Alchemy Ink

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Apr 28-May 4, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It is once more time to get your mental corn popping 🙂

Kaitlin Sullivan reports that neuroscientists have just brought pig brain cells back to life and how that changes our view of death. Popular Science

Karen Weintraub explains how scientists take a step toward decoding speech from the brain. Scientific American

SciShow Psych: can you become a morning person?

 

Jayshree Pandya wonders, are machines conscious? Forbes

Elizabeth Flock announces that the flip phone is back. Have people had enough of constant connection? PBS

Hannah Gadsby’s TED Talk: three ideas. Three contradictions. Or not.

SciShow Space News tackles the question of how fast the universe is expanding.

 

Liz Langley explains how bioluminescence works in nature. National Geographic

Catherine Zuckerman invites us to see the worlds oldest trees by starlight. National Geographic

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you found some inspiration in these links.

Until next tipsday, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Apr 28-May 4, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Another week has passed. Console yourself with some informal writerly learnings.

Kathryn Craft shares five reasons it may be time to leave your writer’s group. Later in the week, Julie Glover asks, if your story was a fairy tale, which one would it be? Writers in the Storm

Alexa Donne offers this writing hack: the rule of three.

 

Brunonia Barry gives you some straight talk about the morning after. Donald Maass looks at the first five lines. Elizabeth Huergo is consciously framing the story. Annie Neugebauer explores what happens when risks go wrong. Barbara Linn Probst shares the results of a survey: why do readers love some novels? Writer Unboxed

Abigail K. Perry examines another of James Scott Bell’s signpost scenes with number nine: the doorway of no return (the second). Brenda Joyce Patterson takes a deep dive into flash fiction. DIY MFA

Jami Gold considers the power of character arcs.

Chris Winkle wants to help you plan your story’s opening passages. Then, Oren Ashkensazi lists seven signs a sequel will be bad. Mythcreants

Alexandra Alter reports on the success of Canadian chain Indigo south of the border. I’m all for the success of Canadian business, but I prefer my book stores to be book stores and the success of Chapters/Indigo domestically is driving many independent book stores out of business or keeping them from opening their doors in the first place. The New York Times

Shane Koyczan’s powerful “Places.”

 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you found something to help you progress in your creative journey.

Come back on Thursday for your weekly dose of thoughty.

Until then, be well!

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Apr 21-27, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Here are some media links that I hope will get your mental corn popping.

Our provincial government is cutting everything. Nurses, arts funding, education, they even cancelled OHIP coverage for out of Canada health issues (not that we had extensive coverage, but we had some) … here are just three of the distressing articles that have come out in the past week:

Those of you who don’t live in Ontario, let alone Canada, may wonder why you should care. It’s just one more conservative government making the average citizen’s life worse in the name of fiscal responsibility (read catering to big business). See any familiar themes?

The World Wildlife Fund assesses Canada’s protected habitats and finds them wanting. What we could be doing better to protect endangered habitat and species and prevent climate change at the same time.

In the good news column: Autumn Peltier named chief water commissioner by Anishnabek Nation. CBC

SciShow Space looks at how life might evolve without liquid water

 

David Robson: the dreams you can’t remember may never have occurred. The Atlantic

Emily Dreyfuss: you’re not getting enough sleep, and it’s killing you. Wired

Simon Makin explains how ketamine changes a depressed person’s brain. Scientific American

SciShow Psych: depression isn’t just a chemical imbalance

 

And that was your thoughty Thursday for the week.

This weekend, I’ll be posting my next chapter update for April. I’ve had to admit defeat and reorganize my plans for the year. Come on by and see what’s been going on in this writer’s life.

Until then, be well!

thoughtythursday2016

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Apr 21-27, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Another week, another batch of informal writerly learnings.

Emily Wenstrom advises what to post on social media when you have nothing to say. And here’s my latest speculations column: why you should follow myth and legend off the beaten path. DIY MFA

Kim Bullock shows you the positive side of envy (it’s great motivation!). Barbara O’Neal is finding the world through reading. Julianna Baggott issues a challenge: if your room has a view, but also wifi, will you ever see anything but a screen? Writer Unboxed

K.M. Weiland is helping authors become artists. Helping Writers Become Authors

Lisa Hall-Wilson shares the three-act emotional arc for showing shame in fiction. Laura Drake looks at the reality of writing for a living today. Writers in the Storm

Janice Hardy points out two reasons your protagonist isn’t driving your plot. Fiction University

Jami Gold wonders whether to revise or start fresh? What’s better when you’re stuck?

Oren Ashkenazi shares five activities to beat writer’s block. Then, Oren lists six pros and cons of the magic school genre. Mythcreants

Cherie Demaline answers the question, who gets to write Indigenous stories? (Yes, it’s from last year, but always a timely reminder.) CBC Books

And that tipsday.

Consider returning on Thursday for your weekly dose of thoughty.

Until then, be well, my friends.

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Apr 14-20, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Here’s your weekly batch of inspiration and research-y links to get your mental corn popping.

Vivid Maps presents Canada, mapped only in terms of bodies of water. Makes me unaccountably proud of our beautiful country.

Geoff Manaugh says, move over San Andreas, there’s a new, ominous fault line in town, and it’s called the Walker Lane. Wired

SciShow Space looks at how astronomers got that image of a black hole.

 

Angus Chen: parents learn to let their anxious kids face their fears. NPR

Think you can catch up on lost sleep over the weekend? Inverse says, nope.

 

Bret Stetka reveals new strategies to take on the worst cancer—glioblastoma. Scientific American

Douglas Main: why oysters close on the full moon—and more odd lunar effects on animals. National Geographic

I hope you found something to feed your creative factory 🙂

Until next tipsday, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

thoughtythursday2016

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Apr 14-20, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend with family and friends.

After getting back to work, it’s time to reward yourself with some informal writerly learnings.

Gwendolyn Womack writes about the storyteller’s ladder. Jan O’Hara says we’re wired to display. Kathleen McCleary wants you to look at the flip side. Writer Unboxed

K.M. Weiland explains how to use your outline when writing your first draft. Helping Writers Become Authors

Daniel Berkowitz stops by Jane Friedman’s blog to tell you that it’s okay not to tweet.

Lisa Cron: plot, inner change, or evocative writing—what really rivets readers? Later in the week, Colleen M. Story reveals the one thing writers miss when they try to improve. Writers Helping Writers

Leanne Sowul wants you to lose the mental clutter and find your focus (AKA Kon-Mari-ing your brain). Courtney Lazore lists five reasons to keep writing. DIY MFA

Jenna Moreci shares her top ten tips for creating an authentic character voice in dialogue.

 

Margie Lawson offers five tips for writing tears that carry power. Writers in the Storm

Chris Winkle discusses the five stages of becoming a fiction writer. Then, Oren Ashkenazi looks at five characters with strong arcs. Mythcreants

And that was tipsday for this week. I’ll be back on Thursday with your weekly dose of thoughty.

Until then, be well.

tipsday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Apr 7-13, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

I’ve got a bunch of resources here to get your mental corn popping.

Akshat Rathi: how we get to the next big battery breakthrough. Quartz

James Griffiths warns that Welsh and Hawaiian have been saved from extinction, but other languages may not be so lucky. CNN

Sandee LaMotte reports on the 99-year-old woman with all her organs in the wrong places. CNN

Jonathan D. Grinstein reveals a new way to detect Parkinson’s—by smell. Scientific American

Karen Weintraub: the adult brain does grow new neurons, after all. Scientific American

Antonio Regalado reports that doctors plan to test a gene therapy that could prevent Alzheimer’s. MIT Technology Review

It’s okay to be smart … about the AMAZING monarch butterfly.

 

To save the monarch butterfly, scientists are moving a forest 1,000 feet up a mountain. Kate Linthicum for the LA Times.

Before the image was released, Veritasium explains what it will look like and why (damned awesome, ‘cause he’s right on the money).

 

Mary Beth Griggs: see the first ever image of a supermassive black hole. The Verge

Natalie Grontcharova gives us a more complete picture: meet Katie Bouman, the woman behind the first image of a black hole. Refinery 29

After the image was released, Veritasium released a second video:

 

Mary Robinette Kowal: if space is the future, that future needs to include everyone. The Washington Post

Kate Sierzputowski shows us the Utrecht apartment transformed into a three storey tromp l’oeil bookcase. This is Colossal

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you found something to inspire a new creative project.

Until next tipsday, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories.

thoughtythursday2016

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Apr 7-13, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Happy Tuesday! Time to reward your hard work this week with some informal writerly learnings.

Rheea Mukherjee explains what it’s like to be the bi-cultural writer. Jim Dempsey helps you discover your characters’ goals. Sarah Callender asks, so you think you can write? Kathryn Craft encourages you to use short story collections as novel prompts. Writer Unboxed

James R. Preston has a conversation about pushing the envelope of first person. Becca Puglisi discusses first pages and character emotion. Julie Glover shares ten things she learned from ten years of writing. Writers in the Storm

K.M. Weiland: what is the relationship between plot and theme? Helping Writers Become Authors

Sara Letourneau provides some exercises for exploring the theme of family in your writing. Later in the week, Jeanette the Writer looks at five famously rewritten novels. DIY MFA

Jami Gold is worldbuilding a series but writing without a plan.

Oren Ashkenazi analyses six unsatisfying character arcs. Mythcreants

Nina Munteanu explains how walking in nature helps her write.

Jenna Moreci updates her list of the top ten worst romance tropes.

 

For balance, Jenna also shares her ten favourite villain tropes.

 

Jessica Leigh Hester: for centuries, know-it-alls carried beautiful, miniature almanacs wherever they went. Atlas Obscura

Nicola Davis reports on the latest research indicating that Beowulf was the work of a single poet. The Guardian

Alison Flood: “extraordinary” 500-year-old library catalogue reveals works lost to time. The Guardian

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you found something to feed your creative process or craft.

I invite you to return on Thursday for some thoughty inspiration.

Until then, be well!

tipsday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Mar 31-Apr 6, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping 🙂

Chad Frischmann profiles the young minds solving climate change. BBC

Camille Bromley wonders, could a woman walk around the world today? National Geographic

Kara Wada covers the miserable history of seasonal allergies, from ancient China and Greece, to today. Quartzy

Shayla Love investigates the power of the nocebo effect. Vice

Sarah Barnes shares the work of Kate Allen, an artist with anxiety who illustrates lessons on mental health. My Modern Met

Kati Morton begins a new series on burnout with part 1: the history.

 

Adam Rasmi: new research suggests you should do anything but sit. Quartz

SciShow Space explains why our solar system is weird.

 

Ryan Bradley: the exploding bolts that get us into space. Popular Science

The Dodo presents the tiniest, fuzziest little horse.

 

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope some of these ideas are pop-corning around in your head, making creative connections and inspiring your creative work.

Until next Tipsday, be well, be kind, and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

thoughtythursday2016

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Mar 31-Apr 6, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Just a small batch of informal writerly learnings this week. Things are heating up at the day job and it’s curtailed my curation (!) There’s still some good stuff in here. And you won’t be backlogged … maybe?

K.M. Weiland shares five ways to use theme to create character arc (and vice versa). Helping Writers Become Authors

Nancy Johnson invites you to embark on the quest for your muse. Donald Maass looks at the extraordinary world: how soon and how little? Bryn Greenwood writes … about a book (panic and pitches). Cathy Yardley is keeping (and losing) the faith. Writer Unboxed

Tamar Sloan wants you to be an emotionally intelligent writer. Writers Helping Writers

Colleen M. Story: the best decisions are made with three brains. Later in the week, Janice Hardy explains why the word “conflict” frustrates so many writers. Writers in the Storm

Chris Winkle explains how to write a travel story. Then, Oren Ashkenazi looks at five setting details with horrifying implications. Mythcreants

Jim C. Hines offers some writing advice.

Kassandra Flamouri shares five ways to write strong female characters. DIY MFA

I do hope you found something you need to improve your creative practice or craft.

Thanks for stopping by and I invite you to return on Thursday for your weekly dose of thoughty inspiration 🙂

Until then, be well, my writerly friends!

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