Neal
@nealholt.bsky.social
(he/him) Interested in reading (mostly SF & Fantasy), writing (mostly SF), game dev (Godot!), pets, gaming (SC2, Helldivers2). No DMs
Author of "Crew of Exiles". A misanthropic transcendent being has been banished to human form! Available as an audiobook!
Author of "Crew of Exiles". A misanthropic transcendent being has been banished to human form! Available as an audiobook!
Had an hour of absolutely uninterrupted writing yesterday. I can see why people wake up at the ass crack of dawn for this sort of thing.
November 12, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Had an hour of absolutely uninterrupted writing yesterday. I can see why people wake up at the ass crack of dawn for this sort of thing.
Short stories are underappreciated. Here's a little vid that includes: where to find submission venues, my process (such as it is), and a story I recently submitted to Glossy Planet youtu.be/2f5ilIRGyZg
Short stories: Where to submit 'em and how to write 'em
YouTube video by HasteWriting
youtu.be
November 6, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Short stories are underappreciated. Here's a little vid that includes: where to find submission venues, my process (such as it is), and a story I recently submitted to Glossy Planet youtu.be/2f5ilIRGyZg
Reposted by Neal
Yo, my book is not Amazon exclusive in any way shape or form. books2read.com/NealBooks
October 19, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Yo, my book is not Amazon exclusive in any way shape or form. books2read.com/NealBooks
Reposted by Neal
Crew of Exiles is no longer Amazon exclusive! Amazon is a dastardly company that hurts authors. Find all kinds of better places to buy the ebook here: books2read.com/NealBooks
October 17, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Crew of Exiles is no longer Amazon exclusive! Amazon is a dastardly company that hurts authors. Find all kinds of better places to buy the ebook here: books2read.com/NealBooks
Rule of Cool!
Still my favorite scene from The War in Space (1977).
October 16, 2025 at 1:21 AM
Rule of Cool!
I submitted a flash fic to Glossy Planet today! New challenges begin the 1st of every month: www.glossyplanetmag.com/challenge/mo...
Monsters We Made - October 2025 Writing Challenge
Write about the monsters of our own making and how they haunt us today. Submit short prose or poetry until Oct. 15, 2025.
www.glossyplanetmag.com
October 14, 2025 at 11:03 PM
I submitted a flash fic to Glossy Planet today! New challenges begin the 1st of every month: www.glossyplanetmag.com/challenge/mo...
Reposted by Neal
steadily pronouncing pirates like pilates just to feel something
October 14, 2025 at 10:55 PM
steadily pronouncing pirates like pilates just to feel something
AI art is like playing a song on your phone and then tapping piano keys and pretending you're making the music. theoatmeal.com/comics/ai_art
A cartoonist's review of AI art - The Oatmeal
This is a comic about AI art.
theoatmeal.com
October 7, 2025 at 5:04 PM
AI art is like playing a song on your phone and then tapping piano keys and pretending you're making the music. theoatmeal.com/comics/ai_art
Book review: Children of Time. Sometimes books live up to the hype. youtu.be/w-tfBUNaEVg
Children of Time Series by Adrian Tchaikovsky
YouTube video by HasteWriting
youtu.be
October 4, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Book review: Children of Time. Sometimes books live up to the hype. youtu.be/w-tfBUNaEVg
This. Sometimes I'm pausing to read something small on the screen, but now I can't because there's a big fat ad taking up all the space.
Video streaming services putting ads on the pause screen is just one of the many reasons I'll keep using Plex 🥰
October 2, 2025 at 4:21 PM
This. Sometimes I'm pausing to read something small on the screen, but now I can't because there's a big fat ad taking up all the space.
I'm craving a new writing project, but is it because the current writing project needs cold, clinical, incremental improvements, or because new idea is actually any good?
September 26, 2025 at 3:22 PM
I'm craving a new writing project, but is it because the current writing project needs cold, clinical, incremental improvements, or because new idea is actually any good?
Me checking the webs today (and most days)
a baby is standing on a wooden floor in a room .
ALT: a baby is standing on a wooden floor in a room .
media.tenor.com
September 10, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Me checking the webs today (and most days)
'On Earth as it is on Television' is an antidote to the doom and gloom of modern life. It's going to be too saccharine for a lot of readers, but it's sincere, and I respect that.
Note: the prologue's tone is out of sync with the rest of the book in that it's surprisingly dark. youtu.be/9s1vy0RPpTM
Note: the prologue's tone is out of sync with the rest of the book in that it's surprisingly dark. youtu.be/9s1vy0RPpTM
On Earth as it is on Television by Emily Jane
YouTube video by HasteWriting
youtu.be
September 7, 2025 at 10:28 PM
'On Earth as it is on Television' is an antidote to the doom and gloom of modern life. It's going to be too saccharine for a lot of readers, but it's sincere, and I respect that.
Note: the prologue's tone is out of sync with the rest of the book in that it's surprisingly dark. youtu.be/9s1vy0RPpTM
Note: the prologue's tone is out of sync with the rest of the book in that it's surprisingly dark. youtu.be/9s1vy0RPpTM
I want to know your personal #helldivers2 terminology? Here are some of mine:
"The Devil's Resupply" = Dying
"The Magic Eraser" = Orbital Laser
"Christmas" = Gas + Incendiary Mine Builds
"Fuck that guy in particular" = Orbital Railcannon
"The Devil's Resupply" = Dying
"The Magic Eraser" = Orbital Laser
"Christmas" = Gas + Incendiary Mine Builds
"Fuck that guy in particular" = Orbital Railcannon
August 20, 2025 at 8:59 PM
I want to know your personal #helldivers2 terminology? Here are some of mine:
"The Devil's Resupply" = Dying
"The Magic Eraser" = Orbital Laser
"Christmas" = Gas + Incendiary Mine Builds
"Fuck that guy in particular" = Orbital Railcannon
"The Devil's Resupply" = Dying
"The Magic Eraser" = Orbital Laser
"Christmas" = Gas + Incendiary Mine Builds
"Fuck that guy in particular" = Orbital Railcannon
Reposted by Neal
I made a vid of my thoughts on worldbuilding. The gist is: Worldbuilding != Realism. youtu.be/bKlAIz4Ldb8
Worldbuilding: It's not about accuracy (Except when it is)
YouTube video by HasteWriting
youtu.be
August 10, 2025 at 11:23 PM
I made a vid of my thoughts on worldbuilding. The gist is: Worldbuilding != Realism. youtu.be/bKlAIz4Ldb8
Reposted by Neal
she’s the sort of person
who takes her shoes off
when she walks into your heart
is it respect—or is squidging her toes
into your innermost achings
her very favourite part?
#poetry
who takes her shoes off
when she walks into your heart
is it respect—or is squidging her toes
into your innermost achings
her very favourite part?
#poetry
August 8, 2025 at 2:41 PM
she’s the sort of person
who takes her shoes off
when she walks into your heart
is it respect—or is squidging her toes
into your innermost achings
her very favourite part?
#poetry
who takes her shoes off
when she walks into your heart
is it respect—or is squidging her toes
into your innermost achings
her very favourite part?
#poetry
The beauty of the Java virtual machine is that Java runs the same on any hardware. The beauty of book reading is that it runs differently on every wetware.
August 2, 2025 at 5:43 PM
The beauty of the Java virtual machine is that Java runs the same on any hardware. The beauty of book reading is that it runs differently on every wetware.
Reposted by Neal
Reposted by Neal
Writing Tip:
As a writing exercise, take a fundamental pillar of your worldbuilding and change it. See what happens. What if money no longer existed? What if your entire fantasy world flooded? How would your world adapt? What would need to change to make it work?
#writing #writingtips #Booksky
As a writing exercise, take a fundamental pillar of your worldbuilding and change it. See what happens. What if money no longer existed? What if your entire fantasy world flooded? How would your world adapt? What would need to change to make it work?
#writing #writingtips #Booksky
August 2, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Writing Tip:
As a writing exercise, take a fundamental pillar of your worldbuilding and change it. See what happens. What if money no longer existed? What if your entire fantasy world flooded? How would your world adapt? What would need to change to make it work?
#writing #writingtips #Booksky
As a writing exercise, take a fundamental pillar of your worldbuilding and change it. See what happens. What if money no longer existed? What if your entire fantasy world flooded? How would your world adapt? What would need to change to make it work?
#writing #writingtips #Booksky
I've been making some material to display at upcoming conventions. I'm proud to advertise the lack of AI used in the creation of my novels. Here are some of the human faces involved.
July 30, 2025 at 6:16 PM
I've been making some material to display at upcoming conventions. I'm proud to advertise the lack of AI used in the creation of my novels. Here are some of the human faces involved.
Write what you want to see written, not what you think will sell, not what you think will be easy, nothing but what you want.
July 29, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Write what you want to see written, not what you think will sell, not what you think will be easy, nothing but what you want.
Writers, what do you think is essential to have in each scene?
A) A decision
B) A goal
C) A change
D) Other in the comments
A) A decision
B) A goal
C) A change
D) Other in the comments
July 27, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Writers, what do you think is essential to have in each scene?
A) A decision
B) A goal
C) A change
D) Other in the comments
A) A decision
B) A goal
C) A change
D) Other in the comments