{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1", "title": "Thinking about on Notes", "icon": "https://avatars.micro.blog/avatars/2026/01/43680.jpg", "home_page_url": "https://notes.neilgorman.com/", "feed_url": "https://notes.neilgorman.com/feed.json", "items": [ { "id": "http://From78.micro.blog/2026/08/22/rober-macfarlanes-writing-process.html", "title": "Rober MacFarlane's writing process ", "content_html": "

Yesterday, I wrote about the first sentences of The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert MacFarlance.

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Today, I found this

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Macfarlane begins each project with what he calls a “portal question” — seemingly simple questions like “Why do we climb mountains?” or “Is a river alive?” These questions, when combined with a child-like wonder and openness, can lead the writer through interesting, complicated, difficult terrain. These questions are the basis for a kind of intellectual exploration.

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MacFarlane discusses his process extensively in this interview.

\n", "date_published": "2026-08-22T06:54:34-05:00", "url": "https://notes.neilgorman.com/2026/08/22/rober-macfarlanes-writing-process.html", "tags": ["Watching","Writing","Thinking about"] }, { "id": "http://From78.micro.blog/2026/08/20/scrimshanker.html", "title": "Scrimshanker", "content_html": "

I adore the word scrimshanker.

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Scrimshanker likely derives from the term scrimshank, which is believed to combine “scrimp” and “swanker. This term is often used to describe someone who avoids work or duty.

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I’ve been thinking about using this word as a compliment rather than an insult to describe someone who is the opposite of a hustler.

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Maybe use “scrimshanking” as a verb for being deliberately lazy.

\n", "date_published": "2026-08-20T13:12:56-05:00", "url": "https://notes.neilgorman.com/2026/08/20/scrimshanker.html", "tags": ["Scrimshankering","Thinking about"] } ] }