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Richard Pearce Moses

@pearcemoses.bsky.social
329 followers 211 following 1.7K posts

Retired archivist. Fellow, Society of American Archivists. Author. The Order of Lazarus (hamlit.org/the-order-of-lazarus). Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology (www2.archivists.org/glossary-old) More: www.pearcemoses.info/

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Reposted by Richard Pearce Moses
Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I am the very model of a modern day typographer I know the type tonalities from elegant to jocular I am a master tracker and my kerning is harmonical I know the sacred swatches and can name the hues Pantonical (Full version of Modern Day Typographer now on my YouTube channel)
youtu.be
Modern Day Typographer - Elle Cordova
YouTube video by Elle Cordova
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
@mdbell79.bsky.social On the unlikely chance you haven't seen this article. www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
scientificamerican.com
How apple detectives solved the mystery of an ancient tree—and rewrote the history of fruit
And how they might have helped save the future of American apples
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I have just learned the phrase 'felix culpa' and worked it into my novel. Mostly, because it's fun. But in part as evidence it's not AI (which I've been told likes relies on common (predictable) words, avoids weird words). #Writing
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Ordering vol 1 of Spec Fic for Newbies series today (from my local bookstore, of course). Really looking forward to these. #Bluesky #Sells #Books
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
How many times do I have to learn the lesson: A few edits won't fix the problem; you need to rethink and rewrite than damn scene? #writing #editing
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Reposted by Richard Pearce Moses
Phillip M Jackson @jollyjack.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
One of the best books I've ever read on the process of writing/editing. I've been putting pen to paper for decades, but this book provided a very useful mental reset of how to go about it. Well worth a place on your shelf.
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Birthday surprise! Unexpectedly got my author copy of an anthology with one of my shorts. Beautifully printed, and most profits going to the Bellingham Food Bank. #writing #booksky #ShortStories
Book cover, "Not-So-Subdued Stories: An Anthology of Bellingham Fiction," Editors: Kenneth Meyer, Leslie Edens, J.W. Donley. Illustration shows a robot (or person in a spacesuit) sitting on a pole, reading a tablet, and holding a cup of coffee. Mountains in the background.
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Just started listening to 21st Century Yokel by Tom Cox (@dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social). Really looking forward to this after listening to and reading his Everything Will Swallow You. Nice to hear his distinctive voice! libro.fm/audiobooks/9...
libro.fm
21st Century Yokel Audiobook on Libro.fm
21st-Century Yokel explores the way we can be tied inescapably to landscape, whether we like it or not, often through our family and our past. It's not quite a nature book, not quite a humour book, no...
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
"Gesturing at the impossibility of ever perfectly knowing the trusth is not the same thing as proving there’s no such thing." — Sam Leith, “Does it matter that Jason Arday’s memoir is made up?,” The Spectator (28 Aug 2026). spectator.com/article/does... #archives
spectator.com
Does it matter that Jason Arday’s memoir is made up?
Bloomsbury’s former editor-in-chief Alexandra Pringle popped up on British television this week to argue that the late Jason Arday’s publisher could not have been expected to fact-check his book Great...
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Reposted by Richard Pearce Moses
Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I don't write books to tell people what I think about stuff. I write books to find out what I think about stuff.
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
@maryrobinettekowal.com Apologies for posting like this, but I'm not sure how to contact you. I want to sign up for the Write Your Novel course, but the billing on Patreon doesn't make sense. Can someone who can answer questions contact me through Discord or my email? Thanks!
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Commenting on a piece for my writing group, I pulled a quote from @donaldmaass.bsky.social : “Please, let’s get rid of that outdated rule. Show can work, but it can also—for instance as a steady diet as in dry literary writing—become flat and empty.” #writing writerunboxed.com/2026/08/05/w...
writerunboxed.com
Writing Emotional States (Which Machines Do Not Have)
An emotion is one thing: It’s the feeling one has in a moment. An emotional state is another: it’s the condition one is in for a more extended period of time. It’s the difference between, I’m so ha…
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
More comments on the novel from another beta reader. He picked up on things that no one else has ever mentioned (and I, obviously, missed completely). And some great ideas on things to flesh out, ways to improve the odd pacing I'm passionate about. #Writing #Editing #Sci-fi #Booksky
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Got feedback on my novel from a beta reader that are incredibly useful! Have a whole new perspectives on several scenes and practical advice on some things that need work. Editing batteries recharged! #Writing #Editing
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Reading Corey's Nemesis Games and Memory's Legion. OMG, those guys can write! Language constantly engaging me with what the char is experiencing, what they're thinking and feeling! A case study of what @donaldmaass.bsky.social is getting at in his book Emotional Craft of fiction! #Writing #Sci-Fi
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Preference for first or second? 1 “You must be something special.” She gestured for him to follow her as she moved down the corridor. “Let’s get you kitted out.” 2 “You must be something special.” Gesturing for him to follow her, she moved down the corridor. “Let’s get you kitted out.” #Editing
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Richard Pearce-Moses is the author of 'Elements of Style' and 'The Chicago Manual of Style' [GLM 4.7] Richard Pearce-Moses is a British actor known for roles in TV series and films, including 'The Crown' and 'Doctor Who' [Mistral 3.2] Richard Pearce-Moses died in 2011 [ChatGPT 3.5]
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Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
My latest books cartoon for @theguardian.com
A publisher's office.

The editor explains "Your draft has all the elements of a masterpiece, they're just not in the right order"
The writer looks at her draft on the table and asks "Elements?"
The editor clarifies, sadly "Letters".
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Got a short story in an anthology coming out this fall! A piece I wrote to think through the idea of FTL travel across the universe, documenting the invention of the exodrive. darkforestpress.com/product/not-...
Cover of book: Not-So-Subdued Stories: An Anthology of Bellingham Fiction. Edited by Kenneth Meyer, Leslie Eden, and J.W. Donley.  Shows a figure in a spacesuit (or a robot?) reading a tablet, coffee in hand.
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
I get all my yarns and fiber stuff from Northwest Yarns, but I also get classes and community. The shop and its staff are incredible, creative, and hard working. The Go Fund Me is giving hope! Please consider a contribution to keep this shop going.
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Celebrated finishing the first draft! Formatted, 325 pp, 8.5 × 5.5", coil binding, 80K words. Out to a couple of beta readers, and I still have lots of work to do, but a big milestone! #Writing #Editing #Fiction #Sci-Fi
Coil-bound book: Shot of cover (Cosmos Incognita, Richard Pearce-Moses), and one open to show formatting.
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
New adventures in #adulting: Checking out cemetaries.
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Reposted by Richard Pearce Moses
Matthew Kirschenbaum @mkirschenbaum.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
If you’d read this in a sci-fi novel, it would be perfect. “July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the nation. The capital grounds are empty, the crumbling remains of a despot’s carnival baking under the heat and haze. The toxic air above is shifted by nothing save the passes of military jets.”
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Timeline cleanse. The clover has faded, but the tall grass flowing in the breeze is amazing. (Lots of bunnies in there, but you can't see them.)
A field of yellow clover blossoms, tall evergreen trees and the sun on the horizon.
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
I could finish edits on my novel if I'd just quit learning new ways to make it so much better. 😆 I blame Matt Bell (@mdbell79.bsky.social), @donaldmaass.bsky.social, and @maryrobinettekowal.com. If you're a writer, you should follow them! #Writing #Editing #Fiction
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
@mdbell79.bsky.social. I met Brendan O'Meara @brendanomeara.bsky.social this weekend. His book on distance runner Steve Prefontaine made me think of you. www.harpercollins.com/products/the...
harpercollins.com
The Front Runner
\"Sports journalism at its finest, a book so well-researched that everyone who thinks they know Pre is in for a big surprise.” —Christopher McDougall, ...
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
A fun tool that shows the extent to which you are part of the LLMs corpus (by name, not works stolen). I particularly like the hallucination. This one posted for @lynnemthomas.com, who will envy by role on Doctor Who! intheweights.com
Report of a hallucination in the Mistral 3.2 LLM indicating that Richard Pearce-Moses is a British Actor known for roles in TV series and films, including 'The Crown' and 'Doctor Who'

(He is none of those things.)
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
More interesting to me was the hallucinations this tool found. Any number of people will be surprised at what GLM thought of me. (Note: I do not write under a pen name, Strunk or White. Nor am I better known as the University of Chicago Press.) #Writing #Editing #Hallucinations
Summary of what GLM 4.7 Flash says about Richard Pearce-Moses: "American author and editor known for 'The Elements of Style' and 'The Chicago Manual of Style'. 

N.b.: He is neither.
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Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
I saw this site which measures if you are "in the weights" (via @shiplives.bsky.social). At first I thought it measured how much of your work was used to train something, but that's not the case. In this case, it's how much an AI "knows" about you. I scored very high intheweights.com
intheweights.com
IN THE WEIGHTS
The weights are the billions of numbers forming an AI's brain. Type a name and see how strongly the leading AI models recognize it. Are you in the weights?
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
If you love the complexities of language (English, in particular), @korystamper.bsky.social's Word by Word, The Secret Life of Dictionaries is fascinating and funny. Wish I'd had this when I was working on a professional glossary. www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/530504...
penguinrandomhouse.com
Word by Word by Kory Stamper: 9781101970263 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
“We think of English as a fortress to be defended, but a better analogy is to think of English as a child. We love and nurture it into being, and once it gains gross motor skills, it starts going...
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Just used 'farthest' instead of 'furtherest' thanks to brilliant (and frequently funny) insights of @bcdreyer.social If you don't have a copy of Dreyer's English, you're missing out. #Writing #Editing
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
I really appreciate @thelincoln.bsky.social's commentary on AI, as well as his excellent essays on the craft of writing. Definitely worth a follow. (I return to some of his craft essays on a regular basis to hone my work.) #Writing
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Finished! And a great read. Looking forward to reading more of @stephengrahamking.com's work.
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Highly recommend listening to the Writing Excuses podcast (and supporting it, if you can). Great tips, and they've got the right approach: tools, not rules. #Writing #Editing
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Reposted by Richard Pearce Moses
Dr Kat Day (she/her) 🎃🌓 @chronicleflask.katday.com · 31/05/2026
Love this bit on Ai from the Royal Society. A classic case of the probability engine getting itself in a mess and revealing its complete lack of understanding
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Reposted by Richard Pearce Moses
Anon Opin @anonopin.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Bring back proper blurbs at the back of books. Nowadays, the back of a book is just quotes from celebrities who've been paid to praise it. That's not helpful when I'm trying to decide whether to buy it. I want to know what the book is about.
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Just finished Picks and Shovels by Cory Doctorow (@doctorow.pluralistic.net), read by @wilwheaton.net. What a fun story based in 1980s tech. Who would think forensic accounting could lead to so many adventures! Recommended! #Reading #Mystery #Thriller us.macmillan.com/books/978125...
us.macmillan.com
Picks and Shovels
New York Times bestselling author Cory Doctorow returns to the world of Red Team Blues to bring us the origin story of Martin Hench and the most powerful new...
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Reposted by Richard Pearce Moses
JP Spalding - SciFi 🪐🚀 Writer @jpspalding.com · 26/05/2026
To the question: “why is sci-fi obsessed with realism?” To extrapolate the social and ethical implications of what is possible. To bring a technology to its logical endpoint and use it to question what it means to be human. When you deviate from what’s possible, it just becomes magic. #SciFi 🪐📚
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Just started Soul's Blood by @stephengrahamking.com, and it's exactly what I needed. A space opera adventure with some great characters. Excellent, playful use of neologisms. stephengrahamking.com/books/soulsb... #BlueskyBooks #Reading #Sci-Fi #SpaceOpera
Book cover: Soul's Blood: The Maverick Heart Cycle [by] Stephen Graham King
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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
The publishing industry views Bluesky as some tiny unimportant island out somewhere in a far-off ocean. It's not worthy of their attention like Amazon Algoland or The Republic Of Instagram Influencer Collaborativepost is. What they don't realise is just how much the island's inhabitants love books.
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Just put @stephengrahamking.com's Soul's Blood at the top of the TBR pile. (Thanks for the intro, @mikebruin.bsky.social!) More proof, Bluesky sells books! #Reading #SciFi
Man with a toque and glasses holding a book, Stephen Graham King's Soul's Blood, with more books and a plant in the background
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
When editing, I inevitably review craft works to remind myself of techniques that relate to aspects I struggle with, especially emotion and interiority. One book that’s been invaluable is @donaldmaass.bsky.social’s The Emotional Craft of Fiction. www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/633863...
penguinrandomhouse.com
The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass: 9781440348372 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
The essential guide to evoking emotional experiences in your readers Writers might disagree over showing versus telling or plotting versus pantsing, but none would argue this: If you want to write st...
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Grammar nerds should check out @bcdreyer.social's Substack (benjamindreyer.substack.com). He's the former head of copy editing at Penguin Random House. Great comments on the language, and a wicked wit! #Writing
benjamindreyer.substack.com
A Word About... | Benjamin Dreyer | Substack
Words. Words about words. Words about copyediting. The occasional cultural observation. Click to read "A Word About...", by Benjamin Dreyer, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscriber...
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Just watched @maryrobinettekowal.com's class on Beginnings. Love that she records her lectures so that a) I can still see them if I have a schedule conflict and b) I can take my time to do the exercises and think without being rushed. Great insights! And this class helped get me unstuck!
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
A friend is starting a small, independent bookstore focused on small presses, works in translation, and titles that challenge convention. He's got a storefront on Bookshop.org, and proceeds support the store opening in 2027. Consider helping him get the doors open. bookshop.org/shop/marginw...
bookshop.org
Bookshop.org: Buy books online. Support local bookstores.
A better way to buy books online. Every purchase financially supports local independent bookstores.
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JP Spalding - SciFi 🪐🚀 Writer @jpspalding.com · 17/04/2026
From Instagram, @clubchicxulub.bsky.social will be posting, (among other writers’ excellent works), my first ever narrated short story in their Pandæmomium issue! This story was the craziest idea I ever came up with. Just days away, keep those eyes peeled 👀 #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #shortstory
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Checking real followers: @realfollowers.bsky.social
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
The one thing that fascinates (for lack of a better word) about this image is the center figure at the top. No head: just three spikes. What the heck is that? (Yes, the whole thing is somewhat incomprehensible, but at least I know what the other pieces represent.) #GiftLink wapo.st/4csq1SX
wapo.st
Column | Trump’s Christ-like image is filled with sloppy symbolism
Why the AI-generated meme — which the president posted on his social media platform, then removed — is offensive even to nonbelievers
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Got word that a short story I wrote has been accepted in an anthology. Particularly loved an editor's comments: I freaking love this. It still doesn't feel like a fully wrapped story . . . but it still works! It reads like butter. These 19 pages go by fast. #Writing #SFF
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Richard Pearce Moses @pearcemoses.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
That was optimistic. Took another look at it, and . . . POV problems, nothing really moving the story or characters forward. (Good news: have a clue how to fix it.) Which is actually the fun of writing. It's a puzzle to figure out. Why would I use AI? #Writing #Revising #SFF 👇
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