<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[NJ. Simat - Editor, Poet, Author.: Essays ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Essays and Reflections on craft (poetry & fiction), philosophy, publishing & literary industry.]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/s/literary-insights</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PueS!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fbfa55f-c15d-4a9f-bebc-4a99c1cea0a9_1080x1080.png</url><title>NJ. Simat - Editor, Poet, Author.: Essays </title><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/s/literary-insights</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2026 04:59:35 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.substack.njsimat.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Nancy Simat (NJ. Simat)]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[njsimat@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[njsimat@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[njsimat@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[njsimat@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Writing in Time]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Century of Publishing Trends]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/writing-in-time</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/writing-in-time</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:51:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/475c3752-ced6-4b3b-84b8-f13a3023d33a_1200x630.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Writers often hear, &#8216;know the market,&#8217; and &#8216;understand the trends to position your book accordingly.&#8217;   There&#8217;s practical sense in that advice, because publishing is, at its core, an industry. Agents and editors live inside market realities, and books need readers. And while writers aren&#8217;t harmed by understanding the room they hope to enter, I still don&#8217;t think we should write toward trends. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1579621970563-ebec7560ff3e?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxN3x8bW9uZXl8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzc3MDI5NDc0fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1579621970563-ebec7560ff3e?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxN3x8bW9uZXl8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzc3MDI5NDc0fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1579621970563-ebec7560ff3e?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxN3x8bW9uZXl8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzc3MDI5NDc0fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1579621970563-ebec7560ff3e?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxN3x8bW9uZXl8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzc3MDI5NDc0fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1579621970563-ebec7560ff3e?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxN3x8bW9uZXl8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzc3MDI5NDc0fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1579621970563-ebec7560ff3e?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxN3x8bW9uZXl8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzc3MDI5NDc0fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" width="4979" height="3319" 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srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1579621970563-ebec7560ff3e?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxN3x8bW9uZXl8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzc3MDI5NDc0fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1579621970563-ebec7560ff3e?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxN3x8bW9uZXl8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzc3MDI5NDc0fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1579621970563-ebec7560ff3e?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxN3x8bW9uZXl8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzc3MDI5NDc0fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1579621970563-ebec7560ff3e?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxN3x8bW9uZXl8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzc3MDI5NDc0fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@micheile">micheile henderson</a> </figcaption></figure></div><p>For one thing, publishing moves very slowly, and the timing rarely lines up. By the time a book goes from concept to zero-draft, revised seven* times, beta-read, queried, cried over, queried again, edited, sold, designed, printed, marketed, shipped, reviewed, and finally placed into readers&#8217; hands, the trend has probably changed. <em>But more importantly</em>, writing toward a trend can flatten the instinct that brings a book alive in the first place. Lasting work feels like someone was paying attention before most of us knew how to name what we were feeling, and less like a wel&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Every Literary Genre Boiled Down to 2 words]]></title><description><![CDATA[A practical, agent-aware breakdown of literary genres and subgenres.]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/every-literary-genre-boiled-down</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/every-literary-genre-boiled-down</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 20 Dec 2025 18:51:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8e34b0ee-eab8-4b8f-b534-3bfb89a9dbbc_1536x1102.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2><strong>Literary Genre Reduction</strong></h2><p><strong>Literary Fiction</strong> &#8212; Internal weather <em>(alt. Pretty prose)</em><br><strong>Upmarket Fiction</strong> &#8212; Accessible depth<br><strong>Mainstream Fiction</strong> &#8212; Hindsight hit<br><strong>Commercial Fiction</strong> &#8212; Fast payoff <em>(alt. High-premise)</em><br><strong>Women&#8217;s Fiction</strong> &#8212; Interior change<br><strong>Book Club Fiction</strong> &#8212; Discussion hooks</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Children&#8217;s</strong> &#8212; Gentle wisdom<br><strong>Middle Grade</strong> &#8212; Big feelings<br><strong>Young Adult</strong> &#8212; First everything<br><strong>New Adult</strong> &#8212; Becoming, reckoning</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Romance</strong> &#8212; Will they<br><strong>Rom-Com</strong> &#8212; Meet cute</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Contemporary</strong> &#8212; Now problems<br><strong>Historical Fiction</strong> &#8212; Past problems</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Dystopian</strong> &#8212; Future problems</p><p><strong>Speculative Fiction</strong> &#8212; What if</p><p><strong>Science Fiction</strong> &#8212; Future consequences<br><strong>Hard Science Fiction</strong> &#8212; Math matters<br><strong>Soft Science Fiction</strong> &#8212; Human matters<br><strong>Climate Fiction (Cli-Fi)</strong> &#8212; Planet stakes</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Metaphysical</strong> &#8212; Reality questioned<br><strong>Visionary</strong> &#8212; Consciousness expanded</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Fantasy</strong> &#8212; Magic systems<br><strong>High Fantasy</strong> &#8212; World immersion<br><strong>Low Fantasy</strong> &#8212; Magic intrudes<br><strong>Portal Fantasy</strong> &#8212; Magic door<br><strong>Urban Fantasy</strong> &#8212; City magic<br><strong>Dark Fantasy</strong> &#8212; Beauty rots</p><p><strong>Magical Realism</strong> &#8212; Casual miracles<br><strong>Mythology Retellings</strong> &#8212; Old gods</p><p><strong>Mythic</strong> &#8212; Archetypal truths</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Horror</strong> &#8212; Don&#8217;t die<br><strong>Cozy Horror</strong> &#8212; Don&#8217;t worry*</p><p><strong>Gothic</strong> &#8212; Atmospheric dread<br><strong>Southern Gothic</strong> &#8212; Polite decay<br><strong>Paranormal</strong> &#8212; Otherworldly intrusion</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Thriller</strong> &#8212; Sustained tension<br><strong>Psychological Thriller</strong> &#8212; Mind games</p><p><strong>Mystery</strong> &#8212; Who did<br><strong>Detective Fiction</strong> &#8212; Solve it<br><strong>Police Procedural</strong> &#8212; Process matters</p><p><strong>Crime</strong> &#8212; Why did<br><strong>Noir</strong> &#8212; Moral rain<br><strong>Gangster</strong> &#8212; Loyalty costs</p><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.substack.njsimat.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">NJ. Simat - Editor, Author, Poet</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p><strong>Adventure</strong> &#8212; Relentless motion<br><strong>Action</strong> &#8212; Immediate impact<br><strong>Epic</strong> &#8212; World stakes <em>(alt. Hero&#8217;s Journey)</em><br><strong>Western</strong> &#8212; Hard landing<br><strong>Pulp</strong> &#8212; Stylized excess</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Comedy</strong> &#8212; Earned laughs<br><strong>Satire</strong> &#8212; Laugh, wince</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Experimental</strong> &#8212; Rules optional<br><strong>Slipstream</strong> &#8212; Genre bleed</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Memoir</strong> &#8212; I survived<br><strong>Autobiography</strong> &#8212; Me, myself<br><strong>Biography</strong> &#8212; Someone else<br><strong>Creative Nonfiction</strong> &#8212; True art<br><strong>True Crime</strong> &#8212; Real horror</p><p><strong>Spiritual</strong> &#8212; Faith inquiry</p><div><hr></div><p>Argue with me in the comments (but lovingly please). Or better yet&#8212;add your own two-word genre reduction.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/every-literary-genre-boiled-down?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/every-literary-genre-boiled-down?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The 15-Minute Drift]]></title><description><![CDATA[What is it & How to use it]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/the-15-minute-drift</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/the-15-minute-drift</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2025 17:31:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d8be9c5f-12e7-4123-a96b-8cc7995ddfa8_1486x1082.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>What is it?</h3><p>We talk a lot about writer&#8217;s block and minimizing distractions, but there&#8217;s another barrier to creative flow that&#8217;s less discussed: the cognitive-context transition&#8212;otherwise known as the <em>15-Minute Drift</em>.</p><p>Similar to the 20-minute metabolic switch from carbs to fat on the treadmill, knowing what&#8217;s happening inside your body and brain can help ease the frustration of getting into a flow state. If you understand that it&#8217;s not just &#8220;poor focus&#8221; or &#8220;lack of motivation,&#8221; you can shed the guilt and get real about your brain chemistry.</p><p>Your brain isn&#8217;t a light switch. It can&#8217;t instantly leap from answering emails, watching t.v., or texting a friend into deep narrative flow. <strong>Research suggests it takes the average person around 15 minutes to mentally shift from one context to another</strong>. That&#8217;s the transition time&#8212;the gray zone where your brain is unloading one mode and booting up another.</p><p>For writers, that window can feel like resistance, self-doubt, or fogginess. But it&#8217;s not a failure, it&#8217;s just science&#8212;Physics to be specific&#8212;Cognitive Physics to be annoyingly specific. During this shift, the resistance you feel isn&#8217;t proof that you&#8217;re lazy or not cut out to be a best selling author; it&#8217;s not personal. Well, it&#8217;s deeply internally personal, sure, but it <em>isn&#8217;t shameful</em> and it doesn&#8217;t mean you should give up. It&#8217;s not you being unmotivated, it&#8217;s a trust the process moment.</p><h3>So again for the skimmers, what is cognitive-context transition time?</h3><p>It&#8217;s the mental lag between leaving one task (say, work meetings or chores) and being ready to immerse in a new one&#8230;like writing! Your brain has to:</p><ul><li><p>Disengage from the previous mental context</p></li><li><p>Reactivate your creative circuits</p></li><li><p>Reconstruct the story world, logic threads, or emotional tone</p></li><li><p>Quiet residual thoughts and distractions</p></li></ul><p>And that shift takes time&#8212;on average, 10&#8211;25 minutes, depending on how deep the new task is and how scattered the old one was.</p><h4>What happens if you ignore it?</h4><p>Well most of us might sit down to write and instead end up doom-scrolling on our phones, checking email, rewriting the same sentence nine times; or sometimes it&#8217;s just judging your reflection in the the laptop&#8217;s sleep screen for not being good enough. Sound familiar? That&#8217;s the cost of skipping the transition.</p><div><hr></div><h3>How to use it</h3><blockquote><p><strong>1. Ritualize your entry</strong><br>Train your brain with a pre-writing ritual: light a candle, play a specific playlist (This is Stephen King&#8217;s preferred choice), drink the same tea. One really effective method is&#8212;same place, same time. A ritual builds recognition and lowers the threshold to &#8220;Oh right, it&#8217;s writing time now.&#8221;</p><p><strong>2. Time it!</strong><br>Set a timer for 15 minutes. Your only job during that window is to try to get in the zone, by writing. We&#8217;re not demanding brilliance, just waiting on the bus to arrive.</p><p><strong>3. Buffer with low-stakes writing</strong><br>This could technically be 2a. but ease in with freewriting about your book for fifteen minutes, or with a quick journal entry about your day. You can also reread (or my personal favorite&#8212;<em>relisten</em>) to the last page you wrote. This is letting your brain stretch and warm up before it starts lifting anything heavy or sprinting.</p><p><strong>4. Lower the barrier, and Start Small </strong><em>try any of these:</em></p><p>a. Describe one room in vivid detail</p><p>b. Write one character&#8217;s backstory</p><p>c. Sketch the next scene in bullet points</p><p>d. (One of my favorites) Rapid-fire a list of questions you have about your plot, worldbuilding, characters, etc.</p><p><strong>5. Protect the window!</strong><br>Interruptions reset the clock, and so does task-switching. That early window is sacred, so we have to protect it. The only goal is to keep writing. This means, no email, no social, no &#8220;just a quick snack&#8221; if you can help it.</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><p>So hopefully you gathered the nuance between writer&#8217;s block and a drift, enough to tell them apart. The fix is about accepting your brain&#8217;s quirks and working <em>with</em> them. We aren&#8217;t bodies with a spirit tacked on&#8212;we&#8217;re conscious beings working within a remarkable machine, a holy instrument. Give yourself time and space to tune in.</p><p><strong>Question for you:</strong><br>What&#8217;s your ritual or favorite tool for switching into writing mode? Drop it in the comments&#8212;I&#8217;d love to see what&#8217;s working (or not) for you.</p><p>Thanks for reading,</p><p>NJ.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;HTTP://WWW.NJSIMAT.COM&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;VIEW AUTHOR WEBSITE&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="HTTP://WWW.NJSIMAT.COM"><span>VIEW AUTHOR WEBSITE</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><strong>FURTHER READING:</strong> </p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;90c5297e-92da-402b-b2eb-0d8c549134cb&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Writer&#8217;s block is treated as this mysterious enemy, with an intangible fortress that blocks creativity for sport.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:&quot;Read full story&quot;,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;md&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Why You Have Writer's Block &amp; How to be Rid of it FOREVER.&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:278278227,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;NJ Simat &#129293;&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Novelist &amp; Poet. Bachelors of Arts &amp; Science (Georgia State). Creative Writing (Emory University). Pocket MFA Alumni. Founding Editor of PHIL LIT journal.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6f78caa4-487d-462f-88c1-71407f306a2d_852x852.png&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2025-02-02T19:25:26.080Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3bc08c5d-3f84-401e-9668-dcd9536ac4ce_1312x960.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/why-you-have-writers-block-and-how&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:&quot;Craft Essays &quot;,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:155924876,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:6,&quot;comment_count&quot;:3,&quot;publication_id&quot;:3799030,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;NJ. Simat - Editor, Author, Poet.&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PueS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fbfa55f-c15d-4a9f-bebc-4a99c1cea0a9_1080x1080.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[First Page Checklist]]></title><description><![CDATA[Fiction Craft Essay]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/first-page-checklist</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/first-page-checklist</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 29 Sep 2025 18:21:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7c1d2e53-b255-4e75-94ab-491b4768a79c_1456x1044.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>First Pages Are Gatekeepers </h2><h5>(and That&#8217;s a Good Thing)</h5><p>Before a reader ever meets your prose, your work runs a gauntlet of gatekeepers: first agents, then acquiring editors and sales, then the brick-and-mortar genre shelf, then the front cover, jacket copy, etc. </p><p>And if&#8212;after all that&#8212;someone turns to your <em>first page</em>, you&#8217;ve earned a prized moment of attention. So, that page must quietly answer the following core questions so masterfully it looks like it took no time at all. </p><p>Below is a checklist you can use on your opening page(s) before you hit &#8220;publish,&#8221; or enter a contest, or submit a query. <strong>Hit all of these, and your first page becomes a promise the rest of the book keeps.</strong></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I’m Glad My First Book Failed]]></title><description><![CDATA[Club Daze & the Subtle Realm: Closing a Chapter]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/why-im-glad-my-first-book-failed</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/why-im-glad-my-first-book-failed</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2025 19:07:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/eae5308c-1822-4cb0-adcb-ab2d4bc8d69d_1456x1048.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you&#8217;re new here, I am NJ. Simat and I&#8217;ve been a working writer for eight years. <strong>In 2018 I wrote my first novel, Club Daze and The Subtle Realm</strong>. And like most new novelists, I was <em>convinced </em>it was <em>the</em> book. I laced it with so many Easter eggs because I was absolutely sure that book clubs would be dissecting it for years to come. </p><p>Hopefully a few of you are laughing at this point, I think we all go through this stage. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hHei!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2425289-ced1-4a33-9e69-94f5b60c27e3_2782x1228.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hHei!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2425289-ced1-4a33-9e69-94f5b60c27e3_2782x1228.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hHei!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2425289-ced1-4a33-9e69-94f5b60c27e3_2782x1228.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hHei!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2425289-ced1-4a33-9e69-94f5b60c27e3_2782x1228.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hHei!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2425289-ced1-4a33-9e69-94f5b60c27e3_2782x1228.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hHei!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2425289-ced1-4a33-9e69-94f5b60c27e3_2782x1228.png" width="1456" height="643" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f2425289-ced1-4a33-9e69-94f5b60c27e3_2782x1228.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:643,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:5756919,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.substack.njsimat.com/i/156616295?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2425289-ced1-4a33-9e69-94f5b60c27e3_2782x1228.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hHei!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2425289-ced1-4a33-9e69-94f5b60c27e3_2782x1228.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hHei!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2425289-ced1-4a33-9e69-94f5b60c27e3_2782x1228.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hHei!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2425289-ced1-4a33-9e69-94f5b60c27e3_2782x1228.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hHei!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2425289-ced1-4a33-9e69-94f5b60c27e3_2782x1228.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h6>The Original Book Cover, 2021 (canary agency)</h6>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rethinking the 5-Star Rating]]></title><description><![CDATA[An Op-Ed]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/rethinking-the-5-star-rating</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/rethinking-the-5-star-rating</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 22 Jul 2025 14:52:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5f367724-05b7-41cb-b939-622da1ca9209_1526x1094.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Let&#8217;s talk about reviews. </p><p>Specifically, those little stars we hand out like candy&#8212;or like darts, depending on our mood. I&#8217;ve been meaning to write this for a while, because I think the 5-star system is due for a gentle, loving <s>takedown</s> renovation. Or at least, a retake.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mNcb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7250e55d-4307-436c-b87f-a9541964b2c7_1456x1048.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mNcb!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7250e55d-4307-436c-b87f-a9541964b2c7_1456x1048.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mNcb!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7250e55d-4307-436c-b87f-a9541964b2c7_1456x1048.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mNcb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7250e55d-4307-436c-b87f-a9541964b2c7_1456x1048.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mNcb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7250e55d-4307-436c-b87f-a9541964b2c7_1456x1048.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mNcb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7250e55d-4307-436c-b87f-a9541964b2c7_1456x1048.png" width="1456" height="1048" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7250e55d-4307-436c-b87f-a9541964b2c7_1456x1048.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1048,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2410976,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.substack.njsimat.com/i/168953399?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7250e55d-4307-436c-b87f-a9541964b2c7_1456x1048.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mNcb!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7250e55d-4307-436c-b87f-a9541964b2c7_1456x1048.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mNcb!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7250e55d-4307-436c-b87f-a9541964b2c7_1456x1048.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mNcb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7250e55d-4307-436c-b87f-a9541964b2c7_1456x1048.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mNcb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7250e55d-4307-436c-b87f-a9541964b2c7_1456x1048.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h6>Unless otherwise noted, all artwork is by the author. Visuals vary by post, but are typically created using a mix of original photography, commercially licensed Canva assets, Midjourney elements, Adobe Photoshop, and freehand design.</h6>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tension in Dialogue ]]></title><description><![CDATA[20 Types of Tension to Keep Your Scenes Pulsing]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/tension-in-dialogue</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/tension-in-dialogue</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2025 19:48:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/83f31296-f2b2-48ff-bd2a-a973d4fd3c42_1518x1098.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You could argue your characters shouldn&#8217;t speak at all unless they&#8217;re exposing tension. I&#8217;d probably agree with you. But I&#8217;d also argue dialogue can pull double duty&#8212;it can sneak in <strong>characterization, setting, theme, exposition,</strong> all without breaking stride. Because let&#8217;s not forget: <strong>dialogue is action.</strong> </p><blockquote><p><strong>Q: So&#8230;can it be both? Can&#8217;t you create tension </strong><em><strong>and</strong></em><strong> world-build or reveal character or deepen the theme&#8212;all in one breath?</strong></p><p><strong>A: Yes. Yes you can. And when you do, you get </strong><em><strong>beautiful</strong></em><strong> and layered scenes.</strong></p></blockquote><div class="pullquote"><p><strong>Why Tension Works</strong></p></div><p>Dialogue without tension is a weak heartbeat. <strong>Tension is what gives dialogue its quick-pulse&#8212;</strong>the undercurrent that keeps a reader leaning in, even when no one is shouting, or throwing things. Tension can be overt, subtle, even contradictory&#8212;and it doesn&#8217;t always come from conflict! Sometimes the most electric scenes light up a page with what&#8217;s <em>not</em> being said.</p><p><strong>So how do you build that charge? </strong></p><p>Below are <strong>20 types of tension</strong> you can weave into your dialogue to keep it tight, dynamic, and layered. <strong>The key is that something is always at stake&#8212;</strong>emotionally, psychologically, narratively.</p><div class="pullquote"><p><strong>20 Types of Tension in Dialogue</strong></p></div><ol><li><p><strong>Suspicion</strong> &#8211; One character doubts the other&#8217;s motives or truthfulness.</p></li><li><p><strong>Attraction/Flirting</strong> &#8211; There&#8217;s a current of chemistry, welcomed or resisted.</p></li><li><p><strong>Conflict of Interest</strong> &#8211; They want different things, and only one can be realized.</p></li><li><p><strong>Omission</strong> &#8211; One character is holding something back. The silence speaks.</p></li><li><p><strong>Distraction</strong> &#8211; One character is avoiding the real subject or issue.</p></li><li><p><strong>Hatred/Loathing</strong> &#8211; Barely veiled contempt adds bite to even polite conversation.</p></li><li><p><strong>Jealousy</strong> &#8211; Romantic or otherwise, from a position of power, or submissive.</p></li><li><p><strong>Power Struggle</strong> &#8211; Who gets the last word? Who&#8217;s really in control here?</p></li><li><p><strong>Miscommunication</strong> &#8211; Thinking they&#8217;re talking about the same thing&#8212;they&#8217;re not. Or poor communication skills works well here too.</p></li><li><p><strong>Hidden Agenda</strong> &#8211; One character&#8217;s words are a mask, a misdirection.</p></li><li><p><strong>Emotional Restraint</strong> &#8211; Holding back tears, rage, or confession. </p></li><li><p><strong>Cultural Clash</strong> &#8211; Subtle or stark, values collide and can be completely innocent.</p></li><li><p><strong>Threat (Veiled or Overt)</strong> &#8211; Can be mutual, or one-sided. How the threatened character receives the threat is characterization.</p></li><li><p><strong>Urgency</strong> &#8211; Time is running out. Stakes are rising. Especially if one character is unbothered, or aloof to the risk.</p></li><li><p><strong>Shared History</strong> &#8211; Old wounds resurface in new words.</p></li><li><p><strong>Unbalanced Knowledge</strong> &#8211; One character knows something the other doesn&#8217;t, or the reader knows something the characters don&#8217;t. </p></li><li><p><strong>Manipulation</strong> &#8211; Words used to twist, tempt, or control.</p></li><li><p><strong>Fear</strong> &#8211; Of consequences, of rejection, of the truth.</p></li><li><p><strong>Double Meaning</strong> <strong>or Irony</strong> &#8211; Dialogue that reads one way but means another, or ends in an unexpected way. </p></li><li><p><strong>Ideological Clash</strong> &#8211; They <em>see the world</em> differently.</p></li></ol><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.substack.njsimat.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">To receive new posts and encourage my work, consider becoming a subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="pullquote"><p><strong>Tension in Action</strong></p></div><ol><li><p><strong>Attraction / Flirting</strong><br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;You always look like that when you lie?&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;Like what?&#8221;<br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;Like you want me to catch you.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Conflict of Interest</strong><br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;We agreed&#8212;no press until after the deal.&#8221;<br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;I didn&#8217;t agree. I just didn&#8217;t stop you.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Omission</strong><br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;Anything happen while I was gone?&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;Nothing worth mentioning.&#8221;<br><em>(Ari&#8217;s knuckles are bruised.)</em></p></li><li><p><strong>Distraction</strong><br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;Why won&#8217;t you answer the question?&#8221;<br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;Did you change your hair?&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;Cameron.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Hatred / Loathing</strong><br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;You&#8217;ve gotten better at lying.&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;And you&#8217;ve gotten worse at hiding your disgust.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Jealousy</strong><br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;You two looked cozy last night.&#8221;<br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;We were just talking.&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;With your hand on her knee?&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Power Struggle</strong><br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;I&#8217;ll decide when we leave.&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;You think you will.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Miscommunication</strong><br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;I&#8217;m not ready.&#8221;<br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;To forgive me?&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;To lose you.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Hidden Agenda</strong><br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;Let&#8217;s take a drive. Somewhere quiet.&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;That&#8217;s not ominous at all.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Emotional Restraint</strong><br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;Just say it.&#8221;<br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;It wouldn&#8217;t help.&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;Maybe not. Say it anyway.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Cultural Clash</strong><br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;We don&#8217;t air family business in public.&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;We confront it, or it poisons the house.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Threat (Veiled or Overt)</strong><br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;You tell anyone about this&#8212;&#8221;<br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;Relax. I&#8217;m not suicidal.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Urgency</strong><br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;We don&#8217;t have time to argue.&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;Then shut up.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Shared History</strong><br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;You always do this.&#8221;<br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;That was ten years ago.&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;Still hurts like yesterday.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Unbalanced Knowledge</strong><br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;You really don&#8217;t know, do you?&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;Know what?&#8221;<br><strong>Cameron:</strong> <em>smiles</em> &#8220;Forget it.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Manipulation</strong><br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;You owe me.&#8221;<br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;Oh, now that&#8217;s love.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Fear</strong><br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;If we walk in there, we don&#8217;t come out the same.&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;I&#8217;m still going.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Irony</strong><br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;You really trust him?&#8221;<br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;I trust he&#8217;ll do what he always does.&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;Which is?&#8221;<br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;Exactly what I need&#8212;ruin everything.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Ideological Clash</strong><br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;Some things are just right or wrong.&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;Who made you God?&#8221;</p></li></ol><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4xH6!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0b63048e-23f5-4a4a-b639-8a0fccf8701b_1400x275.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4xH6!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0b63048e-23f5-4a4a-b639-8a0fccf8701b_1400x275.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4xH6!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0b63048e-23f5-4a4a-b639-8a0fccf8701b_1400x275.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4xH6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0b63048e-23f5-4a4a-b639-8a0fccf8701b_1400x275.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4xH6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0b63048e-23f5-4a4a-b639-8a0fccf8701b_1400x275.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4xH6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0b63048e-23f5-4a4a-b639-8a0fccf8701b_1400x275.png" width="1400" height="275" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0b63048e-23f5-4a4a-b639-8a0fccf8701b_1400x275.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:275,&quot;width&quot;:1400,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:16133,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.substack.njsimat.com/i/166988037?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0b63048e-23f5-4a4a-b639-8a0fccf8701b_1400x275.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4xH6!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0b63048e-23f5-4a4a-b639-8a0fccf8701b_1400x275.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4xH6!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0b63048e-23f5-4a4a-b639-8a0fccf8701b_1400x275.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4xH6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0b63048e-23f5-4a4a-b639-8a0fccf8701b_1400x275.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4xH6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0b63048e-23f5-4a4a-b639-8a0fccf8701b_1400x275.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/tension-in-dialogue?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption"><em>Share Dialogue Needs Tension</em></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/tension-in-dialogue?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/tension-in-dialogue?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div class="pullquote"><p><strong>Tension +      (4 Quick Examples)</strong></p></div><p><strong>Also here&#8217;s a quick look at dialogue building tension </strong><em><strong>and</strong></em><strong> doing something else.</strong></p><h3>1. <strong>Tension + Characterization</strong></h3><p><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;You always talk like you&#8217;re two steps ahead.&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;Only when I&#8217;m three.&#8221;</p><p><em>We learn Ari&#8217;s personality.</em></p><div><hr></div><h3>2. <strong>Tension + Setting</strong></h3><p><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;You really want to do this here? With a camera on every streetlamp?&#8221;<br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;That&#8217;s why I&#8217;m whispering.&#8221;</p><p><em>Suddenly we know this world is under surveillance. Without exposition.</em></p><div><hr></div><h3>3. <strong>Tension + Theme</strong></h3><p><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;You think survival makes you moral?&#8221;<br><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;No. It just keeps me breathing.&#8221;</p><p><em>Now we&#8217;re circling the book&#8217;s core question.</em></p><div><hr></div><h3>4. <strong>Tension + Exposition</strong></h3><p><strong>Ari:</strong> &#8220;She&#8217;s not my sister. Not anymore. Not since the fire.&#8221;<br><strong>Cameron:</strong> &#8220;Then why do you still wear her necklace?&#8221;</p><p><em>Backstory revealed, stakes added.</em></p><div><hr></div><p>The next time a scene feels flat, ask what&#8217;s <em>at stake beneath</em> the surface of the dialogue. <strong>Which types of tension do you find yourself writing most? Which do you avoid? </strong>Drop it in the comments. <strong>Do it now. </strong><em>Or else.</em></p><div><hr></div><h5><strong>Thank you for reading, if you enjoyed this post please tap a heart onto it. It&#8217;s a cute metric, but it helps my work travel further, and in turn, me grow as a writer. </strong></h5><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvYi!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce339292-a4a9-49ac-a3a0-c7aecf0290c3_1456x1048.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvYi!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce339292-a4a9-49ac-a3a0-c7aecf0290c3_1456x1048.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvYi!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce339292-a4a9-49ac-a3a0-c7aecf0290c3_1456x1048.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvYi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce339292-a4a9-49ac-a3a0-c7aecf0290c3_1456x1048.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvYi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce339292-a4a9-49ac-a3a0-c7aecf0290c3_1456x1048.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvYi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce339292-a4a9-49ac-a3a0-c7aecf0290c3_1456x1048.png" width="1456" height="1048" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvYi!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce339292-a4a9-49ac-a3a0-c7aecf0290c3_1456x1048.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvYi!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce339292-a4a9-49ac-a3a0-c7aecf0290c3_1456x1048.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvYi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce339292-a4a9-49ac-a3a0-c7aecf0290c3_1456x1048.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dvYi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce339292-a4a9-49ac-a3a0-c7aecf0290c3_1456x1048.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div 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stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="pullquote"><p><strong><a href="http://njsimat.com">VIEW AUTHOR PAGE</a></strong></p></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Breaking Out of Your Lexicon]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Writing Poetry & Prose]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/breaking-out-of-your-lexicon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/breaking-out-of-your-lexicon</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 15 Jun 2025 23:00:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/119a2166-c1d5-40e8-95e4-90983f28dc3e_1456x1048.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Every writer, sorry, <em>every person</em>, cultivates a lexicon: a personal constellation of words and phrase that we instinctively pull from when we speak (or are crafting sentences). Think of it as a linguistic fingerprint, your go-to toolbox, or your brain&#8217;s personalized thesaurus. It might lean precise and elegant, or raw and visceral&#8212;silly or even didactic; but all familiar phrasing, no matter how effective initially, eventually blunts the power of your words. A stale lexicon will weaken your work.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1472898965229-f9b06b9c9bbe?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyMXx8cmFuZG9tfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0OTk3MTIwOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1472898965229-f9b06b9c9bbe?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyMXx8cmFuZG9tfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0OTk3MTIwOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1472898965229-f9b06b9c9bbe?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyMXx8cmFuZG9tfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0OTk3MTIwOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1472898965229-f9b06b9c9bbe?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyMXx8cmFuZG9tfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0OTk3MTIwOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1472898965229-f9b06b9c9bbe?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyMXx8cmFuZG9tfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0OTk3MTIwOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1472898965229-f9b06b9c9bbe?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyMXx8cmFuZG9tfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0OTk3MTIwOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" width="5184" height="3456" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1472898965229-f9b06b9c9bbe?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyMXx8cmFuZG9tfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0OTk3MTIwOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:3456,&quot;width&quot;:5184,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;white and orange open LED signage turned on&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="white and orange open LED signage turned on" title="white and orange open LED signage turned on" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1472898965229-f9b06b9c9bbe?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyMXx8cmFuZG9tfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0OTk3MTIwOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1472898965229-f9b06b9c9bbe?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyMXx8cmFuZG9tfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0OTk3MTIwOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1472898965229-f9b06b9c9bbe?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyMXx8cmFuZG9tfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0OTk3MTIwOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1472898965229-f9b06b9c9bbe?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyMXx8cmFuZG9tfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0OTk3MTIwOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a>Finn Hackshaw</a> </figcaption></figure></div><h3>Why Fresh Language Matters</h3><p>Great poetry or prose colors the page; it&#8217;s filled with fresh language. It defamiliarizes (i.e., it makes familiar phrases strange again&#8212;new&#8212;causing us to slow down, and reviving their impact). This freshness, this linguistic surprise, shakes readers awake, forcing them to see the ordinary anew.</p><p><strong>If your writing feels like it&#8217;s lost its pulse, you may be drifting in linguistic autopilot.</strong> Our brains are efficient. Our minds are wired to conserve ene&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[When Is Poetry Just Memoir in Verse?]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Reflection on Marie Howe&#8217;s What the Living Do]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/when-is-poetry-just-memoir-in-verse</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/when-is-poetry-just-memoir-in-verse</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 04 Jun 2025 17:30:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f169c2d5-6409-4647-a8ab-ee95e8e359d8_1456x1048.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> This reflection is based on <em>What the Living Do</em> by Marie Howe, a book assigned as part of a poetry cohort at <a href="https://pocketmfa.com/">Pocket MFA</a>. The thoughts below are personal, exploratory, and not intended as a definitive critique. <strong>[Trigger Warning: </strong>This post contains light references to the poets&#8217; work about molestation and rape, but nothing in detail or graphic.]</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[20 Words You Should Absolutely Know Before Submitting to a Publisher]]></title><description><![CDATA[Essential Vocabulary for Writers - 5 Part Series]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/20-words-you-should-absolutely-know-ab2</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/20-words-you-should-absolutely-know-ab2</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 27 May 2025 21:33:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/41b3b017-404b-4141-bc8d-80a2770b0dff_1456x1048.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjKr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97990afb-b9da-4432-a2ce-7c60d247724f_1456x1048.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjKr!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97990afb-b9da-4432-a2ce-7c60d247724f_1456x1048.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjKr!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97990afb-b9da-4432-a2ce-7c60d247724f_1456x1048.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjKr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97990afb-b9da-4432-a2ce-7c60d247724f_1456x1048.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjKr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97990afb-b9da-4432-a2ce-7c60d247724f_1456x1048.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjKr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97990afb-b9da-4432-a2ce-7c60d247724f_1456x1048.png" width="1456" height="1048" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/97990afb-b9da-4432-a2ce-7c60d247724f_1456x1048.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1048,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1542964,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.substack.njsimat.com/i/164572260?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97990afb-b9da-4432-a2ce-7c60d247724f_1456x1048.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjKr!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97990afb-b9da-4432-a2ce-7c60d247724f_1456x1048.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjKr!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97990afb-b9da-4432-a2ce-7c60d247724f_1456x1048.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjKr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97990afb-b9da-4432-a2ce-7c60d247724f_1456x1048.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NjKr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F97990afb-b9da-4432-a2ce-7c60d247724f_1456x1048.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h6>Image Created by Author. &#169; NJ Lit &amp; Phil 2025. All rights reserved.</h6><p></p><p>Knowing the professional terms that guide the process of submissions and publishing increase the understanding of the process, your chances, and helps to respect the readers and editors on the other side. Here are 20 essential words to learn before you submit your writing.</p><h4>But First,</h4><p><strong><a href="https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/who-are-you-submitting-to?r=4logur&amp;utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;showWelcomeOnShare=false">WHO are you submitting to? Click for a quick overview of Publishers.</a></strong></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Who are you Submitting to?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Publishing Nomenclature]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/who-are-you-submitting-to</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/who-are-you-submitting-to</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 27 May 2025 21:26:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/24c41780-2239-4ea1-a166-d825da19eb28_1456x1048.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>Understanding Publishing Avenues</h2><p>Submitting your work is more effective when you understand something about the outlet you&#8217;re asking to champion your writing. Below is a breakdown of the most common types of literary venues, their <strong>acceptance rates</strong>, examples, and generalized behaviors of each.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1617575521317-d2974f3b56d2?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxN3x8cXVlc3Rpb25zfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0ODMwMDUxMnww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1617575521317-d2974f3b56d2?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxN3x8cXVlc3Rpb25zfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0ODMwMDUxMnww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, 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height="2753" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1617575521317-d2974f3b56d2?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxN3x8cXVlc3Rpb25zfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0ODMwMDUxMnww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2753,&quot;width&quot;:3671,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;black flat screen tv turned on at the living room&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="black flat screen tv turned on at the living room" title="black flat screen tv turned on at the living room" 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fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="true">Etienne Girardet</a> </figcaption></figure></div>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[20 Words You Should Absolutely Know Before Workshopping]]></title><description><![CDATA[Essential Vocabulary for Serious Writers - 5 Part Series]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/20-words-you-should-absolutely-know</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/20-words-you-should-absolutely-know</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2025 22:20:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7e148c42-dd15-494d-b3f3-c3a7446730cc_1456x1048.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551868561-7b006235bf22?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxODd8fHdvcmtzaG9wfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NzE1MzI0Mnww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551868561-7b006235bf22?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxODd8fHdvcmtzaG9wfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NzE1MzI0Mnww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551868561-7b006235bf22?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxODd8fHdvcmtzaG9wfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NzE1MzI0Mnww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551868561-7b006235bf22?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxODd8fHdvcmtzaG9wfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NzE1MzI0Mnww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551868561-7b006235bf22?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxODd8fHdvcmtzaG9wfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NzE1MzI0Mnww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551868561-7b006235bf22?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxODd8fHdvcmtzaG9wfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NzE1MzI0Mnww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" width="3563" height="2375" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551868561-7b006235bf22?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxODd8fHdvcmtzaG9wfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NzE1MzI0Mnww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2375,&quot;width&quot;:3563,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;gray metal drill bit&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="gray metal drill bit" title="gray metal drill bit" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551868561-7b006235bf22?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxODd8fHdvcmtzaG9wfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NzE1MzI0Mnww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551868561-7b006235bf22?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxODd8fHdvcmtzaG9wfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NzE1MzI0Mnww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551868561-7b006235bf22?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxODd8fHdvcmtzaG9wfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NzE1MzI0Mnww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551868561-7b006235bf22?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxODd8fHdvcmtzaG9wfGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NzE1MzI0Mnww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="true">Mushon Tamir</a> </figcaption></figure></div><p>Peer critique groups, workshops, hybrid educational programs&#8212;like Pocket MFA, or  feedback sessions with a trusted friend or mentor; all fair better if you learn the <strong>workshopping</strong> <strong>language</strong>. Below are only 20 terms and ideas to add to the bank. They will help you articulate your critiques, and interpret the feedback you receive, with clarity, confidence, and good stewardship.</p><p><strong>For foundational craft language (e.g., Voice</strong>, <strong>Tone</strong>, <strong>Diction, Syntax, Imagery, Pacing, Motif, Theme</strong>) please visit the following links before preceding. These core concepts inform every piece of feedback you give&#8212;and every revision choice you make.</p><h3><strong><a href="https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/25-words-you-should-absolutely-know">SEE Craft Language Concepts for Fiction</a></strong></h3><h3><a href="https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/22-words-you-should-absolutely-know">SEE Craft Language Concepts for Poetry</a></h3>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[11 Words You Should Absolutely Know Before Querying an Agent]]></title><description><![CDATA[Essential Vocabulary for Serious Writers - 5 Part Series]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/15-words-you-should-absolutely-know</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/15-words-you-should-absolutely-know</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 22:33:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ed3a0b81-4d8d-4111-993c-402afc318767_1456x1048.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1548438294-1ad5d5f4f063?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxNjV8fGluc3BpcmV8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2ODMwMDAyfDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1548438294-1ad5d5f4f063?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxNjV8fGluc3BpcmV8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2ODMwMDAyfDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1548438294-1ad5d5f4f063?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxNjV8fGluc3BpcmV8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2ODMwMDAyfDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1548438294-1ad5d5f4f063?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxNjV8fGluc3BpcmV8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2ODMwMDAyfDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1548438294-1ad5d5f4f063?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxNjV8fGluc3BpcmV8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2ODMwMDAyfDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1548438294-1ad5d5f4f063?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxNjV8fGluc3BpcmV8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2ODMwMDAyfDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" width="3916" height="2606" 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srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1548438294-1ad5d5f4f063?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxNjV8fGluc3BpcmV8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2ODMwMDAyfDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1548438294-1ad5d5f4f063?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxNjV8fGluc3BpcmV8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2ODMwMDAyfDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1548438294-1ad5d5f4f063?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxNjV8fGluc3BpcmV8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2ODMwMDAyfDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1548438294-1ad5d5f4f063?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxNjV8fGluc3BpcmV8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2ODMwMDAyfDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="true">Randy Tarampi</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p><strong>Querying is about selling yourself as much as it is selling your story.</strong> And it&#8217;s not a one-sided audition: <strong>it&#8217;s a relationship. </strong>It is <em>so, so, so</em> important to take the time to research each agent you query and ask yourself: <strong>Do we align? Would I trust this person to represent my work in the world? </strong>This is a two-way street. Getting a yes, isn&#8217;t the endpoint, you&#8217;re inviting a creative partnership. It&#8217;s also a lot easier if you have clarity on a few terms, so let&#8217;s go over the words every writer should know before querying an agent.</p><h5>As of today May 9th 2025, I am actively querying my manuscript <em>Astral Academy</em>. In the following post, I have used direct examples from <a href="https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/astral-academy?r=4logur">my query letter</a>. Beta readers can <a href="https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/beta-read-astral-academy-6cb?r=4logur&amp;utm_campaign=post&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;showWelcomeOnShare=false">read Astral Academy Here</a>.</h5>
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      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[22 Words You Should Absolutely Know Before Writing Poetry]]></title><description><![CDATA[Essential Vocabulary for Writers - 5 Part Series]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/22-words-you-should-absolutely-know</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/22-words-you-should-absolutely-know</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2025 21:05:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d24d1774-5bfe-40d0-b306-f415ffd027bf_1456x1048.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1607925594479-981bed7b2dbb?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw3MHx8cG9ldHJ5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NjU0OTA0OHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1607925594479-981bed7b2dbb?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw3MHx8cG9ldHJ5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NjU0OTA0OHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1607925594479-981bed7b2dbb?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw3MHx8cG9ldHJ5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NjU0OTA0OHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1607925594479-981bed7b2dbb?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw3MHx8cG9ldHJ5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NjU0OTA0OHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1607925594479-981bed7b2dbb?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw3MHx8cG9ldHJ5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NjU0OTA0OHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1607925594479-981bed7b2dbb?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw3MHx8cG9ldHJ5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NjU0OTA0OHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" width="4000" height="2666" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1607925594479-981bed7b2dbb?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw3MHx8cG9ldHJ5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NjU0OTA0OHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2666,&quot;width&quot;:4000,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;water droplets on glass window&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="water droplets on glass window" title="water droplets on glass window" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1607925594479-981bed7b2dbb?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw3MHx8cG9ldHJ5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NjU0OTA0OHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1607925594479-981bed7b2dbb?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw3MHx8cG9ldHJ5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NjU0OTA0OHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1607925594479-981bed7b2dbb?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw3MHx8cG9ldHJ5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NjU0OTA0OHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1607925594479-981bed7b2dbb?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw3MHx8cG9ldHJ5fGVufDB8fHx8MTc0NjU0OTA0OHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="true">Jr Korpa</a> </figcaption></figure></div><p><strong>Before you sit down to write your <s>first</s> next poem</strong>, take a few minutes to learn or brush up on the language used to shape emotion, sound, and ultimately, meaning. This list isn&#8217;t about how to write poetry &#8220;correctly,&#8221; it&#8217;s about having all the tools (aka. the language) available to support your craft. Poet-to-Poet? Learn the rules, so you can break them like an artist.</p>
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          <a href="https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/22-words-you-should-absolutely-know">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[25 Words You Should Absolutely Know Before Writing Fiction]]></title><description><![CDATA[Essential Vocabulary for Serious Writers - 5 Part Series]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/25-words-you-should-absolutely-know</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/25-words-you-should-absolutely-know</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2025 21:13:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c43a2ae3-6c56-43c1-8edc-74e8ff36c369_1456x1048.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1580679137870-86ef9f9a03d6?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0MXx8d29yZHN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2NDc1MzU3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1580679137870-86ef9f9a03d6?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0MXx8d29yZHN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2NDc1MzU3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1580679137870-86ef9f9a03d6?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0MXx8d29yZHN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2NDc1MzU3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1580679137870-86ef9f9a03d6?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0MXx8d29yZHN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2NDc1MzU3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1580679137870-86ef9f9a03d6?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0MXx8d29yZHN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2NDc1MzU3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1580679137870-86ef9f9a03d6?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0MXx8d29yZHN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2NDc1MzU3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" width="3565" height="2674" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1580679137870-86ef9f9a03d6?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0MXx8d29yZHN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2NDc1MzU3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2674,&quot;width&quot;:3565,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;i am a little girl i am a little girl i am a little girl&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="i am a little girl i am a little girl i am a little girl" title="i am a little girl i am a little girl i am a little girl" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1580679137870-86ef9f9a03d6?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0MXx8d29yZHN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2NDc1MzU3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1580679137870-86ef9f9a03d6?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0MXx8d29yZHN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2NDc1MzU3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1580679137870-86ef9f9a03d6?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0MXx8d29yZHN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2NDc1MzU3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1580679137870-86ef9f9a03d6?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0MXx8d29yZHN8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQ2NDc1MzU3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="true">Randy Tarampi</a> </figcaption></figure></div><p>Before you start your bestseller, learn the vocabulary that will help you shape stronger plots, deeper characters, and more intentional and effective prose. And no, this isn&#8217;t about <em>sounding fancy or well read</em>. Mastering craft language helps you take ownership of your stories, and talk about your work with confidence.</p>
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      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Effects of Alcohol on The Artist]]></title><description><![CDATA[What are we losing to the drink?]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/the-effects-of-alcohol-on-the-artist</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/the-effects-of-alcohol-on-the-artist</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2025 17:38:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4c63e42f-fc3d-4f9b-98d9-52d2053de244_1524x1082.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1><strong>The Artist &amp; The Drink</strong></h1><p><em>I write to discover what I think. After all, the bars aren&#8217;t open that early. &#8212;</em><strong>Daniel Boorstin </strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fWBD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3dd3a11-2a10-422d-b25a-da88cec5301a_1456x1048.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fWBD!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3dd3a11-2a10-422d-b25a-da88cec5301a_1456x1048.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fWBD!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3dd3a11-2a10-422d-b25a-da88cec5301a_1456x1048.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fWBD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3dd3a11-2a10-422d-b25a-da88cec5301a_1456x1048.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fWBD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3dd3a11-2a10-422d-b25a-da88cec5301a_1456x1048.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fWBD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3dd3a11-2a10-422d-b25a-da88cec5301a_1456x1048.png" width="1456" height="1048" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e3dd3a11-2a10-422d-b25a-da88cec5301a_1456x1048.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1048,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3158087,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://njsimat.substack.com/i/156616147?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3dd3a11-2a10-422d-b25a-da88cec5301a_1456x1048.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fWBD!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3dd3a11-2a10-422d-b25a-da88cec5301a_1456x1048.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fWBD!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3dd3a11-2a10-422d-b25a-da88cec5301a_1456x1048.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fWBD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3dd3a11-2a10-422d-b25a-da88cec5301a_1456x1048.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fWBD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3dd3a11-2a10-422d-b25a-da88cec5301a_1456x1048.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h6>Image Created by Author. &#169; NJ Lit &amp; Phil 2025. All rights reserved. </h6><p></p><h2><strong>Alcohol&#8217;s Influence on Creativity and the Brain</strong></h2><p>For centuries, alcohol and art have been tangled lovers. But what if the romance between them is just love unrealized&#8212;a honeymoon phase, where facts are mere inconvenience? So let&#8217;s take comfort, and rose-colored anything, out of it. <strong>Let&#8217;s look at what the science says about how alcohol actually affects our creative minds.</strong></p><blockquote><h3>A Moment for The Drunken Genius</h3><p><strong>There&#8217;s a seductive archetype: the tortured, brilliant writer or painter with a glass in hand.</strong> From Hemingway to Bukowski, from Van Gogh to Winehouse, alcohol has loomed large in artistic lore. Some claim it &#8220;unlocks&#8221; creativity and removes inhibition, quiets the critic, and stirs up emotion to throw onto the canvas. Others, especially those who&#8217;ve tried to write through a hangover, know fuzziness, fragmentation, <em>and regret. </em><strong>Which is true?</strong></p></blockquote><p><strong>What&#8217;s </strong><em><strong>really</strong></em><strong> going on in the brain when an artist drinks?</strong> Which regions are impacted? What happens to focus, emotional depth, and the language centers when alcohol enters the bloodstream? Let&#8217;s look at the neuroscience, one region at a time.</p><h3>But first some bite-sized Biochemistry</h3><p><strong>Alcohol is a</strong> <strong>CNS (</strong>central nervous system<strong>) depressant</strong>. It affects <strong>GABA and glutamate systems</strong>, which are the brain&#8217;s main calming and stimulating neurotransmitters. You feel slowed down&#8212;which can be mistaken for relaxation&#8212;and then unbalanced. </p><ol><li><p>It <strong>depletes B vitamins</strong> (especially B1/thiamine), which are crucial for neurological function and mood regulation.</p></li><li><p>Alcohol also <strong>inhibits neurogenesis</strong> (new brain cell formation), especially in the hippocampus, where your memory lives.</p></li><li><p>Over time, it can <strong>increase cortisol</strong> (stress hormone), alter dopamine regulation, and cause <strong>grey matter shrinkage</strong> <strong>in key regions of creativity and emotional insight.</strong></p></li></ol><div><hr></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.substack.njsimat.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Literature &amp; Philosophy is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><h2>A Tour of the Creative Brain Under The Influence</h2><div><hr></div><h3><strong>1. &#8220;Creative Director&#8221;</strong></h3><p></p><p><strong>Scientific Region: </strong>Prefrontal Cortex (or Frontal Lobe) </p><p><strong>Function: </strong>Executive function, idea synthesis, discipline, abstract thought</p><p><strong>The prefrontal cortex is where decisions are shaped, structure is built, and judgment is honed. It&#8217;s also your inner editor who says &#8220;cut that line,&#8221; &#8220;tighten that paragraph,&#8221; &#8220;this isn&#8217;t working.&#8221;</strong></p><p><strong>Alcohol&#8217;s effect:</strong><br>Alcohol depresses prefrontal cortex activity early on, which is why people often feel more talkative, social, and &#8220;uninhibited.&#8221; <strong>In the short term, this may allow ideas to flow more freely, especially for those who feel creatively blocked by self-criticism. </strong>This is where the Drunken Genius Myth gets its footing. However,  with sustained drinking, judgment, logic, and impulse control suffer. Grammar slips. Structural thinking breaks down. You might write pages and pages, only to realize later that they&#8217;re unusable.</p><blockquote><p><strong>Short-term Effect:</strong> May temporarily silence the inner critic.<br><strong>Long-term Effect:</strong> Weakens discipline, coherence, and precision.</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><h3><strong>2. &#8220;Linguistic Alchemist&#8221;</strong></h3><p><strong>Scientific Region:</strong> <em>Temporal Lobe (esp. Wernicke&#8217;s Area)</em><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Function:</strong> comprehension, sound processing, memory retrieval.</p><p><strong>The temporal lobes are crucial for auditory processing, language (</strong>especially the left side in most people<strong>), and memory storage. Writers, lyricists, and musicians especially rely on this region.</strong></p><p><strong>Alcohol&#8217;s effect:</strong><br>Alcohol impairs short-term memory consolidation and verbal fluency. You may forget what you were writing mid-sentence or lose the thread of a stanza. Word recall suffers. Emotional memories might be amplified or distorted, leading to either poetic vulnerability, or inaccurate and/or melodramatic work.</p><blockquote><p><strong>Effect:</strong> Impairs flow and cohesion. Inhibits clarity of language.</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><h3><strong>3. &#8220;Emotional Furnace&#8221;</strong></h3><p><strong>Scientific Region:</strong> <em>Limbic System (Amygdala + Hippocampus)</em><br><strong>Function:</strong> Emotional processing and regulation, memory formation, sensory recall<strong>  </strong>and creative intuition.</p><ul><li><p><strong>The hippocampus helps convert experiences into memories, and is essential for long-term learning. Artists rely on it to draw from their inner world, store sensory details, and track narrative threads.  </strong></p></li><li><p><strong>The Amygdala is an almond-shaped cluster is your emotion processor. It fuels fear, love, anxiety, anger and adds depth in storytelling.</strong></p></li></ul><p><strong>Alcohol&#8217;s effect:</strong><br><strong>Heavy drinking disrupts hippocampal function, </strong>leading to memory lapses and blackouts. Chronic use can shrink this area. Creativity rooted in deep memory, sensory detail, or emotional continuity may feel fractured or foggy.</p><p><strong>Alcohol initially dampens amygdala activity</strong>, creating a relaxed or numb emotional state. But over time or with higher doses, it can spike anxiety and emotional volatility. Artists may feel either disconnected from emotion or overwhelmed by it without filter or regulation.</p><blockquote><p><strong>Effect:</strong> Disrupts the continuity of story and reflection and Emotions may become dulled or chaotic severely impacting tone and authenticity.</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><h3><strong>4. &#8220;Dancer&#8221; </strong></h3><p><strong>Scientific Region:</strong> <em>Cerebellum</em><br><strong>Function:</strong> Coordination, motor rhythm, physical embodiment</p><p><strong>This area supports embodied creativity like music, dance, or ritual. Which can be overlooked in creativity, but the cerebellum regulates motor coordination, and helps with balance, timing and flow. This includes dancing obviously but also, typing rhythm, musical timing, or the kinesthetic pacing of writing.</strong></p><p><strong>Alcohol&#8217;s effect:</strong><br>Alcohol slows this region, affecting physical coordination and creative rhythm. But it&#8217;s not limited to only bodily movement; offbeat timing is a holistic error. Therefore losing the &#8220;pulse&#8221; of a poem or beat in prose are of real consequence. </p><blockquote><p><strong>Effect:</strong> Disrupts flow state and embodiment of work.</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><h3><strong>5. &#8220;Spatial Dreamer&#8221;</strong></h3><p><strong>Scientific Region:</strong> <em>Parietal Lobe</em><br><strong>Function:</strong> Mental imagery, daydreaming, visual-spatial thought</p><p><strong>This region lights up when you visualize, imagine, or step out of linear thought. This network activates when we&#8217;re daydreaming, imagining, or accessing deep internal states. It&#8217;s where a lot of idea generation and unconscious creativity occurs.</strong></p><p><strong>Alcohol&#8217;s effect:</strong><br>Mild doses may loosen this area and spark imaginative leaps. But chronic use of <strong>moderate</strong> or <strong>heavy drinking</strong> can dull it, reducing the brain&#8217;s ability to wander fruitfully.</p><blockquote><p><strong>Effect:</strong> Dampens long-term imaginative capacity.</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><h3><strong>6. &#8220;Bridge Between Worlds&#8221;</strong></h3><p><strong>Scientific Region:</strong> <em>Corpus Callosum</em><br><strong>Function:</strong> Integration of left and right hemispheres (logic + imagination)</p><p><strong>Creativity thrives on integration. This neural bridge allows your analytical and imaginative selves to collaborate</strong>.</p><p><strong>Alcohol&#8217;s Effect:</strong><br>Alcohol slows inter-hemispheric communication. Symbolic thought, pattern recognition, and emotional-analytical synthesis become fractured.</p><blockquote><p><strong>Effect:</strong> Splinters the connection between insight and execution.</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><h3>7. &#8220;Visionary&#8221; </h3><p><strong>Scientific Region:</strong> <em>Occipital Lobe</em><br><strong>Function:</strong> Visual processing, symbolic imagery, dream interpretation</p><p><strong>This is where your internal projector lives.</strong></p><p><strong>Alcohol&#8217;s Effect:</strong><br>Alcohol reduces contrast sensitivity and visual clarity, even with closed eyes. Over time, it dulls symbolic and spatial recognition. Artistic vision becomes hazier, literally and figuratively.</p><blockquote><p><strong>Effect:</strong> Fades the clarity of inner and outer vision.</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/the-effects-of-alcohol-on-the-artist?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Share with someone else chasing their clarity.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/the-effects-of-alcohol-on-the-artist?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" 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class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yCmJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcbfd9334-669d-4b0d-b6b8-785d42e4f6ef_1400x275.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yCmJ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcbfd9334-669d-4b0d-b6b8-785d42e4f6ef_1400x275.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yCmJ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcbfd9334-669d-4b0d-b6b8-785d42e4f6ef_1400x275.png 848w, 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class="preformatted-block" data-component-name="PreformattedTextBlockToDOM"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false">Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published</label><pre class="text">F I N A L   T H O U G H T</pre></div><h2>Art Requires Access</h2><p>To write, or create, we need access. Access to memory. To language. To emotion. To rhythm. To a part of ourselves that observes and translates. Alcohol may offer illusionary access, but it comes at a cost: temporary, then cumulative. You don&#8217;t have to write sober <em>because it&#8217;s righteous.</em> You can write sober because it gives you back acess to all of your tools.</p><p><strong>Clarity is a muse. Energy is a muse. Sobriety is one hell of a muse.</strong></p><div><hr></div><p><em>If this resonated with you, Please tap the heart, it helps me grow as a writer. I&#8217;d love to hear your experience in the comments.</em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JIzX!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F448a953a-cbf7-4483-8013-7e4e70400997_1960x385.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JIzX!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F448a953a-cbf7-4483-8013-7e4e70400997_1960x385.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JIzX!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F448a953a-cbf7-4483-8013-7e4e70400997_1960x385.png 848w, 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JIzX!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F448a953a-cbf7-4483-8013-7e4e70400997_1960x385.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JIzX!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F448a953a-cbf7-4483-8013-7e4e70400997_1960x385.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JIzX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F448a953a-cbf7-4483-8013-7e4e70400997_1960x385.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JIzX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F448a953a-cbf7-4483-8013-7e4e70400997_1960x385.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="pullquote"><p><a href="http://www.nancysimat.com">VIEW AUTHOR PAGE</a></p></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Aligning Your Craft with Your Cycle]]></title><description><![CDATA[Writing in Rhythm with the Body]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/aligning-your-craft-with-your-cycle</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/aligning-your-craft-with-your-cycle</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 05 Apr 2025 16:20:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1648535442503-e6f9054aa757?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxMTR8fG1vb24lMjByZWR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQzODE5ODA3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Every mile is two in Winter</em>.<strong> &#8212;Maisie Hill</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1648535442503-e6f9054aa757?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxMTR8fG1vb24lMjByZWR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQzODE5ODA3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1648535442503-e6f9054aa757?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxMTR8fG1vb24lMjByZWR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQzODE5ODA3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1648535442503-e6f9054aa757?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxMTR8fG1vb24lMjByZWR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQzODE5ODA3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1648535442503-e6f9054aa757?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxMTR8fG1vb24lMjByZWR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQzODE5ODA3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2160,&quot;width&quot;:3840,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;a row of phases of the moon&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="a row of phases of the moon" title="a row of phases of the moon" srcset="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1648535442503-e6f9054aa757?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxMTR8fG1vb24lMjByZWR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQzODE5ODA3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 424w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1648535442503-e6f9054aa757?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxMTR8fG1vb24lMjByZWR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQzODE5ODA3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 848w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1648535442503-e6f9054aa757?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxMTR8fG1vb24lMjByZWR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQzODE5ODA3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1272w, https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1648535442503-e6f9054aa757?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxMTR8fG1vb24lMjByZWR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQzODE5ODA3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="true">Celso Oliveira</a> </figcaption></figure></div><p>In a world that pushes consistency and productivity, it&#8217;s easy to forget that we are not 9-5 machines. And thank God for that, because machines, while they also operate on rhythm, go until they burnout and are ultimately destroyed. <strong>We, however, have the option to align ourselves to a cycle of continual renewal.</strong> </p><blockquote><p><em>If you do not have a menstrual cycle, here is a companion piece I&#8217;ve written for you.</em></p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;6c01d952-3815-42c0-b1a1-fb988c518b28&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&#8220;What am I doing here in this endless winter?&#8221;&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Creating With Your Natural Rhythm &quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:278278227,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;NJ Simat &#129293;&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Author/Poet: BA in Bio (Pre-Vet) from GA State &amp; Creative Writing at Emory. I&#8217;ve authored five books oft&#8217; exploring metaphysical, humanitarian, &amp; philosophical themes.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2838e790-fd6c-4464-89e5-68f1e7172025_1024x1024.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2025-04-05T16:19:03.501Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1661837307674-521b2c692cb3?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw2M3x8Y29jb29ufGVufDB8fHx8MTc0MzgxNjcxOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://njsimat.substack.com/p/creating-with-your-natural-rhythm&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:&quot;Literary Insight&quot;,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:160261663,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:0,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:null,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Literature &amp; Philosophy&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fbfa55f-c15d-4a9f-bebc-4a99c1cea0a9_1080x1080.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div></blockquote><p>For writers who menstruate, the hormonal cycle presents an obvious influence that we can point to and maximize synergy. An opportunity not to <em>push through</em> but to <em>flow</em> <em>with </em>our natural rhythm.</p>
      <p>
          <a href="https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/aligning-your-craft-with-your-cycle">
              Read more
          </a>
      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Creating With Your Natural Rhythm ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Writing in Cycles]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/creating-with-your-natural-rhythm</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/creating-with-your-natural-rhythm</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 05 Apr 2025 16:19:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1661837307674-521b2c692cb3?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw2M3x8Y29jb29ufGVufDB8fHx8MTc0MzgxNjcxOHww&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;What am I doing here in this endless winter?&#8221;<br>&#8213; <strong>Franz Kafka, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2373750">The Metamorphosis</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 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fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>E</strong>verything in nature, from the enduring oak to the ever-changing tides, has rhythm, or cycle. <strong>Even if some cycles</strong> <strong>are</strong> <strong>so long they appear linear based on subjective observation</strong>, given enough time, a pattern will emerge.  Our creative energy is no exception, but most of us weren&#8217;t taught to create this way. We are a consciousness, or spirit, operating within a physical body that is bound by natural cycles.  <strong>Listening to your body&#8217;s intuition is</strong> <strong>wise</strong>, an act of self-care, and a rebellion against modern work ethics.</p><blockquote><p><em>Looking for how this relates specifically to a menstrual cycle? </em></p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;d9ae2a67-5d5b-434f-b56e-7e05afdd6d4a&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Every mile is two in Winter. &#8212;Maisie Hill&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;md&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Aligning Your Craft with Your Cycle&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:278278227,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;NJ Simat &#129293;&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Author/Poet: BA in Bio (Pre-Vet) from GA State &amp; Creative Writing at Emory. I&#8217;ve authored five books oft&#8217; exploring metaphysical, humanitarian, &amp; philosophical themes.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2838e790-fd6c-4464-89e5-68f1e7172025_1024x1024.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2025-04-05T16:20:19.050Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1648535442503-e6f9054aa757?crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;fit=max&amp;fm=jpg&amp;ixid=M3wzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxMTR8fG1vb24lMjByZWR8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzQzODE5ODA3fDA&amp;ixlib=rb-4.0.3&amp;q=80&amp;w=1080&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://njsimat.substack.com/p/aligning-your-craft-with-your-cycle&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:160623144,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:0,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:null,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Literature &amp; Philosophy&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9fbfa55f-c15d-4a9f-bebc-4a99c1cea0a9_1080x1080.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div></blockquote>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Prose | Poetry | Pro]]></title><description><![CDATA[why novelist should write poetry]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/prose-to-poetry-to-pro</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/prose-to-poetry-to-pro</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 05 Mar 2025 03:38:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b68174b8-5c20-4ef1-8d35-cf6c48dde66d_1456x1048.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2>How Poetry Shapes Fiction</h2><p><strong>Like a football player learning ballet,</strong> <strong>some skills are best refined on a smaller stage, with intricate and deliberate movements.</strong> Fiction and poetry might seem like separate disciplines; one built on expansive storytelling and the other on compression. In poetry we are staring directly at the labored, birthed, &amp; naked craft, yet novelist are frequently told to <em>murder their young&#8212;or darlings<a class="footnote-anchor" data-component-name="FootnoteAnchorToDOM" id="footnote-anchor-1" href="#footnote-1" target="_self">1</a></em>&#8212;something like that. </p><p><strong>So what can poetry offer to to novelist?  Turns out, a lot&#8212;learning how to write poetry has profoundly shaped my fiction in unexpected ways</strong>. Through poetry, I&#8217;ve uncovered narrative gems that the strictly prose-writer <em>might not be as intimate with</em> than the experienced poet. </p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Numerology & Literature]]></title><description><![CDATA[What's in a Number?]]></description><link>https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/numerology-and-literature</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.substack.njsimat.com/p/numerology-and-literature</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[🤍 NJ Simat]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 05 Feb 2025 18:59:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/37e27ab2-6016-404a-b485-cc6fb01cb81d_1542x1116.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>I&#8217;ve been wanting to write this essay for a while but never really saw a home for it before Substack.</strong> When I was writing Club Daze, I spent the majority of time researching the metaphysical; in doing so, my perspective of possibility expanded rapidly. Since then, I have never seen the world the same. Numerology was one of several rabbit holes I hopped into and tumbled giddily, and below is my interpretation after years of research. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mjeV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F729307f7-581b-475c-9688-a866e99d1caa_1400x275.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mjeV!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F729307f7-581b-475c-9688-a866e99d1caa_1400x275.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mjeV!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F729307f7-581b-475c-9688-a866e99d1caa_1400x275.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mjeV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F729307f7-581b-475c-9688-a866e99d1caa_1400x275.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mjeV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F729307f7-581b-475c-9688-a866e99d1caa_1400x275.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mjeV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F729307f7-581b-475c-9688-a866e99d1caa_1400x275.png" width="1400" height="275" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/729307f7-581b-475c-9688-a866e99d1caa_1400x275.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:275,&quot;width&quot;:1400,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:343863,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://njsimat.substack.com/i/156420586?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F729307f7-581b-475c-9688-a866e99d1caa_1400x275.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mjeV!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F729307f7-581b-475c-9688-a866e99d1caa_1400x275.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mjeV!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F729307f7-581b-475c-9688-a866e99d1caa_1400x275.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mjeV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F729307f7-581b-475c-9688-a866e99d1caa_1400x275.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mjeV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F729307f7-581b-475c-9688-a866e99d1caa_1400x275.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3><strong>Exploring </strong><em><strong>The Science</strong></em><strong> Behind Numerology</strong></h3><p>Numerology, at its core, is an ancient practice grounded in the fundamental principles of mathematics. <strong>The Greek philosopher Pythagoras, often credited as the father of numerology, believed that numbers were the building blocks of reality.</strong> His famous theorem&#8212;though primarily applied to geometry to torture high school students&#8212;was just one cog in his broader belief in the harmony of numbers. He theorized that numbers carried vibrational frequencies and that they could reveal the deeper structure of the universe. Ancient cultures, from Babylon to Egypt, also explored numerical patterns, using them for divination, architecture, and music.</p><h4><strong>Instinct &amp; Intuition around Numerology</strong></h4><p>If you're like me, you&#8217;ve probably developed an affinity for certain numbers throughout your life. <strong>For example, I can&#8217;t see 143 without thinking my dad is dropping in from above to say hello. And 222? That one follows me everywhere&#8212;</strong><em><strong>everywhere</strong></em><strong>&#8212;when I&#8217;m writing a novel.</strong> I wish I had the foresight to snap a photo of all the strange places it surfaced. The point is, numbers seem to find ways to attach themselves to our personal narratives. This could be pure coincidence, if you believe in that sort of thing, or there could be more to it. Before language, before writing, before even the wheel, we counted. <strong>There is nothing more primal than counting</strong>&#8212;and it is embedded in every aspect of nature. Animals also instinctively recognize numerical differences, from birds ensuring they have enough eggs to set a clutch, to research monkeys sensitive to any slight disparity in treats between their peers. Numbers help us organize our lives and make sense of the chaos (or beauty) around us.</p><h4><strong>BUT, wait <s>a minute</s> 13 Seconds&#8212;</strong><em><strong>How Can Numbers Carry Energy?</strong></em></h4><p>The idea that numbers carry energy might seem abstract, but when we consider vibrations and their frequencies, the abstraction becomes more tangible. E<strong>verything oscillates at a specific frequency, including sound and light; as well as, thoughts like love, fear, annd the idea of numbers!</strong> <em>Especially when you&#8217;re actively thinking about them.</em> Moreover, Numerology suggests that numbers emit energy at specific frequencies. <strong>Think of it like this, if sound waves can impact physical matter (as seen in cymatics) and thoughts can impact physical matter (as seen in sadness creating tears), couldn&#8217;t numerical frequencies influence our reality in ways we have yet to fully understand?</strong></p>
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