Mark Weaver

To the new arrivals on Bluesky: I mostly post about the antics of scribes of the priory of St Elno, a wholly fictional place that began life in The Bad Place and was used to take the mickey out of a certain billionaire. See also Musky the dog and references to rockets, cryptocurrencies, etc.

The KYD edit (Kill Your Darlings) edit of "All Steamed Up" continues. 7.5k words down and I'm about 1/3 of the way through the manuscript. I've hit a patch where the pace slows which I'm leaving for now, but suspect I'll have to go back and cut again. That said, I'm happy with how it's going.

I think they've missed a bit with the roof.

In the Scriptorium today, the scribes are developing Soup Theory. They have no idea what this is, but think it's a great name. In other news, Mrs Pritchett the cook has made a large pot of butternut and sweet potato soup for lunch.

Hello, draft manuscript. Yes, these are scissors that I'm holding. Now sit still while I give you a trim. "All Steamed Up" is getting a haircut.

The Empire Strikes Back For Tax Purposes

Ruin a book by adding a word: 0% Cider with Rosie

Planting out a new border now that the sedge in the hedge has been cleared away and made a friend.

I saw a post about scary media month which asked about the first piece of media which truly frightened you as a child. For me it was this:

Fuck all the AI slop flooding Amazon. Sigh the petition 💪 www.change.org/p/ban-ai-gen... 📚💙 #BookSky #authors

I have been chopping Etna chillies, which as the name might suggest, are on the hot side🌶️🌶️🌶️ Having been caught out before, I have washed my hands three times already. Tempted to go for a fourth as I quite like being able to see without burning eyes.

In the Scriptoriumn today, the scribes have been shown a new design for a $5,000 banknote.

In the Scriptorium today, the scribes have found a recipe for crunchy egg salad bagels. The secret? Leave bits of egg shell in.

On the Scriptorium today, the scribes are making hay while the sun shines by clearing out the priory’s gutters. Half of them are on the roof, while half are holding the ladders. The other half are on the ground giving instructions. The scribe who does fractions has wandered off for a cup of tea.

In the Scriptorium today, the scribes have come up with an idea for 100% human written, non-AI generated literature. They call the flat white sheet “parchment” and the black fluid “ink”. The thing they use to apply the latter to the former is a “quill”. They hope the idea catches on.

In the Scriptorium this evening, the scribes are back from watching the eclipse. Taken with the priory's telescope, the prior's eclipse glasses, and Mrs Pritchett's sister Dolly's camera.

Have dusted off my astronomy kit for the eclipse later. Removed large telescope from mount (too heavy to haul around) and fitted guide scope instead. Mylar (solar) filter checked for pinpricks (none). Camera adapters adapted. Power supply TBC. Wish me luck. I haven’t done this in a while.

In the Scriptorium today, in the middle of the 5th heatwave this year, we find the scribes stacking firewood. Someone has said that if there isn’t an Aesop’s fable about this, there ought to be.

Here's a thought for a story. After the apocalypse, survivors find the entrance to a billionaire's bunker and pile earth over it to stop the bugger coming back out.

And after what seems like weeks without rain, a light shower has begun. There are drops on the windows and puddles in the road.

In the Scriptorium today, the scribes have spent all morning trying to convince the printer that it really doesn't need a new colour toner cartridge as they only want to print one page in black and white. They will spend this afternoon trying to convince the printer to connect to wifi.

In the Scriptorium today, the scribes are wondering how best to embrace a Mediterranean lifestyle. Setting fire to the local woods is probably not the best idea. Also, when did climate change stop being a hoax?

In the Scriptorium today, the scribes are making up book titles for the Imaginary Library. Their favourite so far is “Stick It Where The Sun Don’t Shine: A Guide to Mushroom Cultivation for Beginners”. They welcome additional contributions. Dewey decimal information not required.

In the Scriptorium today, the scribes remembered which month they had last done a newsletter so have rushed one out. They will not be telling anyone where it is available as they've tried that and nobody is interested, apart from one of the scribe's sisters and six bots.

In the Scriptorium today, the scribes are hearing the word "gutted" a lot. Whatever happened to "sick as a parrot"? Did the parrot get better?

In the Scriptorium this evening, the sun sets through smoke as the scent of burning peat fills the air. Tintwistle Moor is on fire again.

Modern day scribes cause mayhem. mybook.to/ScriptoriumChronicle

The thought occurred that when I was a kid, my dad (who worked in computers in the 1960s) used to say that computers don’t make mistakes, people do. With the advent of AI, I have just realised that I can tell him that not only do they make mistakes, they also hallucinate and tell lies.

In the Scriptorium today, the scribes are too busy rolling around on the floor in fits of giggles to be making posters to send down to a seaside resort in the south of England.