Relentless & Steady

And just like that,
a quarter of 2025 has slipped away.
Time doesn’t wait;
it doesn’t pause ;
it moves,
relentless and steady.

A new week unfolds before us,
blank and brimming with possibility.
May we seize it...
shape it...
make it count. 

Against AI Use

This is for writers:

https://authorsguild.org/news/practical-tips-for-authors-to-protect-against-ai-use-ai-copyright-notice-and-web-crawlers/

Jasmine Jitters

                                             

Should I?
The sun is warmer now...
and she has been so patient —
watering, whispering things I pretend not to hear.
I feel the urge rising,
a tickle at the tips of my stems...
but blooming is no small gesture.
It’s a commitment, a declaration.
What if I give everything and it’s too soon?
Too much?
Still… I see how she looks at me, hopeful.
Maybe one flower —
just to test the air...
just to show her I see her, too.

March 26 - Part Two

Then I started thinking about ceramics. Standing there in that shop, which was also a kind of workshop, it hit me how similar it is to writing. You start with a lump of something — ceramics: clay / writing: idea — and you try to shape it into something that makes sense. Sometimes it works, sometimes it falls apart halfway through. You mess with it, rework it, maybe start over completely. 

Even when you think you’ve got it, it still has to go through the heat — or editing — and you never know exactly how it’ll come out. Things might crack, just like with writing. You put it down on the page, think it’s done, then look at it again and realize the tone is off or it doesn’t even say what you thought it did.

There’s also this point where you just have to stop fiddling with it. Clay dries out. Writing stiffens up, too, if you overwork it. You do what you can, and then you let it be — flaws and all. It’s never going to be perfect, but if it holds together and does its job, that’s usually good enough.

March 26 - Part One

Yesterday's trip took me far, but the night before, I was organized to a fault: I packed everything I’d need into a bag, laid out the next day's clothes neatly on a chair, and printed step-by-step driving directions — just in case I lost internet on the way. I even snapped a photo of them, for backup. It was going to be about an hour’s drive. 

Wednesday morning came, and I loaded the dogs into the car, left plenty of food and water out for the cat (just in case I was gone longer than expected), and hit the road.

Things were smooth until I exited the freeway and took a right, expecting it to lead me straight to the library. Instead, I drove past ranches and homes and wide country stretches that looked nothing like a town — definitely not library territory. I stopped to ask a couple of construction workers for help: one was new to the area, and the other said, “I’m not sure, but I think you need to keep going.” 

So I did... for twenty more minutes. 

Still no sign of anything. I was just starting to wonder if I’d driven into another dimension when I spotted — on my right, and almost too late — a ceramic shop. I made a sharp turn and pulled in. 

Inside, I found shelves lined with pottery, two beautiful dogs, and a kind lady. I told her where I was trying to go and showed her my directions. She said they were wrong. “But you found the ceramic shop!” she added, cheerfully. 

And thank goodness I had. I could have ended up in another state entirely, sending postcards from St. Louis because I wouldn’t have had enough gas to make it back. 

She kindly drew a little map for me on a sticky note with perfect clarity, and I headed back to my car, let the dogs stretch their legs, and retraced my drive — all the way back to the point I’d gone wrong. 

Hours later, home at last, I looked up her shop online, found the phone number, and called to thank her again — this time, with less exasperation in my voice. What a sweet, helpful person! I’m so grateful I found the ceramic shop. 

Then I started thinking about ceramics.

The Secret

Charles Darwin

"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life."
Charles Darwin

A Step Forward

Scribble Spark

A sudden event this morning got me writing a piece, which is now turning into a bigger piece, and I think a tiny book is in progress... 
I'll post an update soon. 

Sunny Saturday

Cat Lovers

I woke up to a message from someone who had received her copy of Whiskered Wonders and was reading it.  She called it "spectacular and original"... 💜and "a perfect gift for any and all cat lovers"...😽

A few months ago, as I was scrolling through Instagram, I saw a post about a cat from the past. A short time later, I learned that all modern cats are related:
https://afarinrava.blogspot.com/2025/03/felis-catus.html

It didn't take Pishi long to start writing about her paw-printed past based on her family album, introducing all her relatives, from ancient to modern times... and from mythical to real cats, to the world.

Whiskered Wonders

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F1LBFMXF

Nowruz 2025

Off Recipe

I've read many books about writing fiction both before and after writing my first draft. I've decided that writing is like cooking. I love cooking, too. I can follow a recipe, but the best meals come from instinct. In writing fiction, I've learned the basics, at least in theory, but I've read a lot of fiction over the years, and at some point I have to trust myself: a pinch of this, a word swap there. Every draft is just another taste test.

Divine Patience

Me:
Pishi Pishi Miao Miao Pooch! Why do you keep throwing my books off the shelf?

Pishi (calmly, as she files her nails):
I don't have time for questions today, but since you middle-named me, I'll have one of my ancestors educate you.

Bastet:
Ah, the delicate balance between chaos and control. As a deity, I know the power of mischief — let her have her fun. If you truly must stop her, I suggest offering a sacred space just for her, a perch high above where they can observe with dignity, untouched by your books. After all, it is her right to test boundaries. Consider this a lesson in divine patience.

Saint Patrick's Day 2025

Speaking of Whiskered Wonders... 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F1LBFMXF

... on Saint Patrick's Day:

Scottish & Irish folklore tells of Cat Sìth, a large black cat with a white spot on its chest, believed to be either a fairy or a witch in disguise. It was said to steal souls by passing over a corpse before burial. Samhain traditions involved leaving saucers of milk to appease it.

Whiskered Wonders

Genetic studies show that all modern domestic cats (Felis catus) descend from a single wild ancestor: the African wildcat (Felis lybica). Domestication likely began around 10,000 years ago in the Near East, where early agricultural societies benefited from cats controlling rodent populations. Over time, these early domestic cats spread worldwide, interbreeding but still tracing back to the same ancestral lineage. So, in a way, all domestic cats today are distant relatives!

Read all about Pishi Pooch's paw-printed past in Whiskered Wonders: 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F1LBFMXF

Felis Catus

Genetic studies show that all modern domestic cats (Felis catus) descend from a single wild ancestor: the African wildcat (Felis lybica). Domestication likely began around 10,000 years ago in the Near East, where early agricultural societies benefited from cats controlling rodent populations. Over time, these early domestic cats spread worldwide, interbreeding but still tracing back to the same ancestral lineage. So, in a way, all domestic cats today are distant relatives!

Cover Reveal

Pishi & Kittens

Pishi & Kittens

Five

 Pishi had five kittens this morning.

Sensory Boost

One way to improve our writing is to give it a sensory boost, by replacing a basic description with a sensory detail.  

For example, instead of...
The coffee was strong.  
... we can say:
The coffee stung the back of her throat, bitter and bold.

And instead of...
It was a hot day.
... we can say:
Heat shimmered off the pavement. 

These changes help us show more and tell less. 

Countdown: 10

My Current Projects

On January 23, I announced that a few new projects were in the works... and that I would share more soon: 
https://afarinrava.blogspot.com/2025/01/new-projects.html

I

Pishi Pooch finished writing her second book a while back...
and she gave it to me so that I could edit and illustrate it.
So I did, and I then formatted it.
Last night, we submitted it and requested a proof copy.
The cover will be revealed on the 13th. 
I don't know why this almost black cat loves that number...

II

Some of you may know that I've been working on my very first fiction.
Last year, I finished the first draft, and now I'm editing my manuscript.
It's a first for me, and the process is very slow, so it will take a while:
months, years, decades, ...
Who knows?

III

I've been working on a collection of essays.
Right now, each of the pieces has its own status:
one edited, two first drafts, three outlines, and one idea.

Women's Day

#WomanLifeFreedom

unify
 celebrate
 mothers
 sisters

 wives

daughters

 global awareness

 inequality...

abuse...

violence...

 all females

of all ages

 in every country...

A Persian Grammar Lesson

Some languages maintain a close relationship between their written and spoken forms, while others differ significantly in how words connect in speech. 

For example, languages like Spanish and Japanese tend to follow their written structure more closely in speech, with few contractions or reductions.

In contrast, in English, written words often merge or change in casual speech. Phrases like should have or going to become shoulda and gonna in everyday conversation. French also transforms spoken sentences — je ne sais pas (meaning I don’t know) is often shortened to chais pas.

Understanding these differences helps language learners adapt, especially in conversational settings where spoken language may not match the textbook.

A few days ago, I wrote an update on an old post about a Persian song on my other blog (nooshasblog.blogspot.com). The name of the song is Roosarito, meaning Your Scarf. 

As I was analyzing the title to explain the meaning, the grammar lover in me added "It's the object form of the word." 

This started a Persian grammar lesson...

The word roosarito is made of three parts: roosari + t + o

roosari = scarf 

The word roosari is made of three parts:
roo (short for rooye) means on top of
sar means head
i (in this case) connects the two words above together.
The connected parts become a noun meaning the (thing) on the head.

t (added to the end of a noun) = your

o (spoken form of ra) makes the word roosarit (roosari + t) an object.
In Persian, the postposition ra ("را")  is a direct object marker. It shows that the word before it is the specific object of the verb.

The full sentence in the song titled "Roosarito" is Roosarito dar biar.
Roosarito dar biar. = Take off your scarf.

In the above sentence, your scarf is the object of the sentence, as is roosarito in the Persian sentence.

You can listen to the song on YouTube. It has English subtitles... and it's by Mehdi Yarrahi, who went through hell for making and singing this song. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ChZablq2OY

#MehdiYarrahi

Negative Space

Just as silence in music can be powerful, what isn't written matters. Leaving room for interpretation, subtext, and ambiguity lets the reader engage more deeply. Sometimes, what’s unsaid carries more weight than what’s on the page.

Word Swap

Avoid tired descriptions.

Take a cliché phrase and rewrite it in your style.

Example:

"cold as ice" → "cold enough to bite"

"silent as a grave" → "silence thick as dust"

The Window

A Whisper Unheard

Stephen King

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
Stephen King 

March 2025