Alchemy Ink

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Jan 13-19, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Three articles. Three videos. I hope something here gets your mental corn popping!

Ali May: you can hike to the end of the world—in a wheelchair. Ozy

Peter Kotecki and Frank Olito look at nine body parts humans no longer need (and some of us don’t even have anymore!). Business Insider

SciShow Psych looks at why music gives us the feels.

 

Shannon Odell: your brain on conspiracy theories. Inverse

 

Maggie Koerth-Baker thinks that the era of easy recycling may be coming to an end. FiveThirtyEight

Beethoven’s 5th Symphony on One Guitar – Marcin Patrzalek (this is freakin’ awesome)

 

And that was thoughty Thursday.

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, Jan 13-19, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

And here we are with another wee of informal writerly learnings 🙂

Roz Morris: are you bored? The one writing rule you really need. Nail Your Novel

But I won’t do that. What do sex and revisions have in common? Bryn Greenwood explains on Writer Unboxed.

Brad Frazer explains why 2019 is a big year for the public domain. Jane Friedman

Lisa Cron explains how to get emotion onto the page. Writers Helping Writers

Janice Hardy presents three ways moral dilemmas can strengthen your novel. Later in the week, Janice provides alternative ways to describe character reactions. Fiction University

Phoebe Wood points out a plotting error that most writers make:

 

Andrea J. Johnson shares five cutthroat tips for writing killer action. DIY MFA

Elisabeth Kaufmann recommends beat sheets for the win! DIY MFA

Goal setting for people who actually want to get stuff done – Jenna Moreci

 

Chuck Wendig: in writing, progress doesn’t always look like progress. Terribleminds

Chris Winkle asks (and answers) the question, should you give non-human groups marginalized traits? (Spoiler: NO.) Mythcreants

Merriam-Webster explores the anatomy of a book in 17 words.

Thanks for dropping by and I hope something here provided the advice or guidance you need to take the next step(s) in your creative project.

Come back on Thursday for some research-y inspiration.

Until then, be well!

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Jan 6-12, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

YouTube has invaded thoughty Thursday, this week, but it should get your mental corn popping, anyway 🙂

Erin Winick: get ready for these rocket milestones in 2019. MIT Technology Review

SciShow Space wonders if there are planets even more habitable than Earth out there. (Spoilers: the answer is yes!)

 

Veritasium looks at how we determine the spin of a black hole and why it’s important.

 

Ephrat Livni looks at how physics explains why time passes faster as you age. Quartz

Signs of high-functioning depression that you shouldn’t ignore. BetterHelp

 

Ferris Jabr: how beauty is making scientists rethink evolution. The New York Times

Solving the mystery of the Great Unconformity. SciShow

 

What women with autism want you to know. Iris

 

Thanks for stopping by!

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, Jan 6-12, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Are you looking for your informal writerly learnings? Why, here they are!

Lisa Hall-Wilson shares nine tips for creating successful antagonists in any genre. Writers in the Storm

Janice Hardy wonders, is structure strangling your writing? Later in the week, she offers an easy tip for tightening you novel’s plot. Fiction University

Jim Dempsey: the different types of editing explained (and how to determine which one you need!). Writer Unboxed

Juliet Marillier: is fudging history ever ok? Writer Unboxed

David Corbett examines truth in fiction: writing what you don’t believe. Writer Unboxed

Kathryn Magendie muses on the mathematical equations of perfection in nature. Writer Unboxed

Sacha Black says, if you want your readers to fall in love with your hero, you have to create the perfect hero lens. Later in the week, C.S. Lakin stops by to share some all-important considerations when crafting a scene. Writers Helping Writers

Abigail K. Perry looks at the midpoint in her latest column of signpost scenes: the mirror moment. DIY MFA

Brenda Joyce Patterson takes a deep dive into poetry. DIY MFA

Gabriela Pereira interviews David Corbett: a masterclass on character. DIY MFA

Chris Winkle delves into six common wordcraft mistakes in manuscripts. Then, Oren Ashkenazi looks at six reasons the Fire Nation is such a good villain. Mythcreants

Creative Principles takes a quick tour of the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types with examples from life and screen.

 

Charlie Jane Anders: Play to your strengths? Hell, no. Why you should play to your weaknesses as an author. Tor.com

And that was tipsday for this week.

Come back on Thursday for your weekly dose of thoughty.

Until then, be well, my writerly friends 🙂

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 30, 2018 – Jan 5, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Get your mental corn popping with some thoughty this Thursday.

Gloria Hillard reports on how abused wolves and troubled teens find solace in each other. NPR

Kelly McGonigal: how to make stress your friend. TED Talks 2013 (yes, it’s old, but it’s good)

Aida Edemariam delves into Roxane Gay and her philosophy: “Public discourse rarely allows for nuance. And see where that’s gotten us.” The Guardian

Mark Lorch: the periodic tables we almost had. Quartz

Neel V. Patel introduces us to Farout, the newest, most distant member of our solar system. Popular Science

SciShow Space considers why it’s so hard to land on Mars.

 

And then, they compile several of their videos to tell you everything your need to know to live on Mars.

 

Michael Greshko wonders, now that China’s landed on the far side of the moon, what’s next? National Geographic

The “snowman” shape of Ultima Thule is revealed by NASA’s New Horizons. Jonathan Amos for the BBC.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you found something inspiring in the mix.

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

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Dec 30, 2018 – Jan 5, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your weekly dose of informal writerly earnings!

My latest column for DIY MFA came out on New Years Day! Why every writer needs a room of their own (even if it’s not a room).

Emily Wenstrom invites you to join the conversation on the digital platform of your choice. DIY MFA

Gabriela Pereira interviews David Morrell about crafting the Victorian novel for DIY MFA radio.

Chuck Wendig says, in 2019, you must persist, persist, persist! Terribleminds

Jenna Moreci compares the pros and cons of first person and third person narration.

 

Donald Maass: the inner/outer balance. Writer Unboxed

This year, Therese Walsh encourages you to pursue your contentment and your chaos. Writer Unboxed

Sophie Masson shares some book contract “red lines” from a recent presentation she gave on publishing contracts. Writer Unboxed

Annie Neugebauer: forest for the trees. Writer Unboxed

Jo Eberhardt says, follow your mountain. Writer Unboxed

Katrin Schumann says, your number one secret weapon is writing communities. Jane Friedman

Barbara Poelle answers another funny you should ask question for Writer’s Digest: why did my literary agent stop submitting my manuscript?

Bunny provides a field guide to six infectious YA clichés. Love the first image and caption. We see Bella (of Twilight), and the caption reads, what do you mean, I fit all six? LOL! Mythcreants

Jill Schlesinger: small bookstores are booming after nearly being wiped out. CBS

And so, this edition of tipsday comes to a close.

Be well until Thursday, when you can come back for a little thoughty 🙂

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 23-29, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

Just a few thoughty links to get your mental corn popping. We’re starting off the year … gently.

Kyle Dickman examines how Baldomero Olivera is finding opioid alternatives in cone snail stings. Popular Science

Luke O’Neil revisits “Earthrise” at 50: the photo that changed how we see ourselves. The Guardian

Andrew Fazekas lists the top astronomical events in 2019. National Geographic

Marcelo Duhalde: for Forbidden City concubines in imperial China, beauty was more a curse than a blessing. South China Morning Post

Mack Lamoureux considers the strange case of the Antarctic researcher who allegedly attacked a colleague because he wouldn’t stop spoiling novels. “The two researchers were spending time at the Bellingshausen station for about half a year before Savitsky allegedly went all stabby.” Vice

I hope you found something to inspire your creative efforts.

Come back on the weekend for my next chapter update and 2018 wrap-up post.

Be well until then.

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Dec 23-29, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

Happy New Year! Hope everyone has had some time to make peace with 2018 and is looking forward to 2019.

HappyNewYear2019

The holiday week is always a little scant with respect to content. Still, here’s a small, but tasty batch of informal writerly learnings to start 2019 right 🙂

Julie Glover: is the new WordPress format stressing you out? It hasn’t hit up here yet, but I anticipate some angst when it does. Writers in the Storm

Joanna Penn interviews Mark Leslie Lefebvre about long-term publishing success. Later in the week, Joanna and Orna Ross help you position yourself for writing and publishing success in 2019. The Creative Penn

Leanne Sowul says, forget resolutions; reflection is the key. On Boxing Day, Gabriela Pereira interviewed me, Brenda Joyce Patterson, and Stacy Woodson for a special DIY MFA radio team episode! DIY MFA

Katrina Bird guest posts on Jane Friedman’s blog: three story planning books to consider.

Eris Young: seven things writers get wrong about language. Mythcreants

Cold Crash Pictures critiques five more scientific inaccuracies in film.

 

And that was the first Tipsday of the year! Come back on Thursday for some thoughty.

Until then, be well, my friends.

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 16-22, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

I hope something in this mix gets your mental corn popping—or, at least makes you smile.

Julie Compton wonders why boys aren’t getting better access to mental health care. The answers are sad, but unsurprising. NBC

SciShow Psych looks at antisocial personality disorder, of ASPD, and why it’s not the same as introversion.

 

Amanda Shendruk: the line, circle, and triangle that can help you with your holiday anxiety. Quartzy

Charlie Jane Anders: seven trans performers share the challenges they still face and their hopes for the future. Teen Vogue

The Guardian considers the alba amicorum: was it the original Facebook to Renaissance teens?

ASAP Science: this is why the holidays can suck!

 

And two really cute vids, just to bring a wee smile to your lips (and maybe heart?):

Parrot steals bottlecap – and does a victory dance!

 

The pika (AKA bunny-rat) might be the world’s cutest thief! BBC

 

I hope you enjoyed this week’s edutainment mix.

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, Dec 16-22, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

Happy holidays (whatever you celebrate, or don’t)! It’s time to open your present of informal writerly learnings!

present

Tiffany Yates Martin says, NaNoWriMo was the easy part and shows you how to see your story across the finish line. Writers in the Storm

Vaughn Roycroft considers the gifts of the writing life. Writer Unboxed

Kathleen McCleary explains how to navigate families in fiction. Writer Unboxed

Porter Anderson offers a provocation: “The New Year’s Eve of time.” Writer Unboxed

Chris Winkle drops by Writers Helping Writers to discuss attachment, the first element of goal-oriented storytelling.

Over on Mythcreants, Rachel Meyer shares the five essentials of an opening scene. Later in the week, Oren Ashkenazi considers eight terrain features for fantasy kingdoms to fight over.

Janice Hardy takes a first look a first draft: how to revise your manuscript. Then, she shares a goal-checking trick for plotting your novel. Fiction University

Sara Letourneau explores why the theme of family is important. DIY MFA

Becca Puglisi stops by Writers in the Storm to share nine tension-building elements for character dialogue.

Kitty the Retro-Writer visits Jami Gold’s blog: if you have a complex story, use a crime wall.

And that was Tipsday.

Enjoy your seasonal celebrations with family and friends.

Until next time, be well, my friends.

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