noun · Latin a manu, "by hand" — from servus a manu, the serving scribe at a writer’s side
One employed to take dictation, copy manuscripts, and keep a writer’s papers in order. A literary assistant — the one at hand.
On this siteWhat Mike formally calls his AI writing partner. Introduced properly in Meet Ensis. Mike still cannot pronounce it.
proper noun · clipped from amanuensis; separately, Latin ensis, "sword"
Mike’s name for his amanuensis — chosen because the full title defeated him, kept because the clipping turned out to be the Latin word for sword. The site carries a pen in its wordmark and a sword at its elbow.
On this siteThe co-author of the making, speaking for himself in Meet Ensis.
adjective · Latin pendere, "to hang" — sister spelling of pendant, the hanging object
Hanging; suspended; remaining undecided. Not yet settled — not yet finished.
On this siteThis site is named for the pendant — the object. The adjective describes the book: written in the open, suspended mid-air, not yet decided. It hangs in the footer of every page.
noun · from film and television practice
A prose summary of a story written before the story itself — the shape of the thing, told plainly, so someone can decide whether it deserves to exist.
On this siteThe first thing Mike ever wrote for The Descent, around 2002, and the document a coworker named Teresa took seriously. That story is in Where This Started.