Alchemy Ink

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 25-31, 2016

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

It’s a right mix of edutainment this week, but I hope it still pops your mental corn!

A Sudbury teen, missing since December 20, is found on Christmas Eve. Sudbury Star

Petula Dvorak: the Hannuka/Christmas convergence couldn’t be more symbolic of the light we need to embrace. The Washington Post

Oliver Burkeman reports on why time management is ruining our lives. I might argue that this would only apply to those for whom the skill does not come naturally. The Guardian

Feeling less than grateful? Some people are just wired that way. Katherine Hobson for NPR.

Emily Hartridge talks about her top four anxiety challenges.

 

Depression is all in your head—and now, doctors know where. Second Nexus

Alan Yu explains how a diet high in fat and sugar affects your memory. NPR

Becca Martin hates to break it to you, but you are the reason your life sucks. Thought Catalog

Madeleine Davies: becoming ugly. Jezebel

Bec Crew reports on a new Alzheimer’s therapy that fully restores memory function. Science Alert

Antonio Regalado: everything you need to know about gene therapy’s most promising year. MIT technology review

Phil Plait shares a fabulous photo of a lunar fogbow. Slate

In England, you can camp in abandoned medieval churches. David Wilson for Atlas Obscura.

I’m all about Immie (Imogen Heap) this week. Lifeline:

 

Canvas:

 

You know where to find me:

 

Neglected space:

 

Coming up on the weekend: I’ll be looking at December’s writing progress and wrapping up 2016.

Be well until then, my lovely people 🙂

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Dec 25-31, 2016

/ Melanie Marttila

We have a small, but select group of informal writerly learnings this week 🙂

K.M. Weiland explains how to deepen your story with character misdirection. Helping Writers Become Authors

Janice Hardy shares the easiest way to create conflict. Fiction University

Leanne Sowul tells us how (and why) to write a mission statement. DIYMFA

Gabriela Pereira and Joanna Penn on DIYMFA radio!

Finally, Bess Cozby shares five writing resolutions besides writing every day. DIYMFA

Following up on her guest post on Writers Helping Writers, Jami Gold explains what a writing coach is and why you might want one.

Kristen Lamb helps you rock 2017 (after the dumpster fire of 2016).

Jami Gold offers advice on how to find (and vet) a developmental editor.

Chuck Sambuchino compiles 38 query letter tips from literary agents. Writers Digest

And here are 34 submission no-no’s for you to check out, too.

John Foley explores the legacy of hard science fiction. Omni

I hope this helps to get your 2017 off to a great start!

See you Thursday for some of the old thoughty 😉

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 18-24, 2016

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

The holiday edition of thoughty Thursday will help get your mental corn a-poppin’ after your turkey coma wears off 😉

Was Hildegard of Bingen right about the herbal cures she proposed? Medievalists.net

Sarah Sloat reports on how evolution made really smart people long to be loners. Inverse

Lady Gaga opens up about her PTSD. Good Is

Anna Lovind: avoid the bad and you’ll miss out on the good.

The first female doctor in Britain spent 56 years disguised as a man. Lauren Young for Atlas Obscura.

Nicolas DiDomizio introduces us to the Purple-Red Scale, a new way to understand the sexuality spectrum. Mic

Mike Murphy reports on the world’s first solar panel paved road. Quartz

Las Vegas is now powered entirely by renewable energy. Avery Thompson for Popular Mechanics.

Apparently, there’s a massive metal dragon hiding inside the Earth’s outer core. IFLS

Bob MacDonald reports on climate change, as seen from space. CBC

Phil Plait wishes us a happy solstice with this video of 24 hours of light. Slate

And, for the non-science-y among you, here is the magical history of Yule, the winter solstice celebration.

Enjoy this lovely video by Angie Pickman: the longest night.

I must commend the Welsh for having some of the strangest traditions. A rhyming, skeletal horse comes a-knocking? Allison Meier shares the tale on Hyperallergic.

Hudson, a pup nailed to a rail road tie and abandoned, gets a prosthetic paw.

 

And just to end on a light note, here’s a golden retriever pup playing with a door stop.

 

Come on back on Saturday for my last post of the year. It’s all about class and equality in fantasy and science fiction. Yes, it’s another WordlCon 2016 report 🙂

Be well, be kind, and be loved. Virtual hugs!

thoughtythursday2016

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Dec 18-24, 2016

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

It’s a week full of informal writerly learnings. My seasonal gift to you, dear reader 🙂

K.M. Weiland offers us the number one way to write intense story conflict. Helping Writers Become Authors

Jamie Raintree wonders, what lights your creative fire? Writers in the Storm

James Preston guest posts on Writers in the Storm: believe in your work—it’s more important than you think.

Laura Drake offers some advanced craft tips on Writers in the Storm.

Becca Puglisi helps us find the sweet spot in which to start. Writers Helping Writers

Dave King dives into writer’s block. Writer Unboxed

Lance Schaubert shares some tips on how to find your working title. Writer Unboxed

Kathleen McCleary guides us back to our story. Writer Unboxed

Heather Webb discovers the power of stepping out, stepping in, and bringing the light. Writer Unboxed

Dan Blank encourages you to be more like yourself. Writer Unboxed

Marcy Kennedy explores how our characters’ apologetic language creates and resolves tension.

Chris Winkle shares some tips on depicting child characters. Mythcreants

Constance Renfrow explains how to streamline your editing experience. DIYMFA

Kristen Lamb tells us the hard truth about publishing.

Chuck Wendig: the key is always hope. Terribleminds

Kameron Hurley speculates about Christmas and the future.

Are those speculative fiction titles on the 2017 Canada Reads Longlist? Oh, yes. They are! CBC

Octavia Butler tried to warn us about politicians who “want to make America great again.” Wired

When David Brin shared this, I thought … woah, Nausica! And these paintings by Jakub Rozalski really do evoke that aesthetic. He’s a little bit steampunk, and a little bit Akira? Design you can trust

Jeff LaSala resolves the eagle conundrum in Lord of the Rings. Tor.com

Remember that piece I shared last week about the Swinton/Cho email exchange? Well, Gene Demby unpacks the kerfuffle for NPR.

Jeanette Ng introduces us to Imagined Cities/Ice Fantasy, the Chinese take on western epic fantasy. Medium

Ooh! And here’s an early look at Blade Runner 2049. Wired

Lynette Rice has an Outlander sneak peek to help see you through droughtlander. Entertainment Weekly

Be well until Thursday, when you can come on back for your weekly dose of thoughty!

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 11-17, 2016

/ Melanie Marttila

If your brain’s already gone on holiday, have some thoughty fun with these offerings 🙂

Saw last week that Alan Thicke has passed away, too. It’s been such a sad year for performers and artists 😦 And political unrest. And Syria . . . Take heart. Here are 99 reasons 2016 was a great year. Medium

Christopher Dickey shares the tale of angels of the resistance (and one serial killer) in Nazi-occupied Paris. The Daily Beast

UN Women takes a stand against gender-based violence.

 

Eugene Soltes explores the psychology of white-collar criminals. The Atlantic

Matt Blitz tells the real story behind the myth of Area 51. Popular Mechanics

Annalee Newitz investigates the lost city of Cahokia under the St. Louis suburbs. Ars Technica

Amanda Gefter interviews Donald D. Hoffman: the case against reality. One of my favourite bits: “… we have evolution itself to thank for this magnificent illusion …” The Atlantic

Peter Dockrill: cellular reprogramming has been used to reverse the aging process in animals. Science Alert

Simon Oxenham explains why bees could be the secret to superhuman intelligence. BBC

Peter Brannen examines a possible break in one of evolution’s biggest mysteries. The Atlantic

Chris Jones reports on Sara Seager, the woman who might find us another Earth. The New York Times Magazine

Watch this cool BBC video about how one woman with Parkinson’s regained the ability to write and draw.

 

Robby Berman reports on filmmaker Adam Rosenberg’s hilarious video in which he shares some of his nocturnal musings. It’s called Somniloquist and you have to watch it. Nearly peed myself laughing. Slate

Olga Khazan explains how magic mushrooms help patients with severe anxiety and depression. The Atlantic

Lauren Vinopal lists the 18 best houseplants for cleaning the air, according to NASA. Fatherly

Julia Shaw: I’m a scientist, and I don’t believe in facts. Scientific American

George Dvorsky reports on what the brightest supernova ever seen really was. Gizmodo

Natalie Wolchover: quantum gravity research could reveal the true nature of time. Wired

‘Tis the season, so here’s sommat from Grimfrost on Vikings, Santa, and Christmas 🙂

 

Honest to Paws introduces us to the Akhal-Teke, the most beautiful horse in the world.

Hope your mental corn’s a-poppin’ fit to see you through the holiday frenzy 🙂

Have a good one, everyone!

thoughtythursday2016

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Dec 11-17, 2016

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

Holy cannoli, your informal writerly learnings are back on track this week 🙂

K.M. Weiland shares another way to look at scene structure. Helping Writers Become Authors

Wordplayer Liberty Speidel guest posts on Kate’s blog later in the week: five steps to a thorough book edit.

Jami Gold is now a writing coach on Writers Helping Writers! The revision circle: does my story have too many problems?

Chris Winkle helps us master evocative telling. Mythcreants

Alex Limberg guest posts on Kristen Lamb’s blog. Finish that novel: tips to help you go the distance.

Angela Ackerman explains how to use symbolism to elevate your storytelling. Writers in the Storm

Piper Bayard offers some guidance about what to do after NaNoWriMo. Writers in the Storm

Chuck Wendig, as always, has thoughts on how to create art and make cool stuff in times of trouble. Terribleminds

Andrea Phillips guest posts on Terribleminds: the high goddamned responsibility of fiction.

Orly Konig-Lopez shares her thoughts on Writers in the Storm: why it’s not always about the writing.

Janice Hardy offers five tips to fight your end-of-year writer’s fatigue. Fiction University

Sara Letourneau examines fate versus free will as a literary theme. DIYMFA

Now y’all know, if you’ve been following me for a while, what I think about resolutions, but Bess Cozby shares five strategies you can implement to rock your resolutions in 2017. DIYMFA

Oren Ashkenazi reviews five failed animal companions in science fiction and fantasy. Mythcreants

Devon Murphy interviews Madeleine Thien about her process. Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

The Globe and Mail interviews A.M. Dellamonica on occasion of the publication of her latest novel.

Scott Dadich announces Wired science fiction dedicated issue 🙂

The changing faces of science fiction and fantasy. The New Inquiry

Sheila Liming shares her memories of Octavia Butler, neighbour. Public Books

Martin Shaw shares his midwinter night’s dream. Medium

Maria Alexander introduces us to the witches of winter. Tor.com

James Whitbrook has this breaking news: David Tennant is the voice of Scrooge McDuck in the rebooted Ducktales. i09

Tilda Swinton sent Jezebel the unedited email exchange between her and Margaret Cho about Doctor Strange, diversity, and whitewashing. Rich Juzwiak reports.

Evan Narcisse: the Sense8 Christmas special says, “happy fucking New Year.” Phil and I are FURIOUSLY HAPPY! i09

Happy holidays to everyone!

We’ll see you back here, next week, for more writerly goodness 🙂

tipsday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Dec 4-10, 2016

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

Time to get that mental corn a-poppin’!

Viola Desmond is chosen as the first Canadian woman on the ten dollar bill. CBC

Rossalyn Warren lists seventeen badass women that made a difference in 2016. Buzzfeed

Brene Brown on the importance of boundaries:

 

Recent grads share their college experiences on NPR.

David Amsden tells the tale of the gridiron gangster: how a vigilante gambler took down an alleged crime boss. Rolling Stone

Prince EA: Everybody dies, but not everybody lives.

 

David Szondy reports on how diamonds can turn nuclear waste into nuclear batteries. New Atlas

Nicola Davis reports on the feathered dinosaur tail preserved in amber and what it’s taught us about evolution. The Guardian

Erin Ross: pets help people manage the pain of serious mental illness. NPR

With that in mind, here are some lazy cats:

 

Meet Radamenes, the caretaker cat:

 

Juniper Foxx befriends Moose, the dog:

 

And that’s your edutainment for the week 😉

See you Saturday!

thoughtythursday2016

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Dec 4-10, 2016

/ Melanie Marttila

Think I’m still in recovery from NaNoWriMo.

K.M. Weiland continues her most common writing mistakes series with part 54: story events that don’t move the plot. Helping Writers Become Authors

Later in the week, Kate shares her advice on what to do when your antagonist takes over your story.

Densie Webb shares her experience receiving (and addressing) the dreaded editorial letter. Writer Unboxed

Donald Maass: putting your purpose on the page. Writer Unboxed

Lisa Cron explains why story is more important now than ever before. Writer Unboxed

Jamie Raintree reviews Lisa Cron’s Story Genius.

Susan Spann returns to Writers in the Storm with this post on finding your agent match.

Gabriela Pereira goes solo on this edition of DIYMFA radio: platform doesn’t have to be painful.

J.M. Frey writes about the terror of the mushy middle book. Fuse Literary

Judith B. Herman lists 25 words that are their own opposites. Mental Floss

Inderjeet Mani: when robots read books. Aeon

I hope you enjoyed your informal writerly learnings for the week 🙂

See you Thursday for some thoughty!

tipsday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Nov 27-Dec 3, 2016

/ Melanie Marttila

Just a little thoughty for you, this week. Keep in mind that I was finishing off NaNoWriMo for half the week 😉

Some helpful advice on fact-checking:

 

Alex Borgella explores several theories on what makes us laugh (and why we should care). Fast Company

Joe Pitawanakwat extols the benefits of cedar bough tea on the Creators Garden blog.

Jonathan Rosen reports on how Africa has found power off the grid. MIT Technology Review

Baback A. Tafreshi lists ten of the best ancient sites for stargazing. National Geographic

Phil Plait invites us to take a swing at the stars. Slate

Jenny Woodman takes a look at the women “computers” who revolutionized astronomy (and paved the way for women in the sciences). The Atlantic

Aw, kawaii! This rescued baby wombat bonds with his caretaker. Alexandra E. Petri for National Geographic.

I hope that popped your mental corn . . . a few kernels, at least.

See you on Saturday for some WorldCon reportage.

<waves>

thoughtythursday2016

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Nov 27-Dec 3, 2016

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

And it’s the triumphant return of Tipsday!

K.M. Weiland continues her how to outline for NaNoWriMo series with this instalment: how to write a scene outline you can use. Not to worry, links to all previous posts in this series are included. Helping Writers Become Authors

A.E. Siraki guest posts on Jami Gold’s blog. NaNoWriMo: good or bad, let’s move forward.

Jane Friedman asks, do you know what you’re capable of? Writer Unboxed

Julia Munroe Martin shares one of her takeaways from the Writer Unboxed Unconference: how do you want your novel to change the world?

Anne Greenwood Brown examines the pinch point in this post for Writer Unboxed.

Cathy Yardley helps us write when life sucks. Writer Unboxed

Juliet Marillier shares her struggle following the review of her latest series proposal at the Writer Unboxed Unconference: when bad news is good news.

Jo Eberhardt explores intertextuality: stories within stories (within stories). Writer Unboxed

Roz Morris offers three ways to get maximum impact from a story. Nail Your Novel

Oren Ashkenazi examines five characters with too much spinach, and offers advice on how you can avoid the same pitfalls. Mythcreants

Chris Saylor explains the proper use of ellipses and dashes on Marcy Kennedy’s blog.

Heidi Ulrichsen reports on Greater Sudbury Poet Laureate, Kim Fahner’s project to bring poetic grafiti to storefronts downtown. The Northern Life/Sudbury.com

Amanda Michalopoulou looks at how literature teaches us to understand “the other” in these divided times. The Guardian

Ian Failes explains how designers created the stunning alien language in Arrival. Thrill List

Aimee Bender shares her thoughts on why fairy tales still inspire modern female writers. Wired

Bryan Washington wonders why there aren’t more famous black science fiction authors. The Awl

Beth Elderkin (and the whole i09 crew) is hooked on the latest Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 trailer. Baby Groot is ADORBS!

Referring back to Jo Eberhardt’s piece on intertextuality, Tom Blunt parses Westworld’s literary references. Signature

That’s it for your informal writerly learnings this week. Come back next week for moar. MOAR, I tell you!

By the way, what do you think of my new graphic (keep in mind that I’m not a professional graphic artist)?

Be well until Thursday, when I’ll have a little thoughty for you 😉

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