Bruce Byfield
@byfield.bsky.social
Some time writer about free software and open source and would-be novelist. Companion to parrots, collector of First Nations art, and ergonomic keyboard advocate. Now actively querying my novel "The Bone Ransom," a post-colonial fantasy.
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Bruce Byfield
@byfield.bsky.social
· Jan 13
"AI Engineers" is a vainglorious exaggeration. Writing prompts does not rise to the level of any kind of engineering.
February 10, 2026 at 6:10 AM
"AI Engineers" is a vainglorious exaggeration. Writing prompts does not rise to the level of any kind of engineering.
I'm always encouraged by an author's juvenalia. Reading The Watsons, it is hard to predict Pride and Prejudice or Emma. It's reassuring to know that even great authors have to learn.
February 10, 2026 at 5:38 AM
I'm always encouraged by an author's juvenalia. Reading The Watsons, it is hard to predict Pride and Prejudice or Emma. It's reassuring to know that even great authors have to learn.
One trait I will never understand is a lack of curiosity.
February 10, 2026 at 5:21 AM
One trait I will never understand is a lack of curiosity.
The Hunt for Gollum? No thanks. I know how that turns out. Unfortunately, Nobody is ever likely to get the rights to the stories of Beren and Luthien or The Children of Hurin. But perhaps that's just as well.
February 10, 2026 at 5:19 AM
The Hunt for Gollum? No thanks. I know how that turns out. Unfortunately, Nobody is ever likely to get the rights to the stories of Beren and Luthien or The Children of Hurin. But perhaps that's just as well.
I have mixed feelings about Wuthering Heights. It has the passion that teenagers adore. Which is fun, even if you're older, but the psychological depth is missing.
February 10, 2026 at 5:13 AM
I have mixed feelings about Wuthering Heights. It has the passion that teenagers adore. Which is fun, even if you're older, but the psychological depth is missing.
The moment I find the perfect plot twist never
gets old.
gets old.
February 10, 2026 at 5:04 AM
The moment I find the perfect plot twist never
gets old.
gets old.
I never outline. Instead, I do a lot of free writing, throwing out ideas without judging them. I only choose between them as I write. #writing
February 9, 2026 at 5:51 AM
I never outline. Instead, I do a lot of free writing, throwing out ideas without judging them. I only choose between them as I write. #writing
Some writers work with a cat on their lap or a dog at their feet. I write with one or two parrots on my shoulder, who sit preening and wander off occasionally to raid their seed dishes.
February 9, 2026 at 5:37 AM
Some writers work with a cat on their lap or a dog at their feet. I write with one or two parrots on my shoulder, who sit preening and wander off occasionally to raid their seed dishes.
Some writers are desperate for beta readers. Any beta readers. But unless a beta reader combines a sympathy for your work wittingh a strong sense of honesty, their usefulness is limited. #writing
February 8, 2026 at 7:15 AM
Some writers are desperate for beta readers. Any beta readers. But unless a beta reader combines a sympathy for your work wittingh a strong sense of honesty, their usefulness is limited. #writing
For me, there has always been a right time to discover writers. I was ready for the Romantic in my teens, Dickens in my early twenties, and Jane Austen just before thirty.
February 8, 2026 at 7:10 AM
For me, there has always been a right time to discover writers. I was ready for the Romantic in my teens, Dickens in my early twenties, and Jane Austen just before thirty.
Speech therapy when I was five started a lifelong interest in words, both reading and writing, as well as songs with powerful lyrics.
February 8, 2026 at 7:05 AM
Speech therapy when I was five started a lifelong interest in words, both reading and writing, as well as songs with powerful lyrics.
I find that the most efficient way for me to edit is to work on two chapters at a time: one mostly finished, to be fine-tuned by tinkering, and another still undergoing major development. This approach provides variety, & helps with continuity. #writing
February 8, 2026 at 6:58 AM
I find that the most efficient way for me to edit is to work on two chapters at a time: one mostly finished, to be fine-tuned by tinkering, and another still undergoing major development. This approach provides variety, & helps with continuity. #writing
There's a widespread belief that English speakers of the past were more literate than moderns. But this belief ignores the fact that time has edited out bad prose. It judges on the basis of literary magazines, not penny dreadfuls. As for personal letters, surely only the literate ones are ever saved
February 8, 2026 at 6:51 AM
There's a widespread belief that English speakers of the past were more literate than moderns. But this belief ignores the fact that time has edited out bad prose. It judges on the basis of literary magazines, not penny dreadfuls. As for personal letters, surely only the literate ones are ever saved
There's a widespread belief that English speakers of the past were more literate than moderns. But this belief ignores the fact that time has edited out bad prose. It judges on the basis of literary magazines, not penny dreadfuls. As for personal letters, surely only the literate ones are ever saved
February 8, 2026 at 6:50 AM
There's a widespread belief that English speakers of the past were more literate than moderns. But this belief ignores the fact that time has edited out bad prose. It judges on the basis of literary magazines, not penny dreadfuls. As for personal letters, surely only the literate ones are ever saved
If you can't make each character in your fiction speak differently, the next most effective tactic is to make each line of dialogue as succinct as possible. Never mind that people rarely speak that way in real life. #writing
February 5, 2026 at 6:51 AM
If you can't make each character in your fiction speak differently, the next most effective tactic is to make each line of dialogue as succinct as possible. Never mind that people rarely speak that way in real life. #writing
I see a progression in the psychological novel from Austen to Dickens to Eliot and Hardy.
January 31, 2026 at 6:25 AM
I see a progression in the psychological novel from Austen to Dickens to Eliot and Hardy.
I've always tried for chapters with 2500-4500 words. But a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. This draft, I'm considering a few shorter ones.
January 30, 2026 at 5:55 AM
I've always tried for chapters with 2500-4500 words. But a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. This draft, I'm considering a few shorter ones.
One of the hardest parts of writing fantasy has got to be writing dialogue that gives information without being an obvious info dump. An argument helps, and not making the explanations too long-winded. But progress is slow regardless. #writing
January 30, 2026 at 12:15 AM
One of the hardest parts of writing fantasy has got to be writing dialogue that gives information without being an obvious info dump. An argument helps, and not making the explanations too long-winded. But progress is slow regardless. #writing