Alchemy Ink

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 19-25, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping!

Jon Hamilton: how the brain shapes pain and links ouch with emotion. NPR

Eric Barker shares FBI behaviourist Robin Dreeke’s seven tips to get people to like you. The Ladders

SciShow Space news considers Pluto’s ocean and MU 69 (the snowman-looking asteroid New Horizons passed in January).

 

Eddie King says that learning Morse code is still a valuable skill, even in the 21st century. Quartz

Nicole Javorsky tells the tale of how David Romero is bringing new life to Frank Lloyd Wright’s lost designs. CityLab

‘Cause Imogen. Telemiscommunications

 

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

thoughtythursday2016

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, May 19-25, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Another week, another batch of informal writerly learnings.

Vaughn Roycroft explains what makes a story epic … to him. Barbara O’Neal wonders, are you making writing harder than it needs to be? Heather Webb: protecting your creative mindspace. Writer Unboxed

Fae Rowan is soldiering on. Writers in the Storm

K.M. Weiland shares 20 of the most instructive quotes about writing. Helping Writers Become Authors

Victoria Mixon is contrasting and condensing characters: two sides of the same coin. Writers Helping Writers

The Tale Foundry looks at Sir Terry Pratchett’ unifying voice.

 

Allegra Huston stops by Jane Friedman’s blog to share the two basic rules of editing (and one rookie mistake).

Pamela Taylor is creating authentic character details: names. Research is fun! Then, Gabriela Pereira interviews Jodi Thomas: turning characters into people. DIY MFA

Chris Winkle helps you understand appropriative worldbuilding. Then, Oren Ashkenazi warns against seven ways writers sabotage beta reading. Mythcreants

Jami Gold explains how pacing helps readers care about our characters.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you found something useful.

Be well until thoughty Thursday!

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 12-18, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

And now, it’s time to get your mental corn popping 🙂

Marina shares the dark saga of Katie Bouman (the woman who rendered the final image of the black hole). April 15, 2019 The Atlantic

Anne Harrington tells the tale of psychiatry, racism, and the birth of “Sesame Street.” UNDark

Milt Estrow recounts the many, many theories about Leonardo da Vinci. The Atlantic

Czerne Reid show us the “lost” book of exquisite botanical drawings rediscovered after 190 years. Women in STEM connection: the author/illustrator was Anne Wollstonecraft. National Geographic

Allison C. Meier: designing the butterfly-friendly city. CityLab

SciSchow says the bee-pocalypse is … fake.

 

Laura Tenenbaum blows the lid off three plastic recycling myths. I thought I was a good environmental citizen. Turns out we’ve all been lied to. Forbes

It’s okay to be smart takes a look—ha!—at where your eye colour really comes from.

 

SciShow news reports that we’re one step closer to understanding aging (and other effects of oxidative stress).

 

I hope something here has given you inspiration or research tools for 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, May 12-18, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

And here is your latest curation of informal writerly learnings.

Sophie Masson talks big publishers, small publishers, and contract negotiations. Jim Dempsey wants you to tune out your self-doubt. Julie Carrick Dalton praises the power of writerly kindness. Porter Anderson considers the place of place in our writing. Writer Unboxed

K.M. Weiland shares five ways writers (try to) fake their way to good storytelling. Helping Writers Become Authors

James Navé and Alegra Huston stop by Jane Friedman’s blog: how to plan a book reading that delights your audience.

September C. Fawkes offers story structure in a flash. Then, Sacha Black wants you to nip and tuck your saggy middle with conflict. Writers Helping Writers

Jeanette the Writer covers the stages of editing grief. Later in the week, Gabriela Pereira interviews Sam Sykes about the emotional weight of storytelling. DIY MFA

Jami Gold wonders, are you a pantser, a plotter, or something in between? Click through to the original tweet by Cheyenne A. Lepka—it’s AWESOME! Warmed this old gamer’s heart 🙂

Jenny Hansen shares Brené Brown’s top ten tips for success. Laura Drake follows up on Jenny’s column with this: dare to be vulnerable in your writing life. Writers in the Storm

Chris Winkle wants you to understand exploitative plots. Mythcreants

Guy Gavriel Kay offers some writing advice: don’t take writing advice. Literary Hub

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you found something to help you with your latest creative project.

Until Thursday, be well, my writerly friends!

tipsday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 5-11, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

Here is your video-free thoughty Thursday. It’s time to get your mental corn popping!

Mike Crawley reports on more Ford cuts: Ontario Telemedicine Network lays off 44 staff. CBC

Some good news: Parliament passes Charlie Angus’ motion to establish a national suicide prevention action plan. Kate Rutherford for the CBC.

Ben Lindburg interviews David Deutsch and Scott Aaronson about the plausibility of the time travel in Avengers: Endgame. The Ringer

Roy Scranton shares how lessons from a genocide can prepare humanity for the climate apocalypse. MIT Technology Review

Scott Rosenburg explains what Apple, Facebook, and Google really mean when they talk about “privacy.” Axios

Jared Lindzon reveals that 75% of staff at this successful IT company are on the autism spectrum. Fast Company

Emily Esfahani Smith: these deaf entrepreneurs are launching a tiny home retreat and they hope their hearing visitors leave enlightened. The Washington Post

Audubon’s Bird Note invites you to fall in love with the crow’s mating coos.

I hope you found something to spark your next 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, May 5-11, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

I hope everyone had a marvelous Mother’s Day. Looking forward to Victoria Day long weekend here in Canada 🙂 In the meantime, please enjoy your weekly batch of informal writerly learnings.

Greer Macallister says, history wasn’t white, so historical fiction shouldn’t be either. Kathryn Craft shares six tips for creating good bridging conflict. Juliet Marillier introduces you to the writer’s dog. David Corbett shares what teaching in prison is teaching him. Writer Unboxed

Critiquing an excerpt from a brave volunteer, K.M. Weiland reveals eight quick tips for show, don’t tell. Helping Writers Become Authors

Emmanuel Nataf stops by Elizabeth Spann Craig’s blog to explain why science fiction is needed now more than ever.

Jenna Moreci returns with more dialogue advice.

 

Janice Hardy: how a limited vs. tight point of view can confuse writers. Fiction University

Marc Graham guest posts on The Creative Penn: becoming a story shaman.

Meg LaTorre visits Writers Helping Writers: how should I publish my book?

Piper Bayard considers backstory: the more I know, the less you have to. Writers in the Storm

Chris Winkle wants you to understand character representation. Mythcreants

Elizabeth Winkler: was Shakespeare a woman? The Atlantic

Florence + the Machine: Jenny of Oldstones (from Game of Thrones).

 

And that was tipsday for this week.

Come back on Thursday to add some thoughty into your life 🙂

Until then, be well!

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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!

thoughtythursday2016

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!

tipsday2016

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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