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Tipsday: Informal writerly learnings, Sept 19-25, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila

September’s almost over (!) Not keen on how time warps these days. In any case, another week has passed and here’s another batch of informal writerly learnings 🙂 Enjoy!

Lauren J. Sharkey is fighting imposter syndrome: faker. Then, Adam W. Burgess explains why LGBTQ+ fiction writers need to read LGBTQ+ history. Tammy Pasterick is writing about the immigrant experience. Then, Heather Campbell lists five things she wished she knew about writing a novel. DIY MFA

Shaelin shows you how to conceptualize a short story. Reedsy

Vaughn Roycroft: a writer’s senses working overtime. Then, Dave King is world building through architecture. Alma Katsu: what to expect when your novel is reissued. Then, Heather Webb gives us the 411 on writing retreats. Liz Michalski: space and shadows. Then, Desmond Hall drops some more writing wisdom on us. Bite-sized writerly learnings #FTW! Writer Unboxed

On her own channel, Shaelin shares everything you need to know about writing workshops. Shaelin Writes

K.M. Weiland presents the archetypal antagonists for the queen arc. Helping Writers Become Authors

Lisa Norman lists five reasons tech can’t replace editors. Then, Lisa Hall-Wilson offers her best pro tip for writing deep POV. Ellen Buikema shares five things kids taught her about writing. Writers in the Storm

Erica Brozovsky shares 60 euphemisms for death. Otherwords | PBS Storied

How much do I need to describe my character’s appearance? Lucy V. Hay has answers. Then, Becca Puglisi says, if you need compelling conflict, choose a variety. Writers Helping Writers

Tiffany Watson explains how to format your manuscript for a designer or publisher. Then, Allison K. Williams explains what it takes to be a freelance editor. Jane Friedman

Why do people think Huck Finn is racist? It’s Lit | PBS Storied

Kristine Kathryn Rusch: comparison is the thief of joy.

Lindsay Syhakhom explains how to protect your manuscript from computer meltdowns and hackers. Nathan Bransford

Love, according to Studio Ghibli. The Take

Chris Winkle shows you how to create an elemental magic system. Oren Ashkenazi: how useful are Neil Gaiman’s eight rules of writing? Mythcreants

Kristen Lamb tackles brave new writing and learning to think outside the book.

Jason Asenap: Reservation Dogs is just the beginning of an Indigenous storytelling explosion. Esquire

Monisha Rajesh: pointing out racism in books is not an attack—it’s a call for industry reform. The Guardian

Thank you for visiting, 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: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, 21-27, 2021

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

No April fools today! Just an opportunity to get your mental corn popping.

Illinois becomes the first city to offer Black residents reparations. Associated Press

Kim Barker, Mike Baker, and Ali Watkins: in city after city, police mishandled Black Lives Matter protests. The New York Times

Ashawnta Jackson explains how Mary Fields became “Stagecoach Mary.” JSTOR Daily

Lawrence Hurley: SCOTUS expands the ability to sue police for excessive force. Reuters

Related: Jacob Blake file excessive force lawsuit against officer who shot him in the back. CBS News

Whittney Evans reports that Virginia becomes the first southern state to repeal the death penalty. NPR

Li Zhou: the Atlanta shootings can’t be divorced from racism and misogyny. Vox

Kareem Fahim reports that Erdogan pulls Turkey out of European treaty aimed at protecting women from violence. The Washington Post

Nahal Toosi: US, UK, EU, and Canada announce sanctions on China for Uighur genocide. Politico

This is why we can’t have nice things. Real conspiracies. Veritasium

Ian Austen highlights Winnipeg’s new showcase and meeting place for Inuit art and artists. The New York Times

The history of throwing shade. The Take

Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal win a humble prize for architecture. Christian Science Monitor 

Breakthroughs in artificial wombs and growing heart valves. SciShow News

Jenny Stevens offers some big vagina energy: the return of the Sheela na gig. The Guardian

The biggest lie about nuclear energy. ASAP Science

In honour of World Water Day, Nina Munteanu writes about water protectors.

“Our biggest challenge? Lack of imagination: the scientists turning the desert green. Steve Rose for The Guardian.

Stuart Clark: Elsa-d mission to clean up space debris set for launch. The Guardian

Robin George Andrews: scientists spot a “space hurricane” for the first time. National Geographic

Thank you for taking the time to visit, and I hope you took away something to inspire your next creative project.

This weekend, I should be posting my March next chapter update.

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

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, July 12-18, 2020

/ Melanie Marttila

Happy Friday eve! Without further delay, it’s time to get your mental corn popping 🙂

An example of how white supremacy privileges things over humans. Black Lives Matter Toronto holds a press conference after three protestors are arrested for “defacing” statues. Don’t even look at the comments on this one if you’re not prepared to be triggered. CTV

Mary Hynes interviews Ijeoma Oluo on Tapestry. CBC

Ashawnta Jackson explains what the first Black-owned bookstore had to do with the underground railroad. JSTOR Daily

Sarah Gilbert: civil rights activist and politician, John Lewis—a life in pictures. The Guardian

Sonia Saraiya interviews Viola Davis: my entire life has been a protest. Vanity Fair

Paul McGuinness reveals the power of protest songs. uDiscover Music

Amy Greer, Nisha Thampi and Ashleigh Tuite: we can get children back to school full time, if we put the right strategy in place. The problem is, no one can agree on what that strategy is … The Globe and Mail

North Bay OPP charge Florida couple with failing to self-isolate. CBC

What happened when we all stopped, narrated by Jane Goodall. TED.Ed

Adam Mann: the universe’s clock might have bigger ticks than we imagine. Scientific American

Mary Robinette Kowal does a dramatic reading of her “peeing in space” Twitter thread for Uncanny Magazine. It is hilarious.

David Szondy: 75 years ago, the Trinity atomic bomb test changed the world forever. New Atlas

Mark Wilson says knock codes were supposed to be more secure than passwords or PINs, but they’re surprisingly easy to hack. Fast Company

Catie Keck shares everything we know about the 2020 Twitter hack (so far). Gizmodo

Nathanael Johnson: the population bomb didn’t detonate, but it turns out there’s a new problem. Grist

Feargus O’Sullivan goes behind the accidentally resilient design of Athens apartments. CityLab

Sophia Smith Galer reveals the accidental invention of the Illuminati conspiracy. BBC

SciShow busts the “alpha dog” theory.

Jimmy Thomson says, one solution to the world’s climate woes is Canada’s natural landscapes. The Narwhal

Alexandra Witze: how humans are altering the tides of the oceans. BBC

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

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

ThoughtyThursday2019

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, July 14-20, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping. Let’s get started with some lunacy in honour of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing 🙂

Alexandra Witze says these young scientists will shape moon research for the next 50 years. Nature

Eli Glasner talks to astronauts about which movies have “the right stuff.” CBC

Proof that Sudbury was mentioned on the moon. We live up here

Nicole Mortillaro: Sudbury was a stand-in for the moon and other, little-known (Canadian) things about the Apollo program. CBC

Veritasium looks at why astronauts also trained at a nuclear test site.

Molly Hennessy-Fiske explains how the women of NASA made their mark on the space program. LA Times

And … from Mary Robinette Kowal: to make it to the moon, women have to escape Earth’s gender bias. The New York Times

Alexander Rose wants to make something that lasts 10,000 years. BBC

Mark Gollom report on how Zoe the police dog sniffed out two missing girls in Algonquin Park. CBC

Laura Staugaitis shares the shadowed beauty of DAKU’s “Theory of Time” street installation. This is Colossal

Viktorija Gabulaité and Jonas Grinevičius introduce us to Australia, AKA, the land of nope. Bored Panda

Thank you for taking the time to visit, and I hope you found some inspiration for your next creative project (or a current one).

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

ThoughtyThursday2019

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Feb 24-Mar 2, 2019

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s time to get your mental corn popping with some thoughty Thursday links 🙂

Mary McNamara shares the amazing Emma Thompson’s letter to Skydance regarding the reasons she chose to leave Luck. #metoo LA Times

Jonathan Watts says that concrete is the most destructive material on Earth. The Guardian

David Dobbs: climate change has entered its blood sucking phase. The Atlantic

Ed Yong reports on the troubling discovery made in the deepest ocean trenches. The Atlantic

SciShow Space considers what life might be like on a tidally locked planet.

 

SciShow Psych looks at depression and anxiety and what psychologists and neuroscientists have discovered about them.

 

And they science the shit out of inspiration 🙂

 

Thu-Huong Ha shows us how Bolivia’s most Instagrammable houses showcase indigenous peoples’ reclaimed power. Quartz

Messy Nessy opens their cabinet of Chic curiosities to tour Bernie Madoff’s underwater ballroom. This was featured in Roz Morris’s novel, Lifeform Three. If you like abandoned places or cool architecture, this will be your thing 🙂

Lily Strelich tries to solve an artful mystery: why are Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings breaking out in pimples? The Smithsonian Magazine

And that was your thoughty for the week.

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

thoughtythursday2016

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, July 31-Aug 6, 2016

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

Lots of thoughty to get that mental corn a-poppin’.

Someone asks for advice on how to deal with grief. This response nails it. That Eric Alper.

Michelle Steinke reports on stifled grief and how the west has it wrong. The Huffington Post.

Minda Zetlin: here’s why you must make a happiness list right now. Inc.

Elisha Goldstein shares five ways to increase happiness in daily life. Mindful

Eric Barker examines how to find happiness. Time

Angelina Zimmerman presents eight ways to make a positive impact every day. Inc.

How to get rid of a stiff neck in 90 seconds. Real Farmacy

Nicolas Cole lists twenty brutal truths all twenty-somethings need to hear. Frankly, everyone could stand to be reminded . . . Inc.

Abigail Haworth reports on the Tanzanian wives: why these straight women are marrying each other. Marie Claire.

Actresses over 60 are the new box office powerhouses. Mark Harris for The Vulture.

Rejected Princesses features Jeanne de Clisson (1300-1359).

The Bright Side lists eleven of the most breathtaking buildings humanity is building right now.

I’ve shared this before, but it’s just that awesome. Kale in the arctic: an igloo greenhouse that could inspire fresh food production in the north. CBC

Chinese Canadian and First Nations artists created huge prints in Chinatown. The Georgia Straight.

The CBC invites you to meet the five commissioners leading the missing and murdered Indigenous women inquiry.

Angelique Eaglewoman explains why the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women must engage all Canadians. The Globe and Mail

Female genital mutilation has been banned in Nigeria. A triumph. Kimberley Richards for A Plus.

Ijeoma Oluo explains what those feel-good cop videos are really all about. The Establishment.

Jonna Ivan knows why Trump supporters chant his name. The Establishment.

A neuroscientist explains what’s wrong with Trump supporters’ brains. Bobby Azarian for Raw Story.

Foz Meadows makes a note on mansplaining. We all do it, if we’re honest.

Melissa Dahl discovers why reading makes you carsick: your brain thinks it’s being poisoned. Yup. Still gives me the queaze. Science of Us.

The science of emojis. ASAP Thought.

 

Open Culture presents an infographic of the tree of languages.

The Decolonial Atlas names the Great Lakes in Ojibway.

A dark ages has been discovered in Cornwall. David Keys for The Independent.

UpWorthy asks you to try not to jiggle as you watch these new, bladeless wind turbines.

Super cool: check out this prototype for China’s new elevated buses. Bored Panda

Jonathon Ramsey reports on how UC Irvine accidentally invented a battery that lasts forever. The Drive

Scientists discover light could exist in a previously unknown form. Phys.org

The Perseid meteor shower will peak on Aug 11 and 12. And wouldn’t you know it? It’s cloudy tonight 😦 Phil Plait for Slate.

The so-called alien megastructure just got even more mysterious. Maddie Stone for Gizmodo.

Every year, the Curiosity rover sings happy birthday. It’s kind of sad, actually. Curiosity

The Declaration of Arbroath has been awarded UNESCO status. BBC

Feeling wicked? Here are nine spooky spells from an Icelandic book of sorcery. HMB

The power of smudging: the different types of blessing herbs and their healing properties. Spirit Science.

Why Sudbury needs a busy hub for creators. The Sudbury Star.

See you Saturday!

Thoughty Thursday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Nov 9-15, 2014

/ Melanie Marttila / 3 Comments

Kindness and generosity can help your relationship last. The Business Insider.

Kare Anderson speaks about being an opportunity maker. TED.

The first real reason we need to sleep. The Business Insider.

Why psychological androgyny is essential for creativity. Brainpickings.

Like The Bletchley Circle? Read about one of the real code-breaking women the series was based on. The Edmonton Journal.

The grand unified theory of female pain by Leslie Jamison. VQR.

What has been discovered about the transmission of depression between mothers and daughters. Psychiatric Times.

Bryan Adams took these moving photos of wounded soldiers. The Independent.

Amazing buildings in Scotland. The Daily Record.

Some of the strangest and creepiest graves in the world. ViralNova.

A creative cartographer imagines a completely uncolonized Africa. i09.

The glow in the dark path inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Night. Bored Panda.

Why tech leaders don’t want their kids using their products. The Unbounded Spirit.

Alberta fishermen find a fossil in the Castle River. The Huffington Post.

Nine TED Talks on how innovators are shaping the world of tomorrow.

Misnomers. Vsauce.

 

Just because it can be challenging to find your dog’s “presents” at certain times of the year. The dog tracker helps you find the dirt . . . Hack-a-day.

Sea otter pup cuteness. The Huffington Post.

Fun bubble experiments:

 

The Piano Guys. Ants Marching/Ode to Joy.

 

Hope you found some grist for your creative mill.

See you Saturday!

Thoughty Thursday