the idea slumlord✨
@mollytanzer.bsky.social
Award-winning author of novels and short stories, including the official Jirel of Joiry revival “Jirel and the Mirror of Truth.” S-tier manga adaptrix, GenAI/LLM disliker. Abolish ICE. (she/her)
https://www.patreon.com/one_true_sentenc
https://www.patreon.com/one_true_sentenc
Pinned
I have become a dedicated diary-user. This is a great article on some of the perks of this practice (gift link) www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/o...
November 30, 2025 at 2:19 PM
I have become a dedicated diary-user. This is a great article on some of the perks of this practice (gift link) www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/o...
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
One of the greatest to ever do it.
Tom Stoppard, playwright of dazzling wit and playful erudition, dies aged 88
A theatrical sensation since the 1960s, whose dramas included Arcadia, The Real Thing and Leopoldstadt, Stoppard also had huge success as a screenwriter
www.theguardian.com
November 29, 2025 at 5:24 PM
One of the greatest to ever do it.
Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen —
Neutral Milk Hotel
That’s enough
Neutral Milk Hotel
That’s enough
Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen —
Weird Al
Lilith Fair
Assorted school concerts for my children whom I love
Weird Al
Lilith Fair
Assorted school concerts for my children whom I love
Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen —
NIN
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Soul Coughing
Poe
Tom Morello
NIN
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Soul Coughing
Poe
Tom Morello
November 27, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Introduce yourself with five concerts you've seen —
Neutral Milk Hotel
That’s enough
Neutral Milk Hotel
That’s enough
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
Fuck that noise, do it even if you're old. I learned tattooing at 43. I learned editing and publishing at 46.
There is always still time to do or learn new stuff.
There is always still time to do or learn new stuff.
I'm old.
If you're not, listen to this.
Get a guitar or some drums, or a trumpet. Pick up a brush, a pencil, some clay or a welder.
Just make shit. It doesn't have to be good (eventually it will be) just make music, art or write or whatever.
It's literally never been more important.
If you're not, listen to this.
Get a guitar or some drums, or a trumpet. Pick up a brush, a pencil, some clay or a welder.
Just make shit. It doesn't have to be good (eventually it will be) just make music, art or write or whatever.
It's literally never been more important.
November 27, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Fuck that noise, do it even if you're old. I learned tattooing at 43. I learned editing and publishing at 46.
There is always still time to do or learn new stuff.
There is always still time to do or learn new stuff.
My mother has the parade on and I was like wow, I know what one (1) thing is!
We're going up up up
November 27, 2025 at 4:15 PM
My mother has the parade on and I was like wow, I know what one (1) thing is!
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
You can tell when a person is eating their heart out. I've seen many instances lately with such bitterness and anger towards writers. It's rather blatant to me now.
November 27, 2025 at 12:10 PM
You can tell when a person is eating their heart out. I've seen many instances lately with such bitterness and anger towards writers. It's rather blatant to me now.
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
Typing “I have a soul” in Word and printing it out and getting scared
November 26, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Typing “I have a soul” in Word and printing it out and getting scared
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
If you're wondering about the sort of person who becomes a writer, for 3 years every day I have played chess with this one person and for 3 years I have lost every day and every day I go back for another go because this time could be the charm, it could happen, you never know
November 27, 2025 at 12:11 PM
If you're wondering about the sort of person who becomes a writer, for 3 years every day I have played chess with this one person and for 3 years I have lost every day and every day I go back for another go because this time could be the charm, it could happen, you never know
Don’t read this if you want to be hungry for Thanksgiving later!! (I read it)
I wrote 4000 words about Nuzzi/Lizza/RFK, please read it before it gets taken down by HR
The Olivia Nuzzi and RFK Jr. Affair Is Messier Than We Ever Could Have Imagined
Inside the most important, and also least important, story of our time
www.theringer.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Don’t read this if you want to be hungry for Thanksgiving later!! (I read it)
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
Anybody who is like “Piracy is activism!”—trust me, supporting your local library is about 1000% more effective activism, and it’s still free for you and authors still get paid!
November 26, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Anybody who is like “Piracy is activism!”—trust me, supporting your local library is about 1000% more effective activism, and it’s still free for you and authors still get paid!
One more thing before I shut up about this…having seen Online use literally any shred of available information about writers to discredit and insult them, the idea that writers must disclose their finances is insane.
We have zero obligation to tell the outrage engine anything about ourselves.
We have zero obligation to tell the outrage engine anything about ourselves.
So next time people wanna ask about why authors don’t talk about their personal finances online to strangers let’s all remember how strangers online behave to writers.
Just saw someone claim that authors who want to be paid for their work are "class traitors" because we "only let the wealthy" read our books, and I think I need to go into the woods to scream into the night for a bit.
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
November 26, 2025 at 5:54 PM
One more thing before I shut up about this…having seen Online use literally any shred of available information about writers to discredit and insult them, the idea that writers must disclose their finances is insane.
We have zero obligation to tell the outrage engine anything about ourselves.
We have zero obligation to tell the outrage engine anything about ourselves.
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
These are pretty naked -- and therefore instructive -- examples of the sorts of defenses that people offer to try and get off the hook
November 25, 2025 at 8:39 PM
These are pretty naked -- and therefore instructive -- examples of the sorts of defenses that people offer to try and get off the hook
“Idea slumlords,” however… :)
I think "class traitors" is up there with "idea landlords" on the reality disconnect scale.
Just saw someone claim that authors who want to be paid for their work are "class traitors" because we "only let the wealthy" read our books, and I think I need to go into the woods to scream into the night for a bit.
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
November 26, 2025 at 5:41 PM
“Idea slumlords,” however… :)
Dragon Age 2
November 26, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Dragon Age 2
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
I once saw someone on Reddit justify pirating my book as "a tax on the golden elite."
I had no other employment at that point in time, and hadn't received an advance on my book. I literally had no money.
Those words made me want to cry, and to never write another word for publication.
I had no other employment at that point in time, and hadn't received an advance on my book. I literally had no money.
Those words made me want to cry, and to never write another word for publication.
November 26, 2025 at 3:24 AM
I once saw someone on Reddit justify pirating my book as "a tax on the golden elite."
I had no other employment at that point in time, and hadn't received an advance on my book. I literally had no money.
Those words made me want to cry, and to never write another word for publication.
I had no other employment at that point in time, and hadn't received an advance on my book. I literally had no money.
Those words made me want to cry, and to never write another word for publication.
So next time people wanna ask about why authors don’t talk about their personal finances online to strangers let’s all remember how strangers online behave to writers.
Just saw someone claim that authors who want to be paid for their work are "class traitors" because we "only let the wealthy" read our books, and I think I need to go into the woods to scream into the night for a bit.
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
It's $5, not your first-born child! I need that $5 for health insurance!
November 26, 2025 at 2:21 PM
So next time people wanna ask about why authors don’t talk about their personal finances online to strangers let’s all remember how strangers online behave to writers.
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
We're each of us alone, to be sure. What can you do but hold your hand out in the dark?
November 26, 2025 at 12:40 PM
We're each of us alone, to be sure. What can you do but hold your hand out in the dark?
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
Literally all of society hates this abominable scam homunculus and the weird little death cult bubble of vampiric losers who spewed it forth upon the world. Take a break from bragging about how gullible you are and give yourself a swirlie and stuff yourself in a locker and sort yourself out.
November 26, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Literally all of society hates this abominable scam homunculus and the weird little death cult bubble of vampiric losers who spewed it forth upon the world. Take a break from bragging about how gullible you are and give yourself a swirlie and stuff yourself in a locker and sort yourself out.
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
GenAI is a fascist product. Sorry you don’t have the moral fortitude to do your own thinking, but fascists love that
November 26, 2025 at 12:03 PM
GenAI is a fascist product. Sorry you don’t have the moral fortitude to do your own thinking, but fascists love that
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
The only way to save humanity and unite the people is more Sword & Sorcery paintings on the side of vans.
November 25, 2025 at 5:56 PM
The only way to save humanity and unite the people is more Sword & Sorcery paintings on the side of vans.
Free publishing advice: it is a good idea, before saying something online about publishing/writing/writers, to ask yourself:
“Is this true, like ‘I have evidence for this’ true, or just something I wish was true, as part of my larger set of personal grievances.”
“Is this true, like ‘I have evidence for this’ true, or just something I wish was true, as part of my larger set of personal grievances.”
November 26, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Free publishing advice: it is a good idea, before saying something online about publishing/writing/writers, to ask yourself:
“Is this true, like ‘I have evidence for this’ true, or just something I wish was true, as part of my larger set of personal grievances.”
“Is this true, like ‘I have evidence for this’ true, or just something I wish was true, as part of my larger set of personal grievances.”
The Only Conversation I Ever Have With Strangers As A Writer: A One Act Play
“What do you do?”
“I’m a writer.”
“Cool! Would I have read anything you’ve written?”
“Probably not!”
“Oh. So…do you make a living from that?”
“Not a good one.”
“Oh.”
Fin
“What do you do?”
“I’m a writer.”
“Cool! Would I have read anything you’ve written?”
“Probably not!”
“Oh. So…do you make a living from that?”
“Not a good one.”
“Oh.”
Fin
Of the few responses the OP allowed through, the concern seemed to be that "baby writers" should not feel like failures for not being full-timers, that low advances are somehow a secret etc etc.
I dunno tho, whenever I tell a stranger I'm a writer I get asked, "Yeah, but how do you pay your rent?"
I dunno tho, whenever I tell a stranger I'm a writer I get asked, "Yeah, but how do you pay your rent?"
November 26, 2025 at 12:13 PM
The Only Conversation I Ever Have With Strangers As A Writer: A One Act Play
“What do you do?”
“I’m a writer.”
“Cool! Would I have read anything you’ve written?”
“Probably not!”
“Oh. So…do you make a living from that?”
“Not a good one.”
“Oh.”
Fin
“What do you do?”
“I’m a writer.”
“Cool! Would I have read anything you’ve written?”
“Probably not!”
“Oh. So…do you make a living from that?”
“Not a good one.”
“Oh.”
Fin
Reposted by the idea slumlord✨
It's actually nobody's business how we survive or access resources and we do not need to get better at divulging personal financial information or strategies to strangers in a public forum, in my opinion.
November 25, 2025 at 11:05 PM
It's actually nobody's business how we survive or access resources and we do not need to get better at divulging personal financial information or strategies to strangers in a public forum, in my opinion.