Why after 10 months we are still in the middle of a pandemic

21 days to flatten the curve.

Stay home, save lives.

Wear a mask, or billions of people will die.

It’s the new normal.

When in March 2020 California government introduced the first shelter-in-place order, no one could imagine we would not get our usual lives back till the end of the year. Even now, as the vaccine is around the corner, we cannot be sure the state of things would become normal. During these ten months, the pandemic went through its ups and downs but never gave up. In my county, we’ve worn masks, kept social distancing, left home only when necessary. …

A story about what happens when quarantine lasts for four years.

“Japanese Scientists Made a Breakthrough in PHLEVID-41 Vaccine Development. The vaccine would be on the market by the end of the year, sources say.”

Stark chuckled as he scrolled the newsfeed. They promised a cure every February in the past four years. Did anyone still believe it was possible?

But there are gullible people, all right. Look at this headline. “Six dead and ten infected after the homecoming party in Orange County.” Were four years not enough to learn the lesson? …

Every November, dozens of thousands of people participate in a peculiar contest. They write 50 000 (fifty thousand) words in their novel. Only 18% survive and can proudly call themselves Nanowrimo winners. I’m honored to be one of them, but if anyone had told me in October that I was bound to win, I would have laughed at their face.

At this ancient time, I considered myself happy if I wrote 800 words in a day. I knew that some people could do 10 000, but for me it was like, some people could do 32 fouettés, so what?

I wasn’t going to win. …

More than two thousand years ago a bearded white guy developed the most fascinating textbook for literature demiurges. Dozens of philosophy schools, Christian religion included, were based on Plato’s casual dialogues.

You might say: “Nooo, this is too boring! I don’t have time, I have to do my writing!” That’s okay. You do not need to read “The Republic”: I did it for you. In this article, I’ll share 5 ideas from “The Republic” which strike me as a fantasy writer and show how you can use them to develop your worlds.

1. The singleton

Archetypal paths of four major characters: Bran, Jon, Sansa, and Daenerys

The last episode of the last season of Game of Thrones was released on May 19, but many fans still feel the pain. No matter how many Emmys the season is about to get, most of us can’t forgive the writers for the way it ended. Bran the Sage rules Westeros, Sansa the Fool gets her North crown, Jon the Warrior is disposed behind the Wall, and Daenerys the Mother is dead.

That hurts.

This is also the most logical ending “The Game of Thrones” could get.

Let me explain why.

Armed with the Jungian theory of Archetypes, I’ll analyze the four characters’ arcs, remind you of how they changed throughout the series, and, hopefully, ease the pain you might still suffer from. …

My characters suck.

They suck in life. They’re losers. The cruel author gives them hope and takes it away in no time. All their victories turn false, they stand up only to fall again, and they always struggle to reach what they think they want when what they truly need is not even in sight.

From time to time, I’ll throw them pieces of luck, small victories, bright moments. They won’t survive otherwise.

My characters suck, but they alive. They’re real.

My characters suck, but they’re alive. They’re real.

That was not always true.

They used to be flat. Dull. Uninteresting. Mary Sue-ish. I gathered all the mistakes an author can make creating a character, including putting a better version of myself as the main character (Shame! Shame! …

3 types of ocean colonies and how they will help us survive

If you play video games, read science fiction, or watch futuristic blockbusters, you can remember a dozen submarine habitats. Gleaming skyscrapers and glass tubs of the “Bioshock” Rapture are one way to represent an ocean colony; pseudo-antic cathedrals and palaces of “Aquaman” Atlantis are another. What about reality?

If you doubt we will get an ocean colony soon, please read my article “7 Reasons We Should Colonize Oceans instead of Mars”. …

Imagine your typical workday. You’re deep in your routine tasks, the third mug of coffee cools down on your desk, multicolor stickers pepper your monitor, and your email is so messy you’re afraid to peek inside. In the middle of a phone call with one more dissatisfied client, your boss shows up. Smiling like Santa Clause, she announces your company needs an idea. A brilliant one. A scheme which will save everyone from a terrible crush.

You attempt to hide under your desk. Your boss promptly invites you to a brainstorm session which will take place right now.

Two pizzas and innumerable balls of paper later, your team comes up with eight solutions. Most of them suck. No one has listened to what you’ve said, and, to be honest, you haven’t said anything feasible. No one has. …