And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been. Rainer Maria Rilke

Greetings!

I will keep this short & sweet because the new year is nearly upon us.

There are a gazillion and one different things happening out there, offline and online. Some of it is fascinating, some of it is terrible, and lots of it is rubbish. Yet all of it is doing one thing: trying to distract you. Eve…

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what archie means when they talk about writing [and not writing]

what archie means when they talk about writing [and not writing]

Life is … complicated. Or perhaps ‘life’ is simple, and it is the ‘living’ of life that complicates things. Complicates, as in, making things a hellofa lot more stressful and tiresome than needed. I am skilled at that kind of living, through years of practice.

Yet I am also learning new ways to live, to be me, a writer.

A writer is someone who puts words together, tells stories, creates people…

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starting with the mask in the mirror

starting with the mask in the mirror

Hey hi hello – thanks for clicking!

I’m going to try to keep this post concise – weird, right? – and so I will get right to it…

As a writer, I tend to ponder over how some things in life are so common, so every day, that we can forget how interesting, how unusual, and how influential it is over us all.

Take the average mirror, once upon a time known as a “looking-glass”.

(more…)