Alchemy Ink

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, June 3-9, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

Another week, another batch of informal writerly learnings.

Jane Friedman excerpts from Tanya Hall’s Ideas, Influence, and Income: what to look for in a book publicist and tips for going it alone.

Donna Galanti offers eleven ways to find and connect with other authors in your genre. Writers in the Storm

Fae Rowan explains why you have to give your readers what they want. Writers in the Storm

Jenna Moreci shares her top ten hacks for your writing process.

 

Agent Barbara Poelle answers a question about word counts on Funny You Should Ask. Writer’s Digest

Nancy Johnson helps you find rhythm in your prose. Writer Unboxed

Donald Maass gives you the reason to build a box. Writer Unboxed

Kathryn Magendie explores rhythms in reading and writing. Writer Unboxed

James Scott Bell invites you to use the writer’s spice cabinet. Writers Helping Writers

Chrys Fey stopps by Writers Helping Writers to help you boost your creativity mindset naturally.

K.M. Weiland reviews Avengers: Infinity War and gives us four ways to write a better antagonist. Helping Writers Become Authors

Sara Letourneau provides a case study on revenge as a literary theme. DIY MFA

And here’s my latest column. Mythic structure: The Virgin’s Promise, part one. DIY MFA

Ashley Hilst shows you five ways to inject theme into your story (without being obvious). DIY MFA

Chris Winkle explains how to give your hero sympathetic problems. Mythcreants

Monday and Tuesday are under your workweek belt. Feel good about that.

Be well until Thursday!

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 27-June 2, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time, once again, to get your mental corn popping. In a small way 🙂

Katie Mach reviews 18 historical beauty standards that we wouldn’t stand for today. Ranker

Why racism isn’t just a southern problem. MTV’s Decoded.

 

Thomas Lewton discovers that young Ethiopians are eying a fertile future in artificial intelligence. UnDark

The Daily Native News presents the first US map that displays “our own” Indigenous names and locations.

Allison C. Meier: the ancient forests that have defied urbanization. City Lab

Elisabeth Donnelly introduces us to Ann Baker, who is trying to breed the perfect housecat in the valley of the ragdolls. Topic

And now you have Friday to look forward to!

Be well until next Tipsday.

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, May 27-June 2, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

Your informal writerly learnings are short and sweet this week. Trade wars and Harvey Weinstein on trial and the Rosanne debacle really took it out of me.

K.M. Weiland: how the truth your character believes defines your theme. Helping Writers Become Authors

Sharon Bially says, purpose is the missing link between your characters’ motives and depth. Writer Unboxed

Bryn Greenwood helps you find your empathy through Florida Man (or Florida Woman). Writer Unboxed

Becca Puglisi helps you create character empathy in your first few pages. Writers Helping Writers

Kristen Lamb explains how and why we writers are our own worst enemies. It’s called self-sabotage.

Jami Gold asks, how do you deal with writer burnout?

Oren Ashkenazi gives us five tips for creating an engaging space battle. Mythcreants

And that’s it for Tipsday.

Be well until Thoughty Thursday comes around.

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 20-26, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

Happy Friday eve, everyone! Please enjoy these resources. It’s time to get your mental corn popping!

Philip Bump: 2018 has been deadlier for school children than for service members. The Washington Post

Jim C. Hines thinks too many men can’t handle being told no.

Kat Eschner says, sleeping in on the weekend might be good for you, but it’s not going to solve all your problems. Popular Science

How is ADHD different for an adult? Kati Morton

 

Inverse: your brain on meditation with Shannon Odell.

 

Charlotte Ahlin lists eleven real life inventions inspired by science fiction novels. I wasn’t sure whether to put this in Tipsday or here in Thoughty Thursday, but the thought won out. Bustle

Kevin Sieff profiles a 21st Century Noah’s ark in Malawi that strives to repopulate animals that have been wiped out. The Washington Post

Is this the beginning of the end for bees? Mind Foster

Guy Winch: why we need to take pet loss seriously. Scientific American

Tomorrow’s Friday. I hope you have a good one, and a great weekend to come! Looking forward 🙂

Be well until this weekend’s next chapter update. Yup, another month will have passed. Time marches on, but so do we.

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, May 20-26, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

You survived Monday, and that’s a good thing! Have a wee treat. Another week, another batch of informal writerly learnings!

A.K. Perry explores another of James Scott Bell’s signpost scenes—the argument against transformation. DIY MFA

Gabriela Pereira interviews Kimmery Martin about revising your book and getting it right. DIY MFA

I shared Kate Weiland’s list last week. Great minds think alike 🙂 Lisa Cron busts five writing myths that may be holding you back. DIY MFA

Vaughn Roycroft examines his biases and tropes: warrior women, #MeToo, and one writer’s evolving sensibilities. Writer Unboxed

Liz Michalski advises you to blow it up (where it is a practice that no longer serves you). Writer Unboxed

Julie Carrick Dalton shares her thoughts on finding second life in cast-off words. I might have to try her fire brick idea some day. I’m not craft-inclined enough to try the other stuff 🙂 Writer Unboxed

Janice Hardy helps you edit your novel without feeling overwhelmed. Later in the week, she wonders, how much really needs to be in your novel’s opening line? Fiction University

K.M. Weiland offers five logical steps to grow as a writer. Helping Writers Become Authors

Joanna Penn helps you find your writing community. The Creative Penn

Kristen Lamb: truth is the door between your greatest fears and your greatest self. Later in the week, Kristen shares five reasons to invest in rest (and avoid burnout).

Nathan Bransford offers a guide to literary agent etiquette.

Shawn Coyne explains how an agent figures out her pitch to publishers. Steven Pressfield

Remember that book that no one had ever heard of that shot straight to the NYT bestseller list? Well, Chris Winkle took one for the team and has some lessons from the rambling writing of Handbook for Mortals. Mythcreants

Then, Oren Ashkenaski shares seven ways to motivate a reluctant protagonist. Mythcreants

Jeanna Kadlec offers this writerly horoscope. Electric Lit

And that was tipsday. Come back 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, May 13-19, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

Welcome to thoughty Thursday. You know what that means: tomorrow is Friday!

Jessica Bennett and Daniel Jones compile these 45 stories of sex and consent on campus. The New York Times

Megan Garber: David Foster Wallace and the dangerous romance of male genius. The Atlantic

Jim C. Hines offers some advice on setting boundaries.

Nicole Gallucci reports that ageism is becoming a major issue for corporations. The Globe and Mail

Tim Herrera lists three things that can help if you’re feeling burned out. The New York Times

Brian Resnick: 100 million Americans have chronic pain, but few use one of the best tools to treat it. Vox

SciShow Space: is there really an infinite multiverse?

 

Mary Schwager: new studies show humans love dogs more than other humans. I Love My Dog

This guy is a case in point. He bought 5,400 ball pit balls and made his dog the happiest dog in the world.

 

I hope something here got your mental corn popping.

Be well until next Tipsday!

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, May 13-19, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

Another week has passed and, look, you’ve survived Monday. Good on ya 🙂 Have some informal writerly learnings as a reward. You know you deserve it.

K.M. Weiland lists five lies writers believe that actually hold them back. Helping Writers Become Authors

Jenny Hansen shows you how to use the twelve stages of physical intimacy to build tension in your fiction. Writers in the Storm

Margie Lawson encourages you to go deeper than the cold, hard stare. Writers in the Storm

Scrivener guru Gwen Hernandez explains how to save every word using Scrivener’s snapshot feature. Writers in the Storm

Annie Neugebauer helps you find the best readers for your novel at every stage. Writer Unboxed

Porter Anderson watches the Canadian problem with Access Copyright with interest and alarm. Authors I know whose work was copied for academic packages used to get paid. Universities rebelled and now they get nothing. Advocacy and authors. Writer Unboxed.

Nina Munteanu: science fiction asks, are we worth saving?

Jami Gold helps you figure out if your writing is any good. Later in the week, she wonders how much of yourself in in your writing?

Brenda Joyce Patterson explains why your writing should invite readers in. DIY MFA

Gabriela Pereira interviews Dharma Kelleher about transgendered characters in literature. DIY MFA

Sara Letourneau offers some advice on conducting informal interviews for story research. Writers Helping Writers

Janice Hardy helps you take away elements to fix a problem scene. Fiction University

Mira Singer reviews three movies with the wrong main character. Then, Oren Ashkenazi says that “historical accuracy” isn’t a reason to exclude diversity. Arguments I wish I’d had when I tried to present my secondary world fantasy to my MFA class for critique. #mistakesnaivewritersmake Mythcreants

Joanna Penn explains how to monetize a creative podcast in her interview on the Podcraft podcast. The Creative Penn

John Koenig’s The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows (is back!): Silience.

 

And Pâro.

 

Anna Lovind discovered that in order to nurture her dream of writing, she had to give up something else: knowing when it’s time to let a dream die.

Anika Burgess reveals the artful imperfection of medieval manuscript repair. Atlas Obscura

Andres Liptak reports on the new documentary that will explore the life and legacy of Ursula K. Le Guin. I’m looking out for this one! The Verge

And that was Tipsday.

Be well until Thursday rolls around and then come back to get your weekly dose of thoughty 🙂

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, May 6-12, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

A few links to get your mental corn popping 🙂

Brian Resnick: Stephen Hawking’s final paper makes a hopeful case for the limits of existence. Vox

A super-massive black hole is hurtling toward Earth, but don’t worry, it’ll take about four billion years to get here. Sci-Tech Universe

Wil Wheaton shares his keynote speech for the NAMI Ohio’s statewide conference, Fulfilling the Promise: I live with chronic depression and I’m not ashamed.

SciShow: the strange (but true) history of hysteria.

 

Inverse: your brain on sugar with Shannon Odell.

 

Inverse: your brain on music with Shannon Odell.

 

Alfredo Carpineti: fasting for just one day can regenerate your stem cells. I wonder if the stomach flu counts? IFLS

Maggie posts about the history of our most common vegetables. The Plant Guide

Rosie McCall reports on a crow that steals a credit card, attempts to use it to buy a train ticket, and, after it fails, returns the card to its owner. Corvids rock my world. IFLS

I hope you found something in the mix to inspire.

Be well until next Tipsday!

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, May 6-12, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

Here, once again, are your informal writerly learnings:

Jo Eberhardt: writers write, right? Writer Unboxed

Keith Cronin writes a thought-provoking post for Writer Unboxed: when a bad person makes good art. I’ve struggled with this issue myself and there are no easy answers, at least none that satisfy both my need for social justice and my need for quality art to consume.

Related: Another popular and powerful artist proves he can’t even be a decent human being. MIT to investigate allegations of bullying and unwanted sexual contact against Junot Diaz. MassLive

Juliet Marillier examines the angsty writer. Writer Unboxed

Kathryn Craft helps you compose your protagonist’s “I want” song. Writer Unboxed

Grace Wynter offers some tips for creating your novel’s soundtrack. Writer Unboxed

Nina Munteanu wonders, how do you know your story’s finished?

K.M. Weiland returns to her most common writing mistakes series with part 64: POV problems. Helping Writers Become Authors

Jenna Moreci reviews the pros and cons of traditional publishing (and busts a few myths).

 

Then, Jenna lists the biggest mistakes writers make.

 

Susan DeFreitas: what it really takes to break through with your first book deal. Jane Friedman

Penny Sansevieri offers six reasons to relaunch your book (in the age of the reboot). Jane Friedman

September C. Fawkes explains how to convey an established relationship quickly. Writers Helping Writers

Becca Puglisi is choosing the right details. Writers Helping Writers

Nathan Bransford shares everything writers need to know about pitching their books.

Emily Wenstrom explains what authors should know about Facebook’s “meaningful interactions” update. DIY MFA

Robin Lovett lists seven reasons why being unpublished is hard. You’re preaching to the choir, here, Robin 🙂 DIY MFA

Julie Glover explains when action isn’t a good thing in your novel. Writers in the Storm

Shawn Coyne gives us an insider’s look into the acquisition process: how literary agents target acquisitions editors. Steven Pressfield

Joanna Penn helps you manage stress, anxiety, and burnout. The Creative Penn

Chris Winkle discusses five types of disastrous reveals. Mythcreants

Kristen Lamb looks at a trademark issue that hit publishing news this week. Cocky blocked: how to nuke your brand from orbit.

Jami Gold: why we all need a writing community.

And that was Tipsday.

Be well until thoughty Thursday. *waves*

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Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, April 29-May 5, 2018

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s Friday Eve and time to get your mental corn popping!

Isabel Bueno explains why Cinco de Mayo is celebrated. National Geographic

Madison Dapcevich reports on Sweden’s electric road that charges the cars that travel on it. IFLS

The Washington Post profiles the electronics-recycling innovator who’s going to prison for trying to extend computers’ lives.

Jonathan O’Callaghan reports on the discovery of a hidden galaxy orbiting the Milky Way. IFLS

Alfredo Carpineti: Hawking’s final theory about the universe has been published. IFLS

Matt Blitz takes us inside the epic search for extra terrestrial life. Popular Mechanics

This 50-km trail takes you through some of Ontario’s creepiest ghost towns. Narcity

Does your dog love you? Spoiler: turns out the jury’s still out on that one. SciShow Psych

 

Experts beg gardeners to check for hummingbird nests before they prune. Apost

Rosie McCall introduces you to the Superb Bird of Paradise, whose feathers are so black, they absorb 99.95% of light. IFLS

Florence + the Machine – Hunger

 

I hope you found something to inspire this Thoughty Thursday.

Be well until next Tipsday!

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