Crazy random happenstance
Welcome to the Mythical Type newsletter, where I share creative projects I’m working on.
I actually didn’t work on many creative things this month. I’ve been re-organizing my personal files and reading about how other people organize their digital stuff. Onwards!
Writing in plain text
Every so often I come across a blog post about the advantages of writing in plain text. And I think, Yeah! I should try that.
And then I might do it once or twice, and that’s it. Well, I’m trying again. I wrote this newsletter in plain text, actually! And Markdown! So there’s that.
The blog post that brought it up this time is this one by Derek Sivers.
Here’s a summary of why he likes working in plain text files:
They’re portable - Every digital device can read and edit plain text. Maybe you don’t have the fanciest software to do it, but you can do it.
They’re not tied to a specific software, app, or operating system.
They’re available offline. You don’t need to be on the internet to access your files (assuming you keep local files).
They’re not dependent on a specific tool.
They’re easy to convert into other formats.
Of course I went down a rabbit hole after I read Derek’s post, because that’s the sort of thing I do. If you want to read more about working with plain text files, check out these links:
I mentioned that I’m writing this newsletter in Markdown, which is a lightweight coding language to add formatting to plain text. If you know what HTML tags look like, Markdown is a similar concept but with simpler syntax. Here’s a Markdown guide from Zapier.
Zine submission update
I’m excited to be included in Broken Galaxies volume 1! My piece will be in issue 3, released later this year.
Things I’ve been reading
A short story by Robin Sloan - It’s about writing fiction. So meta. :D
These rules for blogging via Robin Sloan
An explanation of ballpoint vs. rollerball pens via maya.land - I knew the difference in how they felt to write with. But I didn’t know what actually made them different.
The concept of unoffice hours via Cal Newport
Drawing mazes, just because
On a whim, I looked up YouTube tutorials for how to draw mazes. I like this one:
I’ve been drawing mazes like this for the past couple weeks, mostly as a way to doodle. Here are two of mine:
If you draw a maze using this method and post it somewhere online, please tell me! I’d love to see it.
Etsy PSA
Many Etsy sellers are planning to go on strike April 11th. They’re putting their shops in vacation mode (so products won’t be available for purchase) and asking customers to boycott Etsy. The strike is to protest Etsy fee increases and other policies pertaining to sellers. You can read details on The Verge.
My Etsy shop is simply a hobby and I don’t rely on sales for financial support, but I can see how Etsy’s policies have been hurting people whose full-time job is their shop.
I’d rather support those small businesses than a corporation that raises fees after two years of record profits.
From April 11th to April 18th, my Etsy shop will be on vacation mode. I’m not going anywhere, but I do hope Etsy realizes it needs to reconsider its relationship with sellers.
Thank you for reading!
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