Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, May 15-21, 2022

May 26, 2022May 23, 2022 / Melanie Marttila

It’s the last thoughty Thursday of May, and your opportunity to get your mental corn popping.

Amy Forliti, Steve Karnowski, and Mohamed Ibrahim: ex-Minneapolis officer pleads guilty in George Floyd murder. Associated Press

Liz Tracey presents the Chinese Exclusion Act, annotated. JSTOR Daily

Kashmala Fida Mohatarem reports that Demi Potts soars in winning performance at one of world’s biggest powwows. CBC

Siege of Mariupol over as Russia says Ukraine’s holdout forces from the steelworks have “surrendered.” CBS News

Claire Lampen wonders which women do we choose to believe? New York Magazine

Yara Simón provides the introvert’s guide to running a business. Refinery 29

Clark Quinn explains the cognitive basis of learner experience design (LXD). Learnlets

Harold Jarche: management must move first.

Olivia Allen explains why she’s embracing her “no thoughts” era. Refinery 29

Annabel Gat and Random Rosenbohm: your life sucks, but not because of Mercury retrograde. Vice

Chelsea Papineau features stunning moon images taken in northern Ontario during the full lunar eclipse. CTV News

Rina Torchinsky reports that scientists successfully grow plants in soil from the moon. NPR

Isaac Schultz invites us to see this year’s best photos of the Milky Way. Gizmodo

Humans are still evolving. Be Smart

Bob Macdonald says seagrass is hiding a sweet, submerged, CO2 secret. CBC’s “Quirks and Quarks”

Serhii Plokhy explains why the future of power can’t be nuclear: poisoned legacy. The Guardian

Rachel Fobar: hundreds of beagles died at this breeding centre—but the US government hasn’t acted. National Geographic

Livia Gershon says dogs are the four-legged crime-fighters of Paris. JSTOR Daily

Helen Ray: pugs can’t be considered “typical dogs” because of dire health issues, study finds. CBS News

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you found something to inspire a future creative project.

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

Tipsday: Informal writerly learnings, May 15-21, 2022

May 24, 2022May 23, 2022 / Melanie Marttila

The penultimate tipsday of May, marked by the serenade of spring peepers and red-wing blackbirds; the scents of crab apple blossoms and lilacs and poplar sap; and thunderstorms that spark and roll overhead. Refill your well with some informal writerly learnings.

Disha Walia wants you to find your motivation for writing speculative fiction. Then, E.J. Wenstrom explains what to do about author platforming when you’re burned out. Sara Farmer lists more of her auto-buy mystery authors. Later in the week, Brittany Capozzi lists five answers we get from writing letters to ourselves. DIY MFA

The psychology of Zuko. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Hello, Future Me

K.M. Weiland recommends six ways to find your best ideas before you start writing. Helping Writers Become Authors

Sandy Vaile shares four essential elements you need to create a workable novel. Then, Holly Lasky asks you to guess who’s in the driver’s seat of your creativity? Lynette M. Burroughs explains how the forces of antagonism frame your story. Writers in the Storm

Darn it, you made me care. Jill Bearup

Susan Defreitas wonders, why write when the world is on fire? Jane Friedman

C.S. Lakin: outlining your novel for success. Live, Write, Thrive

Seven character development exercises. Reedsy

Elizabeth Spann Craig: stress and writing.

Dave King is getting to know evil. Then, Barbara Linn Probst gives us three writing exercises for three different points in the writing process. Kristina Stevens wonders how you adapt real life into fiction. Writer Unboxed

How sun mythologies are universal (featuring PBS Space Time). Fate & Fabled | PBS Storied

Christina Delay explains what to do when you feel like a hack. Then, Marissa Graff shares four ways your protagonist is sabotaging you (and how to fight back). Writers Helping Writers

Nathan Bransford: breaks, permission, and writing.

Olaseni Ajibade explores mental health in fiction: the monster you feed. Dan Koboldt

This story will save your imagination. Tale Foundry

Tiffany Yates Martin: high praise, big promises … and crickets. Fox Print Editorial

Kristen Lamb says weakness is blood in the water for narcissist sharks.

How the tech villain became the most hated character. The Take

Chris Winkle shares lessons from the summary writing of Illuminae. Then, Oren Ashkenazi critiques the second half of Pixar’s rules of storytelling. Mythcreants

Angie hodapp explains what to do when your entire manuscript turns out to be a prologue. Pub Rants

Guy Gavriel Kay wonders what we lose—and gain—as book tours move online? Literary Hub

Thank you for spending some time with me, and I hope you took away something to support your current work in progress, whatever stage it’s at.

Until Thursday, be well and stay safe, my writerly friends!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, May 8-14, 2022

May 19, 2022May 15, 2022 / Melanie Marttila

Celebrate the coming of the weekend by getting you mental corn popping.

Livia Gershon considers the cosmopolitan culture of the Gullah/Geechees. JSTOR Daily

True crime and the theatre of safety. Princess Weekes

Charles Maynes and Alina Selyukh: Russia’s Victory Day celebrations take on new importance for Kremlin this year. NPR

Sylvia Hui and Aamer Madhani report that G7 leaders mark VE Day stressing unity and support for Ukraine. Associated Press

Ehsan Popalzai and Irene Nasser: Taliban decree orders women in Afghanistan to cover their faces. CNN

Libby Cathey reports that US senate republicans block bill that would codify Roe vs. Wade abortion rights. ABC News

Graham Lee Brewer: US counts Indian boarding school deaths for the first time but leaves key questions unanswered. NBC News

Hong Kong’s John Lee: ex-security chief becomes new leader. BBC

The editors curate their best articles to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. JSTOR Daily

You don’t own your partners. The Ultimatum, love, and possession, analyzed. Khadija Mbowe

Bastian Fox Phelan says female facial hair is not uncommon. What happens when we make it visible? The Guardian

Terry Nguyen says trends are dead. Vox

Clark Quinn: gamification, or … Learnlets

Arman Khan says that work thing is probably not urgent. Vice

George Monbiot says that the secret world beneath our feet is mind-blowing—and the key to our planet’s future. The Guardian

Ellen Gutoskey lists 11 elements with names inspired by folklore and mythology. Mental Floss

The new black hole image explained by an astrophysicist. Dr. Becky

Nicole Mortillaro: astronomers reveal first image of the monster black hole at the heart of our galaxy. CBC

We may be wrong about planet formation. SciShow Space

Thank you for visiting, and I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

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

Tipsday: Informal writerly learnings, May 8-14, 2022

May 17, 2022May 15, 2022 / Melanie Marttila

Ah, Tuesday. My favourite day of the week, when I get to share my favourite informal writerly learnings of the week with you 🙂 Enjoy!

K.M. Weiland explains the role of the antagonist in story structure (part 2 of 2). Helping Writers Become Authors

Sophie Masson: the hardworking magic of book design. Then, Jim Dempsey considers the creativity of emotions. Juliet Marillier wants a helping hand: supporting your fellow writers. Then, Kathryn Craft gives you six hall passes for grammar un-school. David Corbett is writing wrongs: the color of my low-down, dirty vote. Yuvi Zalkow: gatekeepers and creativity. Writer Unboxed

Does this make my hammer look big? Jill Bearup

Melinda VanLone continues her book cover 101: mystery/thriller. Then, Kathleen Baldwin shares five secret ingredients for writing a killer teen novel. Later in the week, William F. Wu wonders if you’re a plotter, pantser, or … roadster? Writers in the Storm

A quick tip for outliners. Elizabeth Spann Craig

Heather Davis explains the difference between plot and story and why you need both. Anne Carley: your journal as time machine. Jane Friedman

Reading like a writer. Reedsy

Roz Morris: writers, can you feel it? How to use gut feeling to guide your writing. Nail Your Novel

Richelle Lyn shares her insights on when to formalize your business entity. Then, Amanda Polick lists 25 tips for pitching, writing, and being published in magazines. Catherine Drake explains how setting can serve as a catalyst for story. Later in the week, EC Hanes shares five ways to tell enough without telling all. DIY MFA

Ember Randall: self-defense vs. martial arts. Then, Sarah J. Sover is making magic systems stronger with science. Dan Koboldt

How Beauty and the Beast’s Belle launched the bookworm princess hero. The Take

Angela Ackerman says, if you want readers to connect with your character, include this. Writers Helping Writers

Tiffany Yates Martin: prioritizing your life. Fox Print Editorial

The crime genre: justice and injustice; stories of mystery and intrigue. The structure genre: arch-plot, anti-plot, and mini-plot. Story Grid

Chris Winkle wants you to use your story’s premise to create novelty. Then, Oren Ashkenazi wonders how useful Pixar’s rules of storytelling are (part 1). Mythcreants

Gaslighting: narcissists and tampering with reality. Kristen Lamb

11 tips to take your short stories to the next level. Shaelin Writes

Bill Sanders: welcome to Greater Sudbury, where art comes to die. The Sudbury Star

Sudbury Theatre Centre not transparent with new direction, say critics. CBC

James Whitbrook announces that Ncuti Gatwa is Doctor Who’s new Doctor. Gizmodo

Thanks for stopping by and spending some time with me. I hope you found something to support you current work in progress.

Until Thursday, be well and stay safe!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, May 1-7, 2022

May 12, 2022May 8, 2022 / Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

Happy Friday eve! It’s time, once again, to get your mental corn popping 🙂

Amir Vera, Omar Jiminez, and Ashley Killough: hearing today (May 2^nd) may be the last chance for the Tulsa race massacre survivors to get justice. CNN

Dorothy Berry takes a deep zoom into the 1836 broadside, “Slave Market of America.” JSTOR Daily

MN Human Rights probe finds pattern of racism in Minneapolis Police Department. MPR

America’s history of stealing vulnerable children of color. The Amber Ruffin Show

Natasha Bertrand, Katie Bo Lillis, Jennifer Hansler, Alex Marquardt, and Brad Lendon: Putin may soon officially declare war on Ukraine, US and western officials say. CNN

Luke Mogelson explains how Ukrainians saved their capital. The New Yorker

Cara Anna and Yesica Fisch: evacuations under way in Mariupol; Pelosi visits Ukraine. Associated Press

Josh Gerstein and Alexander Ward report that the US Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows. Politico

Jim C. Hines shares his thoughts on blood donation and bodily autonomy.

Rae Ellen Bichell: Colorado braces to become refuge for abortion access if “Roe” weakened. NPR

A new podcast from Manitoulin Island helps teach Anishnaabemowin language. CBC

Heather Brady offers this explainer: Mexico’s Independence Day marks the beginning of a decade-long revolution (and should not be confused with Cinco de Mayo). National Geographic

Nik Wheeler: Cinco de Mayo. History

Mary Gordon: Laurentian University has an obligation to turn over gallery, artwork. The Sudbury Star

Sarah Luterman says autistic people have been excluded from advocacy conversations. Julia Bascom is changing that. 19^th News

Jessica Stillman: did you really “click” with someone? A new study offers a research-backed way to tell. Inc.

Annie Lord: sometimes, a routine is just an excuse to stop taking chances. Vogue

Mental health at work: it’s (finally) time to talk about it. Fast Company

Emma Hinchcliffe reports that Naomi Osaka is partnering with startup Modern Health. Fortune

Clark Quinn explains why learning and development isn’t better. Learnlets

After 15,000 years, it’s waking up … Physics Girl

Emily Conover reveals how muons spill secrets about Earth’s hidden structures (and other things). Science News

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you found something to support a future creative project.

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

Tipsday: Informal writerly learnings, May 1-7, 2022

May 10, 2022May 8, 2022 / Melanie Marttila

Ah, Tuesday. Monday has been endured/survived and we’re one day closer to the weekend. Fortify yourself for the rest of the week with some informal writerly learnings!

Lauren J. Sharkey is aimlessly acquiring and agent. Then, Adam W. Burgess helps you build your LGBTQ+ summer reading list. Gabriela Pereira interviews Jessi Honard and Marie Parks about using the “loop method” to co-write your novel. Later in the week, Mary Adkins suggests your best writing goal based on your enneagram number. DIY MFA

Five easy ways to get story ideas. Reedsy

Greer Macallister says you can’t do it all. Then, Sarah Penner talks about hiding your villain in plain sight. Donald Maass: it’s simple. It’s complicated. It’s a novel. Keith Cronin offers some tough love from a guy named Francis. Then, Liz Michalski says hello, village. Writer Unboxed

What’s wrong with Calanthe’s armour? Jill Bearup

K.M. Weiland explains the role of the antagonist in story structure (part 1 of 2). Helping Writers Become Authors

Brooke Warner says we all need to be protected against predatory publishing practices. Then, Kristen Tsetsi interviews Alan Davis about the benefits of MFA programs. Anne Carley: not a journal person? Post-pandemic might be the perfect time to start. Jane Friedman

Five things I got (very) wrong about writing craft. Shaelin Writes

September C. Fawkes shows you how to use crisis to reveal character. Writers Helping Writers

Lisa Norman explains what to do if you’ve been hacked! Or have you? Later in the week, Kris Maze explains how to create a powerful synopsis to sell your book. Writers in the Storm

Kristen Lamb discusses the mother wound and fiction.

Why has the majestic griffin been forgotten? Monstrum | PBS Storied

Tiffany Yates Martin explains how Rochelle Weinstein revises: building grassroots success. Fox Print Editorial

Chris Winkle reveals how to make your craft more pretentious. Oren Ashkenazi: no, social justice warriors aren’t reducing diversity in fiction. Mythcreants

The worldview genre: stories about maturation, disillusionment, and revelation. Story Grid

The quarter life crisis is more stressful than ever. The Take

Clara Pasieka: Cree author, David A. Robertson questions why Durham District School Board removed his book from shelves. CBC

How libraries became a quiet battlefront in the war on Ukraine. CBC

Ukraine’s national poet. JSTOR Daily

Thanks for taking the time to visit. I hope you took away something to support your current work in progress.

Until Thursday, be well and stay safe!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, April 24-30, 2022

May 5, 2022May 2, 2022 / Melanie Marttila

It’s almost the weekend and time to get your mental corn popping!

Michela Moscufo reports that Harvard sets up $100 million endowment for slavery reparations. Reuters

Leah Thomas interviews Rachel Cargle about Black climate optimism. Atmos

Straight Black men in drag for the sake of comedy. Khadija Mbowe

Daniel Boffey and Lorenzo Tondo: Russia accused of bombing Mariupol humanitarian corridor. The Guardian

John Henley reports that Finland and Sweden have agreed to submit NATO applications. The Guardian

Terry Nguyen says Gen Z does not dream of labor. Vox

Molly Longmans says having no filter at work is actually a good thing. Refinery 29

Seth Borenstein: ideas on mute? Study: remote meetings dampen brainstorming. Associated Press

Morgan Leonhardt says hybrid work isn’t working well for most women. Fortune

Harold Jarche: dare to un-lead.

Clark Quinn unpacks superstitions for new practitioners. Learnlets

Joe Hanson shares illusions that will make you question reality. Be Smart

Romano Santos asks, are you breathing properly? Vice

Sadhbh O’Sullivan: too many thoughts living rent-free in your head? Try mind gardening. Refinery 29

Katie Tobin says slow living is the antidote to hustle culture—if you can access it. Refinery 29

Ginny Hogan: once upon a Facebook poke. Bustle

All five building blocks from DNA and RNA found in meteorites from the US, Canada, and Australia. CBC

Why are puppy-dog eyes so irresistible? SciShow

Christina Larson reveals that your dog’s personality may have little to do with its breed. Associated Press

This weekend, I’ll be posting my next chapter update for April.

Until then, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Tipsday: Informal writerly learnings, April 24-30, 2022

May 3, 2022May 2, 2022 / Melanie Marttila

Welcome to May! Start off the month right with some informal writerly learnings 🙂

Vaughn Roycroft: the applicability of … zombies? Elizabeth Huergo discusses social psychology and the novel. Then, Kelsey Allagood explains why you should embrace the fallow times. Diana Giovinazzo wants us to embrace our literary influences. Kristan Hoffman: revising the stories we tell ourselves. Writer Unboxed

K.M. Weiland lists ten pros and cons to writing every day. Do you have to? (Hint: maybe not.) Helping Writers Become Authors

Princess Weekes discusses Beloved, Toni Morrison’s magnum opus about confronting a terrible past. It’s Lit | PBS Storied

Kris Maze shares six ways to fix manuscript problems with an outline. Then, Laura Baker is discovering story magic: the x-factor. Eldred Bird poses ten questions to ask your characters. Writers in the Storm

Jim Denney shares the fast-writing secrets of C.S. Lewis. Live, Write, Thrive

Andrea A. Firth explains how the literary journal landscape is and isn’t changing. Allison K. Williams: writers, stop using social media (like that). Anne Carley wonders is journaling a waste of writing time? Jane Friedman

The hungry goddess. Tale Foundry

Melissa Haas offers some leisure learning for April 2022. Then, Colice Sanders is unpacking racism and colorism in character descriptions. Disha Walia shows you how to create your world with six questions. Then, Krystal N. Craiker provides a copyediting checklist: a recipe for clean, clear writing. Finally, Jeneva Rose goes through the five stages of dealing with rejection. DIY MFA

Becca Puglisi wants to know what’s your character hiding? Angela Ackerman: you wrote a killer love story … but did you romance the reader? Writers Helping Writers

The one thing every antihero fears … The Take

Tiffany Yates Martin explains how to transition into a flashback. Fox Print Editorial

The style genre: set the experience for the reader. The reality genre: realism or science fiction/fantasy. The time genre: how the reader experiences time in your story. Story Grid

The ten worst magic tropes. Jenna Moreci

Chris Winkle provides five tips for avoiding disorientation in your opening hook. Then, Oren Ashkenazi hosts a head-to-head-to-head competition between Antz, A Bug’s Life, and Ant-Man. Mythcreants

Kristen Lamb says that lies, deception, and betrayal are the deepest wounds.

Tajja Isen explains how the book industry turns its racism into a marketable product. Literary Hub

Thank you for taking the time to visit, and I hope you found something to support your current work in progress.

Until Thursday, be well and stay safe, my writerly friends!

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, April 17-23, 2022

April 28, 2022April 24, 2022 / Melanie Marttila

It’s time, once again, to get your mental corn popping!

Ibram X. Kendi: the danger more republicans should be talking about. (Spoiler: it’s white supremacy.) The Atlantic

Whitney Bauck interviews Reverend Lennox Yearwood: culture-building as climate work. Atmos

Mariupol mayor urges residents to flee as Russia mounts eastern Ukraine offensive. CBC

Emily Zarevich introduces us to Lesya U k rainka: Ukraine’s beloved writer and activist. JSTOR Daily

Amy Cassidy, Mostafa Salem, Caroline Faraj, Obayda Nafaa and Jack Bantock: dozens injured in Sweden in riots after Quran burning. CNN

Laurentian mess didn’t bubble up; it trickled down. Sudbury.com editorial board

Melody Wilding lists eight signs of overfunctioning that lead to burnout (and how to stop). Forbes

Sadhbh O’Sullivan says there’s a reason we procrastinate, and it isn’t laziness. Refinery 29

Deepa Purushothaman and Lisen Stromberg: leaders, stop rewarding toxic rock stars. Harvard Business Review

Clark Quinn says we’re using the wrong bucket lists. Learnlets

Harold Jarche considers writing at electric speed. Then, he looks at the power of story.

Erin Blakemore tries to explain why Easter is celebrated with bunnies and eggs. National Geographic

Doyle Rice and Dinah Voyles Pulver: UN IPCC report shows the globe is on “track toward an unlivable world.” USA Today

Solar superflares and aurora science. Physics Girl

Guy Kawasaki interviews Neil deGrasse Tyson: astrophysicist, planetary scientist, and author. The Remarkable People Podcast

Nadia Drake explains why NASA has been ignoring Uranus. That may soon change. National Geographic

Bob McDonald interviews Riley Culberg about how the ridges on the surface of Europa could mean water—and life. CBC’s “Quirks and Quarks”

Florence + the Machine – Free

Thank you for visiting. I hope you found something to inspire a future creative project.

Even though May first is Sunday, I won’t be composing my next chapter update until the first full weekend in May. That’s the May 7-8 weekend. Just so you know.

So, until next tipsday, be well and stay safe; be kind and stay strong. The world needs your stories!

Tipsday: Informal writerly learnings, April 17-23, 2022

April 26, 2022April 24, 2022 / Melanie Marttila

Happy Tuesday! You survived Monday 🙂 Reward yourself with some informal writerly learnings.

Sara Farmer enters the not-so-elementary university of Sherlock Holmes, part 1. Then, LA Bourgeois wants you to acknowledge your limitations and set your stage for success. Gabriela Pereira interviews GG Kellner about using history to speculate the future and change the present. Then, F.E. Choe helps you create your own writing space at home. Gracie Bialecki bemoans the double-edged sword of deadlines. Finally, Ashley Christiano lists five ways astrology can help you write your novel. DIY MFA

Jill Bearup says choreography doesn’t matter.

Jan O’Hara: and the Oscar for best reality show script goes to Will Smith (or, writerly takeaways from the infamous slap). Dave King is in search of faith and goodness. Then, Barbara Linn Probst considers time: backstory, flashback, and chronology. Natalie Hart wonders what if you gave up? Writer Unboxed

K.M. Weiland outlines the six challenges of writing a second novel. Helping Writers Become Authors

Shaelin shares 11 writing exercises to help break writer’s block. Reedsy

Becca Puglisi shares creative ways to brainstorm story ideas. Then, Lynette M. Burrows presents one plotting tool for all. Ellen Buikema continues her literary tour of the senses with the power of vision in writing. Writers in the Storm

Alice Gaines offers three tools for deep point of view. Elizabeth Spann Craig

Margaret McNellis helps you tell your story with three tarot cards. Then, Catherine Baab-Maguira explains why Frankenstein still sells 40,000 copies a year. Jane Friedman

Erica Brozovsky talks about pronouns: the little words that say a lot. Otherwords | PBS Storied