curation

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Nov 15-21, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

Slightly smaller batch this week. Then again, I was traveling and training and NaNoWriMo-ing last week. Some things must be sacrificed.

Sudbury’s new small publisher releases its first anthology. The Sudbury Star.

K.M.Weiland continues to share her lessons learned from writing Storming with this post-and-podcast combo: How to write can’t-look-away chapter breaks.

Then Katie busts six stereotypes of strong female characters.

MJ Bush explores writing unforgettable characters. Yes. For realsies. Writingeekery.

Jan O’Hara writes about surviving trout syndrome and electric shocks for Writer Unboxed. What it’s really about? Learned helplessness.

Gwen Hernandez shares some Scrivener fundamentals on Writer Unboxed.

Chuck Wendig welcomes you to the midpoint of your novel. Let it not sag like an overloaded clothesline.

What did Veronica Sicoe learn about writing faster? Read on and find out 🙂

Writers & Authors shares this cute infographic about the eight reasons writers make great friends.

The CBC shares Booknet Canada’s infographic comparing Canadian and American readers.

The secrets hidden in the gilt.

 

This might be a bit controversial. Chis Winkle shares lessons learned from the bad writing of Battlefield Earth. Mythcreants.

Barnes and Noble lists its best science fiction and fantasy of 2015.

I may have shared this before, but I am so looking forward to The Shannara Chronicles:

 

And just because: Bustle presents Sesame Street’s eleven best literary moments.

See you next Tipsday for moar Writerly Goodness.

Tipsday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Nov 8-14, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila / 1 Comment

Bringing thoughty back 🙂 Just a bit.

This week’s NaNoWriMo work count: 41,517

Once a year, on 11:11 am on November 11th, the sun shines perfectly through this veterans’ memorial. Twisted Sifter.

Does exercise slow the aging process? The New York Times.

Find out how performance reviews harm your mental health. The Wall Street Journal.

Canadian researchers break the blood-brain barrier with a new ultrasound treatment. CTV.

Three scientists who were gagged under the Harper government finally have their say. The Globe and Mail.

Scientists have measured the ‘strong force’ of anti-matter. Gizmodo.

Listen to the haunting music of Croatia’s sea organ. UpWorthy.

Gaze at these amazing trees on Dusky’s Wonders.

Someone took a picture of a rainbow cloud in Jamaica. IFLS.

Six women save nearly 100 horses stranded on an island. Wimp.com.

Alanis Morissette updates “Ironic” for the social media age. Buzzfeed.

Buzzfeed shares the 31 realest Tumblr posts about being a woman.

This girl kicks all the ass:

 

See you next week!

Thoughty Thursday

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Nov 8-14, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

I’m a curating machine 🙂

Roz Morris discusses the differences between British, Canadian, and American English and why writers should know when to use each. Nail Your Novel.

Writer tech: How to storyboard in Scrivener. Matt Herron for The Write Practice.

K.M. Weiland offers six steps to create a fantastic narrative voice in her lessons learned from Storming series.

Katie then discusses the easiest character she’s ever had to write.

Lisa Cron gives us the inside story on what grabs readers. Writer Unboxed.

Sophie Masson helps us get the most of mentoring, from both sides of the fence. Writer Unboxed.

Christine Frazier shares ten traits of the mentor archetype on the Better Novel Project.

Kameron Hurley was never in this for the parties.

Then, she wonders if Goodreads ratings correlate to sales.

Next, she reassures us that everything is not awful.

Finally, Kameron explains why having a writing-related day job does not ‘ruin’ you for fiction. Silly rabbits.

Mary Robinette Kowal helps us discern when writer’s block is depression. And when it’s not.

Madeleine Dore shares fifty ways to take care of yourself in the arts. Performing Arts Hub.

Dan Blank discusses the three essential ingredients to creative success. Writer Unboxed.

Building a better world through science fiction: the new utopians. New Republic.

Carly Watters shares fifteen things she’s learned in her five years as an agent.

Declining ebook sales hit home with the big five. Publishers Weekly.

Erin Lindsey is in search of a more nuanced discussion of women and gender in SFF: When Mary Sue failed the Bechdel test. Tor.com.

Margaret Atwood addresses the lack of diversity in fiction: In Tolkien, there are hardly any women at all. The Guardian.

Buffy Ste. Marie recommends eight books she loves. CBC.

Neil Gaiman stops by Buzzfeed to offer writing advice.

100 pieces of writing advice from Chuck Wendig.

The Myers-Briggs types of 101 famous authors. BookRiot.

It’s going to be okay. I did not know this. The Oatmeal.

Judging medieval books by their covers.

Finding Dory’s going to be a-dory-ble 🙂 Space.

Krysten Ritter kicks all the butt as Jessica Jones. i09. <Starts this Friday, guys!>

Tor.com lists all the TV series and movie adaptations of SFF books in the works.

Ima check out SyFy’s new series The Expanse. Tor.com.

Come back next week for more Writerly Goodness.

Tipsday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Nov 1-7, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila

My brain is all NaNoWriMo these days.

So I’m going to give you a wee NaNo word count update on Thursdays. As of today: 36,466 words.

The unremembered. The Globe and Mail.

Our new government has created a Minister of Science post 🙂 Nature.

The Sami form Finland’s First Nation. This is Finland.

A Psychiatric Times report on forensic psychiatry.

Highly sensitive people: a condition often misunderstood. The Telegraph.

This is your brain on exercise. Open Culture.

I’ll be back next week with whatever brain I can spare 🙂

Be well.

Thoughty Thursday

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Nov 1-7, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

First up: NaNoWriMo:

To temper things, Chuck then wrote that writing advice is bullshit.

The Query Shark CrimeBake 2015 effective queries workshop.

Common writing mistakes, pt. 45: Avoiding ‘said.’ K.M. Weiland.

What Katie learned about writing funny dialogue in the course of writing her novel, Storming.

Donald Maass offers his thoughts on positivity and protagonists on Writer Unboxed.

Marcy Kennedy guest posts on Jami Gold’s blog with five tips for finding POV errors.

Beth Revis builds a great first chapter on Writers Helping Writers.

Therese Walsh shares lessons from Breaking Bad on Writer Unboxed.

Matriarchies, patriarchies, and beyond. Mike Hernandez for Mythcreants.

Delilah S. Dawson writes for the Mary Sue: Everything I love is problematic.

Ellipses can be powerful or annoying. Here’s a guide to using them well. Lexicon Valley.

They’re adding more words to the dictionary again. The Guardian.

What your bookshelf says about your personality. Bustle.

How to judge people by the covers of their books. Bustle.

Literary address quiz, anyone? Ace it, and get a cheeky wink from Simon Pegg :)The Reading Room.

Levar Burton – Problems only book lovers understand:

Monstress: the fantasy comic about race, feminism, and the monster within. The Hollywood Reporter.

I didn’t mind The Golden Compass movie, but a series would probably be better. i09.

Lego Doctor Who? Eeeeee! i09.

Come back next week for more awesome. MOAR I say. Moar.

Tipsday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Oct 25-31, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

Another short one this week. Hey, I went to a con. What can you do? Just a warning, November curations might tend to the small. NaNoWriMo takes precedence.

Anna Lovind wonders, what you would do if time wasn’t scarce?

Susan Lynn Reynolds shares the touching final days of her friend’s life. Janet dies at home. Conversations on dying. Phil Dwyer.

Guys, this is what it’s like to be a woman. Thought Catalog.

Buzzfeed presents 12 historical women who gave no fucks.

Why self-driving cars must be programmed to kill. MIT Technology Review.

What do you call the night before Hallowe’en? Lexicon Valley.

Mental Floss presents 10 graveside traditions at famous tombs.

Thought Catalog shares 10 delicious 14th century meals we should all try.

An ultra-successful mix of dog, wolf, and coyote, this new species is evolving right before our eyes. Now, technically, if the animals can procreate, they are part of the same species. So there may be a little issue with the terminology here. Raw Story.

Catch you next week.

Thoughty Thursday

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Oct 25-31, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

The NaNoWriMo posts keep on coming. I think we’re going to be neck deep in them the whole month of November (!)

K.M. Weiland explains how to win NaNo with totally doable daily and weekly writing goals.

Worried that your character isn’t likeable? Katie advises you to try this technique.

Carly Watters explains why perfect characters are a problem.

Angela Ackerman shows how your characters past trauma determines her character flaws. Writers Helping Writers.

Beth Revis explores the book of your heart on Janice Hardy’s Fiction University.

Chadwick Ginther interviews Julie Czerneda about returning to science fiction after a fantasy hiatus.

Then Julie appears on Jim C. Hines’ blog, answering the question, what do I call it?

Delilah S. Dawson (as Lila Bowen) talks about the silly ideas that grow into novels. Barnes & Noble.

Emily Johnson offers a step-by-step guide to home workplace organization on C.S. Lakin’s Live, Write, Thive.

Renovate you sentences with active phrasing. Chris Winkle for Mythcreants.

43 words you should cut from your manuscript immediately. Diana Urban.

David Mitchell is so over the genre wars. Salon.

More David Mitchell: In praise of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea. The Guardian.

If the novel is dead, so are we all. Junot Diaz on BigThink.

Is solarpunk the new cyberpunkpunk? SciFiIdeas.

Charlie Jane Anders reviews Maisy Williams’ guest appearance on Doctor Who. i09.

And then she took a look at Supergirl: dorky cuteness still packs a punch. i09.

Natalie Zutter reviews Supergirl for Tor.com.

Emily Asher-Perrin wonders if Marvel is shying away from a Black Widow movie because they know they’ll never get it right. Tor.com.

A short film offers a vision of post-apocalyptic Earth. Gizmodo.

And that is Tipsday.

Hang tight until next week, my friends.

And for those of you fighting the NaNo fight with me: keep writing.

Tipsday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Oct 18-24, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila

An interesting mixed bag this week.

How science helped to swing the Canadian election. The Guardian.

Michael Kimmel explains why gender equality is good for everyone, even men. TED Talks.

Shirley Cheechoo makes Brock University history. The Brock News.

Why blacks have Irish last names. Note: It was pointed out to me that there is a difference between indentured servitude and slavery. Something to keep in mind as you read. I’m not looking to be inflammatory.

Care for a road trip? You should try Ireland’s wild Atlantic way. National Geographic.

Eric Barker offers three anger management tips from neuroscience. Time.

Happiness: eight awesome new facts you should know. PsyBlog.

How solitude can change your brain in profound ways. Jane Porter for Fast Company.

i09 presents the creepy world of abandoned asylums.

The teen who hacked into the CIA Director’s email explains how he did it. Wired.

What New Horizons is showing us about Pluto’s moon, Charon. Phys.org.

Jackfruit might be a meat substitute. And yes. It’s a fruit. The Business Insider.

The Issus coleoptratus is the only insect that has biological gears. The Smithsonian.

There are whales alive today that were born before Moby Dick was written. The Smithsonian.

An animal shelter on Kauai allows visitors to take dogs on day trips. This is sweet. The Los Angeles Times.

Florence + the Machine: Delilah.

Sorry to say, but Saturday posts are on hold until NaNoWriMo is over. Then, I’ll start in on the Can-con panel reportage.

In the meantime, look forward to Tipsday and Thoughty Thursday between now and then.

Have a great weekend!

Thoughty Thursday

Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Oct 18-24, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila

Whee! The countdown to Can-con and NaNoWriMo has begun!

I’m all a-squee!

K.M. Weiland answers a reader’s question: How do I keep writing during NaNo when all I want to is watch football?

Katie describes how to make your hero’s self-sacrifice even more heart-breaking.

Jan O’Hara explores those times when dark emotions threaten your writing. Writer Unboxed.

Dan Blank compares copying others and failing vs. forging your own path on Writer Unboxed.

Veronica Sicoe looks at the power of momentum and the three c’s of productivity.

Maya Sapiurka teaches us how to cure writer’s block. Time.

C.S. MacCath gives us a strategy for writing through an emotional block.

Catherine Ryan Howard gives us a virtual tour of her writing space: where the crying happens.

Joanna Penn presents seven things to fix in your first self-edit.

Chuck Sambuchino guest posts on Carly Watters’ blog with seven tips to help you craft your novel’s pitch.

Ruthanne Reid provides a lesson in world building 101. The Write Practice.

Liz Bourke writes about strong female characters and the double standard. Tor.com.

Jamie Gold offers great tips for and examples of writing diversity (without issues).

Noah Charney describes the not-quite end of the book tour. The Atlantic.

George Saunders shares his writing education in The New Yorker.

Was there a real-life Rochester in Charlotte Bronte’s life? The Telegraph.

Has sci-fi become a 21st century religion? The Guardian.

Emil Lendof of The Daily Beast introduces us to Brian K. Vaughan, the comic visionary behind Y: The Last Man.

The Jessica Jones trailer:

And the heresy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies:

I guess it’s trailer day on Tipsday. Here’s the supercut trailer for The Force Awakens:

Charlie Jane Anders lists 50 science fiction movies that everyone should see at least once. i09.

Grammarly shares 20 jokes for grammar nerds.

BuzzFeed presents 17 rooms for book lovers.

Seven celebrities recite Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” MentalFloss.

Come on back for Thoughty Thursday!

Tipsday

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, October 11-17, 2015

/ Melanie Marttila / 2 Comments

Making up for last week!

Here are 13 reasons we need a change in government up here. Press Progress. And guess what? We got it (!) For better or worse. I hope for better. Really, anything’s got to be better.

Providing safe drinking water on reserves (one of numerous issues First Nations face) is simple. Just do it. The Globe and Mail.

Ken Taylor, the Canadian envoy who hid Americans during Iran Hostage Crisis, died last week. NPR.

Brainpickings has unearthed a rare BBC interview with Carl Jung.

Understanding sleep paralysis. IFLS.

The Psychiatric Times reviews the DSM-5 changes for sleep-wake disorders.

How we might cure Alzheimer’s (TED talks):

IFLS explains why you shouldn’t wear a bra. Your boobs will thank you 🙂

Eight things Michelle Coombs is too old for. The Huffington Post.

Bizarre star may suggest the existence of alien civilisations. BBC.

i09 lists five gruesome murders that inspired spooky ghost stories.

600 year old Henry V warship found in Hampshire river. The Telegraph.

Chivalry isn’t dead. You just don’t know what the fuck it is. Myths retold.

Doctors take women’s pain less seriously. The Atlantic.

Jennifer Lawrence speaks out on wage inequality in Hollywood. Salon.

A male engineering student explains why his female colleagues aren’t his equals. Click-bait title for a fair and thoughtful post. The Huffington Post.

Meg Urry writes about ending sexual harassment in astronomy. We need to do this across not only STEM fields, but all fields. Seriously people. Scientific American.

How California’s largest school district blamed an eighth-grader for her rape. This one made me swear. Copiously. The Atlantic.

Nobody cares how hard you work. 99u.

Ravens can tell if you’re a cheater who can’t be trusted. Corvus corvus rocks my world 🙂 IFLS.

Twin pandas were born last week at the Toronto Metro Zoo. IFLS.

Here’s a Red Panda and a pumpkin 🙂

I hope this will hold you until Saturday when I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the fall season television shows (what I’ve seen so far, at least).

Hang in there. Tomorrow’s Friday.

Now, hie thee to a thoughtery!

Thoughty Thursday