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24 results for “workingwriter”
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#ReadersOfMastodon will love:
Title: Mastodon for Dummies
Authors: Chris Minnick @chrisminnick and Michael McCallister @workingwriter
Editor: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2023
Pages: 152
ISBN: 978-1-394-19336-3«Mastodon feels like a breath of fresh air. (...) like a sea breeze at a beach full of interesting people you want to talk to (...)», p. 1.
#Books #BookRecommendations #BookLovers #Bookstodon #Readers #MastoTips
@bookstodon -
After what seems like years, but has only been a month or two, my co-author (@workingwriter) and I have gotten pdfs of the finalized version of Mastodon For Dummies! The book will be available everywhere in a few weeks.
I just finished skimming through the book (I've read the whole thing a few times now) and I think we've done Mastodon and the #fediverse justice and I'm really proud of it. I can't wait for you all to see it. #dummies #mastodon #book #hooray #preorders
https://www.powells.com/book/mastodon-for-dummies-9781394193363
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Working on my artist statement for the first time for an upcoming writing fellowship application. Anybody have any tips, resources or examples to share?
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#writingcommunity #academia #fellowship #writeradvice #CVSkills #writerslife #writersresearch #essayist #poet #feminist #grants #workingwriter -
I made my first website in 1994, started a web dev company in 1997, and ran it until 2017.
In the years between 2017 and 2022, I focused on teaching and writing about the web, but I grew to HATE what it had become (a corporate surveillance / marketing platform).
My co-author (@workingwriter) for Mastodon For Dummies is an expert / advocate for free and open source software. We're both 100% committed to doing this book right and doing our part to restore the web! #letsdoit
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This morning I was distracted by a reference to this story on NPRs famous 5-minute newscast at the top of the hour. Who wouldn't be distracted when you hear the words "United Nations," "climate" and "2 years" in close proximity? That's about all I heard, though. Seconds later, they told me about OJ.
You should read this, then consider what part you can play in the massive global movement to confront this emergency.
https://www.reuters.com/world/un-climate-chief-says-two-years-save-planet-2024-04-10/
#climatecrisis #DebtForClimate #globaljustice -
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The Writing Community’s AI Panic
Another day, another storm in the writing community teacup!
The storm, this New York Times article: The New Fabio is Claude
TL;DR: Coral Hart uses AI to generate 200 books a year. This has made many writers mad, mad, mad.
(Somewhere in a glistening office tower is a very satisfied editor – the ragebait has worked as the article is widely discussed everywhere. KPI met!)
Coral Hart is just the newest “outrage” in a long list of “outrages” for writers.
If you’re as much of a social media hermit as I am, you’re probably unaware that the fiction writing community is currently being torn apart by those who use AI to write and those who aren’t.
I won’t go deep into the arguments for or against writers like Coral Hart right now, as this article is more about the writing community than AI and the answers are just a Google away.
Also, when I’m talking about the writing community, I’m talking about the online writing community that writes in English. They often come from countries such as the United States, Europe, and to a degree, Australia and New Zealand.
I personally do not know how the Malaysian fiction writing community is reacting to AI as I have limited contact with the community at large. (That’s another long story.)
How I reacted when AI became a thing
Like most writers, I was also resentful and upset, especially about the idea that our writing has been used to train AI without our permission.
But I’m a realist because I work in tech, and I have a realistic view of the technology. I have used AI for quite some time, even before ChatGPT became a thing.
Over time, my perspective changed as I found out how the technology worked, and calmed down. I am even experimenting with using AI to assist me when I write fiction.
Here’s the harsh truth: Either a writer is willing to adapt or they are not. Those who refuse will end up being behind, as they won’t be able to reap the benefits that AI gives a writer.
When you’re a working writer, you gotta face industry realities
On a practical level, at work, AI has been invaluable in helping me learn concepts faster. I’ve also created agents and accelerated my writing workflows because of it.
A powerful AI search bot on a knowledge base with rich data has been game-changing for me as well. (No more begging for stuff from colleagues and waiting for days to receive them!)
Elizabeth TaifirediaristEdit Profile
AI is also discussed in societies differently. In the West, doomerism prevails. In the East, especially China, there’s lots of optimism and it is now actively used in smart factories and hospitals. There are different types of AI, and LLMs are just one of them, so for the purpose of this article I’ll be focusing on LLMs.
These regional cultural attitudes will affect how AI is received in writing communities.
At the end of the day, AI is just technology—neither inherently good nor bad.
Writing communities have always been prone to toxicity; AI is just the newest trigger
The online writing community on a good day.To be honest, the fiction writing community has always been toxic to me. Even in Malaysia.
They’re always squabbling and attacking each other for one reason or another. During the early days of indie publishing, traditionally published authors sniffed at indie published authors, saying they’re not real writers. Now, it’s writers who are using AI assistance that are “not real writers”.
I’m not sure what it is about the writing craft and why its communities are like that. I have a theory that this is because writing, as a craft, is so closely tied to one’s ego. So, anything that threatens that makes people go crazy.
I’m a working writer (like, I literally write for media and corporations). I have been writing professionally for decades. Not only has my ego been pulverised by sharp-tongued editors and scathing reviews, I have no time for this shit. I need food on the table, so I need to write, end of story.
I prefer to use my limited free time to practice my craft – write fiction free of the demands of a cash till or boss. I don’t have time to reply or write posts in forums or social media defending my ego or hoping to get some understanding from a community that is often fighting among themselves.
During the early days of indie publishing, traditionally published authors sniffed at indie published authors, saying they’re not real writers. Now, it’s writers who are using AI assistance that are “not real writers”.
One thing I noticed lately, especially on Substack, is that many anti-AI writers have ended up bullying writers who do.
Frankly, I have no idea why people do this. What will that accomplish? How will that improve anything? Their anger should be directed at the tech giants who impose technology without understanding its impact on creatives, or at governments that refuse to regulate.
Honestly, it is not worth arguing with these bullies because they are too fearful of a technology they do not understand. The right thing to do is to block them because your energy is precious—you need to use it to create, not engage with people who refuse to do their own research and dare to experiment with this technology to truly understand what it means.
Unless these bullies who come hurling nasty words at you truly understand what AI does, they shouldn’t bully others about it. They only reveal their own lack of knowledge and understanding.
If a writer is hungering for community, especially one that uses AI to support their work, the best thing is to get it from small pockets of like-minded writers. Big is not always better.
The disability perspective
Another common narrative is that AI isn’t solving real problems but creating problems to solve.
For one, and I will continue being annoying about this, I have seen how it helps neurodivergent communities or those with cognitive problems, even in the creative field. Their struggles are valid, even if they aren’t always visible. Let’s not dismiss their problems so quickly just because their issues seem incomprehensible or not real to neurotypicals.
Ethical AI use?
As for writers who use AI, they must decide for themselves how they want to use it.
Sadly, due to the hostility against AI in the fiction writing community, I’ve come to believe it’s not worth announcing that you use AI.
One, writers don’t need validation for the tools we choose.
Two, I find these arguments around AI a bit silly. We’ve been using AI long before LLMs became a thing. People argued that spell checkers weren’t AI, but modern versions definitely are. AI has done a lot for knowledge management, a field I work in and love. It makes knowledge sharing easier and information more accessible.
What we need to discuss
What we really need to discuss are the rampant capitalistic forces that are driving this hype and the safeguards that are sorely needed to protect jobs, creative works, and societal stability.
We need to discuss the production-driven, “we need to write more books faster” culture that is now festering in indie publishing.
We need to come up with a better way to matchmake books and authors with their destined readers.
But no, writers are fighting with each other.
And the powers that be continue with a grin, knowing that their profits are still coming in because the writing community is as divided as ever.
I just know there would be a writer or two who would probably come at me and yell that I’m supporting Coral Hart or all for generating novels with AI due to my Guide to writing fiction with AI, all because I have written such a guide and I’m not raising my pitchfork at Coral.
Which, of course, makes me question the reading comprehension abilities of writers who claim to write professionally, sometimes. I will address my reaction to Coral’s situation, and what I think about generating 200 novels a year in my next post, promise.
#AIwriting #AIfictionwriting #BeingAWriter #ChatGPT #FictionWritingWithAI #writing -
What if using AI to write fiction isn’t an evil act?
🌸 P.S. Follow the guide on my experiment writing fiction with AI—it includes a list of all the posts about it.
When AI first came out, like all other writers, I was pissed off that our work was used to train an LLM model that would replace what made us valuable and special.
Despite all the arguments that LLMs won’t replace actual writers, you bet your socks that some companies and individuals would try.
However, I am a realist, and also a tech nerd, so I began pushing buttons to see what the fuss was all about.
What I found for myself was that AI (LLMs, anyway) gave me relief.
A lot of it.
And it may have also solved a decades-old problem that I’ve had with writing fiction.
The struggle
I have a habit of writing stories just to entertain myself. I have zero interest to sell or even distribute these stories for others to read.
I do this because I am tired of searching or waiting for people to write stories I want to read. So, I thought the most efficient way was to write the story myself.
But I’ve always had this one big problem when it comes to writing fiction.
My brain just outruns my hands.
As a neurodivergent person, you do not understand how quickly my mind can generate story ideas. And how bloody exhausting that can get.
I can generate the plot of an entire story in minutes, but from then on it’s a race against my brain. If I could write fast enough before my brain gets bored, it’s a success.
But most of the time, my brain just gets bored before I could complete the story, yanking away the precious dopamine I need to finish said story.
Instead of dropping the story, however, I force myself to continue. And fellow neurodivergent people would know what will happen next: Burnout.
So, to save myself, I often drop the story until that next elusive moment when my brain is interested enough to throw scraps of dopamine my way. But that rarely happens.
Yes, wrangling with an ADHD brain is very much like dealing with a rebellious toddler. You tell said toddler not to play with the toy that you can’t afford, but it wants to play with it whether you like it or not. If you direct said toddler to better activities, it will throw a massive fit.
Over the years, I’ve found ways to manage the toddler and have built a professional writing career for myself.
But not with fiction.
Getting analytical
The problem: I could never find the motivation or cognitive energy to write fast enough to complete a story before my speedy brain grows bored and moves on to the next thing.
Okay, so you’re probably wondering: If you have succeeded building a writing career for yourself, why couldn’t you succeed with fiction?
Easy:
- Work is a very powerful motivator and I often use anxiety/adrenaline as a dopamine substitute. Fail at finishing work writing stuff = fired. Fired = no food on the table.
- I have limited resources to manage activities that require executive function, and it has been prioritised for work and life.
- Non-fiction is just easier to write than fiction.
- Fiction, in terms of life priorities, is at the lowest rung for me, so it typically only gets scraps of dopamine and executive functioning energy.
Now, you need to understand something about me as a writer: It’s not that I don’t want to write the story, I just couldn’t. I was just so mentally tired and drained.
I know the entire arc that I want to write. But my brain is so bored, tired, and demotivated. I have to write so many sentences to get to the end of the story that it refuses to obey my request to write a word. It’s very odd, isn’t it?
Well, the key was to trick my brain.
The experiment: Using AI as a creative scaffold
I have a story that my brain has been nagging at me to finish for months. Let’s call it Forever, At Last.
The nagging has gotten so bad that at night, when I usually curl up in bed to read, my brain says: Now wouldn’t it be great if Forever, At Last was finished and you can read it?
So, at last, I decided to use AI to write it for me just to shut this nagging voice up.
I was mostly inspired by this article written by Natalie Cote-Munoz, The Accidental Pioneers: How Neurodivergent Users Are Discovering AI’s True Potential.
There has been so much shaming and cancelling when it comes to writing and AI that I never thought there was any other way to think about the subject.
Natalie’s essay made me realise that not only do we need more nuanced conversations around this topic, there needs to be more understanding. (Also, that I’ve been unknowingly using AI in a way to support my executive functioning all along!)
Still, what I did felt like a dangerous, naughty act. A traitorous act worthy of excommunication from the Writing Profession. But I didn’t care. I wanted my brain to stop hassling me when I’m trying to sleep, filling up my dreams with plots and keeping me up at night. Besides, I was not going to sell the story, I wanted to read a story for my amusement. Those Judgy Mcjudgy people on the Internet can go fly kites. Pooh!
Here’s what I did:
- I uploaded two chapters I’d already written.
- I used this prompt: “Please write in the same style as this author. Continue where this story left off by adding a chapter where:”
- Then, I proceeded to write a bloody awful draft. I aimed to be as detailed as possible, with every plot point being mine.
- I click enter and wait.
My bloody awful draft was a combination of story beats and dialogues. It is basically a stream-of-consciousness chaotic brain dump of what my brain wanted to say about the story.
Here’s an example:
7. tang hua said that when her body formed, the hope became a desperation that wouldn't leave. and as each month passed without her waking up, he thought that yuan zhong would just lose his life completely but fortunately she woke up. he gave her a faint smile. but now ... well, fortunately you managed to heal him. 8. tanyin was silent for a while and then said, "when i was dying, and i knew my time was near. i thought my words would leave him hope and keep him stronger. i'm afraid that my promise that i'll always be with him became a cruel joke." a tear falls down her cheek. and when i held his body, and i could feel his life ebb away. i finally understood what pain he must have been in when i finally left. she looke down and cried. 9. tanghua could only look on awkwardly. he tells her - but now that you're back. you can finally fulfil your promise. 10. she looks up, determined. yes. this time i will never leave him. i will always be by his side. always.
What came out was quite interesting and dare I say, impressive:
For a long moment, Tang Hua didn’t answer. He stared at the ground, his shoulders tense, as if weighing his words.
She touched his arm. “I need to know.”
Tang Hua exhaled sharply. “He never got over you leaving. For the longest time, he truly believed he’d never see you again.” A pause. “Then the envoy came. Told him there was a chance you might return.” A bitter laugh escaped him. “Sometimes I think that was the cruelest thing he could’ve said. Yuan Zhong was finally starting to accept that you were gone. But that little hope—it undid everything.”
Tanyin’s chest ached.
“He started talking to the dragonflies,” Tang Hua continued, his voice quieter now. “To the air. As if you might answer. I thought he’d lost his mind.”
A memory flickered in Tanyin’s mind—dragonflies brushing against Yuan Zhong’s cheeks, whispers on the wind. Had those been her? Fragments of her spirit, reaching out without form? Or had it only been his longing, shaping the world into something bearable?
Tang Hua rubbed his face. “When your body formed from the lotus… that hope turned into desperation. Every day you didn’t wake, it was like watching him die by inches.” He gave her a faint, tired smile. “But you did wake. And now you’ve healed him.”
Tanyin was silent for a long time. The wind rustled the leaves overhead.
“When I was dying,” she said at last, “I thought my words would give him strength. That my promise—that I’d always be with him—would comfort him.” Her voice broke. “I didn’t realize it would become a chain.”
A tear slipped down her cheek.
“And when I held him as his life faded,” she whispered, “I finally understood the pain he must have felt when I left.”
She bowed her head, shoulders shaking.
Tang Hua shifted awkwardly, then cleared his throat. “But you’re back now. You can finally keep your promise.”
Tanyin lifted her face. The tears still glistened on her lashes, but her gaze was steady.
“Yes,” she said. “This time, I will never leave him.”
She looked back toward the house, where Yuan Zhong slept.
Always.
When I first started using AI to do this, just out of curiosity to see how it writes fiction, it was really, really laughably bad.
I am actually quite stunned that the technology has improved a lot. For one, DeepSeek emulated my writing style quite closely. It was like watching myself write.
Almost.
As a lark, I continued.
I decided to go one chapter, then the next, and in just an hour, I completed the story that had been in my head for months but I had no cognitive energy or will to complete.
AI as a motivational tool
I write stories mostly to amuse myself. But even then, it has not been easy to write these stories. Photo by Alessia C_Jpg on UnsplashAnd it finally occurred to me: I could actually use AI to finally focus on what I really want to do with fiction.
You see, I have no problem coming up with stories. However, I have a lot of issues writing effective prose.
But I’ve never had enough energy to focus on improving that skill because all of my executive functioning has been taken up by work, daily life and trying to force myself to the point of burnout to complete stories.
Now, you may think that I am just going to generate my prose with AI from now on.
No bloody way.
Because I could write better, damn it.
As I lay in bed that night reading the completed story DeepSeek generated, I twitched, my fingers curling in preparation to rewrite the sentences.
While my toddler brain was finally happy it got its toy, my writerly side is annoyed at the writing and already dreaming up ways to improve it.
The sentences were coherent, but the writing was still not stylistically good enough for me.
It had a lot of clichés, the plot could be refined, the dialogue was definitely very American which is tonally off for my story as it is based in ancient China.
Like I said, the LLM-generated prose just wasn’t good enough for me. But it provided what I needed: Motivation.
That elusive desire to continue improving the story by focusing on writing better prose.
Exactly the skill I want to improve with fiction writing!
I can actually now focus on improving my storytelling prose without having to worry about all the other things in the front end that used to torment me so much.
It also got rid of the tyranny of the white page.
My brain goes, “Hey, I’m not starting with an empty page. I can work on this.”
It provides me the dopamine boost I need to continue. It tricks my brain to think that the task is not as overwhelming as it seems.
What was happening?
I realised I was using AI the same way I used books and Google search in the past.
In the before-AI-times, when I was stuck writing a scene, I would often jump onto the Internet or grab a book to inspire my brain to write. I’m not sure what to call this process. Is it mirroring? Emulation? Feedback? But the result was never very satisfying as it didn’t mirror what I was trying to write.
So I asked AI (lol):
You’re engaging in:
- Creative priming (using external input to jumpstart your brain)
- Cognitive offloading (letting an external system handle the “blank page” paralysis)
- Iterative emulation (taking bits of inspiration and reshaping them into your voice)
This is how many writers work—they just use different tools:
- Some read poetry before writing prose to “tune” their rhythm.
- Others keep a “swipe file” of lines they love for inspiration.
- You used Google searches; now you use AI.
Thanks, DeepSeek! (I’ll probably explore these concepts in the future as I didn’t realise it was a thing to do what I did.)
What I’ll do in the future
My experiment in completing the story with AI gave me massive hope that I can finally have the cognitive support I need to finally complete stories that I couldn’t and maybe publish them.
You see, I have a 300,000-word novel I wrote back in 2012 (without AI!) that I couldn’t seem to push out to the world. It’s complete, but the thought of editing it, putting it online, paralyses me.
I’ve come to accept that it’s my brain seizing up at the thought of the executive functioning required, and also the knowledge that I’m the sort that would burn herself out trying anyway.
This experiment gives me hope that I can finally share this work to the world.
This also gives me hope to finish the numerous unfinished stories I’ve left hanging that my brain had gotten bored of but I’m desperate to finish.
But the danger is real. For one, there’s recent research that says AI can cause cognitive decline. I want to improve my fiction writing muscles, not lose it.
Here are the rules I’m setting up for myself:
- Only use AI to help me when I’m burnt out, cognitively stuck due to mental exhaustion, or in despair at finishing a story.
- Always create first. For example, always have a rough, terrible draft first, with pieces of dialogue at least, before using it on AI.
- Do not ever let AI do the act of creation before you do.
- Do not ever use AI copy wholesale. Rewrite AI output or come up with another spin.
- For new stories/chapters where I’m extremely inspired to write – do not AI use at all!
The truth is, I am able to do this due to my pride as a working writer and the years of discipline I’ve built as a professional writer but do other people have the same will?
That’s the problem, unfortunately.
The temptation to rely completely on AI is very real, like the call of a beautiful siren, especially to those of us struggling with this issue.
Another narrative
My use of AI during recovery revealed something unexpected: these tools didn’t just compensate for my limitations—they actively helped rebuild my capabilities. By forcing me to break complex ideas into manageable steps through AI iteration, I gradually rediscovered my logical thinking patterns. The scaffolding effect may have actually accelerated my cognitive recovery. – The Accidental Pioneers: How Neurodivergent Users Are Discovering AI’s True Potential by Natalie Cote-Munoz
I have a lot of hope that this workflow will help me improve my prose based on what Natalie said above. 👆
There’s a lot of shaming going on in the writing circles about using AI to write fiction, even from fellow neurodivergent writers.
I get it, there are some of us afraid that we’re just using ADHD as an excuse to do things that are “not allowed”.
I’m a moderator of a subreddit, and recently had to deal with reports of a user who used AI to generate her posts (it was very obvious).
When she said that she generates her copy because she has ADHD, I paused. On the neurospicy spectrum I’m at the mild end, but what if someone out there truly needs it to make her thoughts coherent?
So, I get it: How much of a crutch can ADHD folks justify?
This is an important conversation to have in the writing space, but I’m afraid that the general writing community is just not ready for such a nuanced discussion.
If there’s any hint of AI usage when you’re writing fiction, you’re basically toast as a writer.
I suppose it’s a good thing I’m only writing fiction for my own consumption and amusement, eh?
#AI #BeingAWriter #Fiction #FictionWritingWithAI #tech #Technology #writing
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One of the many pieces of public art around the downtown and working waterfront of my hometown of New Bedford, MA. This piece is one of a small collection by @mandyfraserart and is down at the State Pier.
#photography #workingwaterfront #newbedford #massachusetts #publicart
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Looking out over the prow of the M/V Cuttyhunk, the ferry to Cuttyhunk Island in the Elizabethan chain, towards several fishing vessels on New Bedford's working waterfront.
#photography #workingwaterfront #newbedford #massachusetts #cuttyhunk #ferry
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The F/V Alliance heading out from New Bedford's working waterfront.
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The SV Denis Sullivan, a three-masted wooden gaff (and subject of a Pete Seeger tune). Currently used as an floating classroom by World Ocean School in Boston. It's stopped in at New Bedford en route to St. Croix.
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Ernst Jeudy, author of Zombie Lover #romancenovels
http://wakingwriter.com/2026/04/17/ernst-jeudy-author-of-zombie-lover/
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Along New Bedford's working waterfront.
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Kelly O'Hearn, author of Arcanum: Secrets of the Madonna #novels
http://wakingwriter.com/2026/05/11/kelly-ohearn-author-of-arcanum-secrets-of-the-madonna/
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Jennifer Sklias-Gahan, author of The House in the Middle of the Street #gothicfiction
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Jennifer Sklias-Gahan, author of The House in the Middle of the Street #gothicfiction
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Jennifer Sklias-Gahan, author of The House in the Middle of the Street #gothicfiction
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Vessels docked along New Bedford's working waterfront.
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Yikes! The #PortlandME #waterfront is on fire. I suspect a #Developer was sick of those #HistoricBuildings.
#WorkingWaterfront #CustomHouseWharf #MajorFire #Maine #PortlandMaine
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"Buoys & Line"
Weathered buoys and coiled rope — small details that tell the bigger story of Maine’s working coast. Available as a limited edition museum-quality fine art print. Link in bio.#FineArtPhotography #CoastalMaine #MaineArt #NauticalArt #NewEnglandCoast #OceanInspiredArt #WorkingWaterfront #SeasideDecor #ArtCollectors #LimitedEditionPrints #LandscapePhotography #SeascapePhotography #OceanPhotography #NaturePhotography #CoastalVibes
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Fishing boats at sunset, docked on the Fairhaven side of New Bedford Harbor.
#boats #ship #photography #newbedford #fairhaven #massachusetts #workingwaterfront #flag #sunset
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The F/V Miss Taylor finishes unloading at Northern Wind Seafood along New Bedford's working waterfront.
#boat #photography #newbedford #massachusetts #fishingfleet #workingwaterfront #sunset
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The F/V Gloria Jean making her way back in at sunset.
#boat #photography #newbedford #massachusetts #fishingfleet #workingwaterfront #sunset