Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, March 21-27, 2021

It’s almost the end of March (!) and time to get your informal writerly learnings on 🙂

Erika Liodice shares some lessons found in a lost year. Heather Webb: your writing process says you’re a failure. Later in the week, John J. Kelley shows you what happens when everything changes—capturing profound character moments. Then, Desmond Hall shares his Desmond’s Drops for March. Writer Unboxed

Jill Bearup analyzes the Max vs. Furiosa fight from Mad Max: Fury Road.

K.M. Weiland continues her archetypal character arcs series with part seven: the mage arc. Helping Writers Become Authors

In search of absolute beauty. Like Stories of Old

Janice Hardy points out two words that lead to a stronger novel. Then, she explains how to show (and not tell) without raising your word count. OMG, do I ever need this! Fiction University

Shaelin helps you deal with creative slumps, writer’s block, and low motivation. Favourite quote: “That’s the bitch of capitalism, baby!” Shaelin Writes

Lisa Cooper Ellison wants you to beware of chapter-by-chapter critiques. Then, Susan DeFreitas lists three pitfalls when writing from your own life. Later in the week, Sharon Oard Warner helps you find your way to the end. Jane Friedman

Dr. Erica Brozovsky explores the unexpected origins of the word monster (w/ Dr. Zarka). Otherwords | PBS Storied

Elizabeth Spann Craig helps you handle perfectionism. The perfect is the enemy of the good.

Becca Puglisi asks, what is your character’s emotional shielding and why does it matter? Writers Helping Writers

Nathan Bransford explains how to write clear physical description.

Savannah Cordova busts some of the biggest myths in the publishing industry. Then, Marina Barakatt recounts how the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl takes over comics: not just dudes in tights. Later in the week, Gabriela Pereira interviews Simon Stephenson about voice, emotion, and metastory in a “mistopia.” Then, Stephanie Kane wants you to look at the bigger story. Gracie Bialecki shares five ways to have a healthy relationship of your writing group. DIY MFA

The serial killer trope, explained. The Take

Lisa Hall-Wilson shows you two ways to help readers connect emotionally with your characters. Later in the week, Ellen Buikema lists ten ideas for inspiring your writing with music. Writers in the Storm

Cordia Pearson: horses as change agents in fantasy. Dan Koboldt

Chris Winkle explains how to pace your story. Then, Oren Ashkenazi shares six principles for becoming a better worldbuilder. Mythcreants

David Shield: this Saskatchewan college is home to some of the rarest books in the world. CBC

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you found something to support your current work in progress.

Until Thursday, be well and stay safe!

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, Jan 10-16, 2021

Welcome to another thoughty Thursday! Time to get your mental corn popping. Read on …

Everything we can’t say. A new project by Black journalists that will totally be worth watching.

Sonia Moghe: New York attorney general sues NYPD for “brutal” handling of George Floyd protestors. CNN

Lois Beckett reveals that US police three times more likely to use force against leftwing protestors. The Guardian

Simukai Chigudu documents his life in the shadow of Cecil Rhodes: colonialism had never really ended. The Guardian

Marissa Evans shares the relentlessness of Black grief. The Atlantic

Gulbahar Haitiwaji and Rozenn Morgat recount how Haitiwaji survived a Chinese “re-education” camp for Uighurs. The Guardian

Why do we lie? It’s okay to be smart

Doyle Rice: 2020 falls just short of Earths hottest year on record as global warming continues. USA Today

Karla Cripps and Shawn Deng report that China’s new bullet train can withstand extremely cold temperatures. A precursor to Snowpiercer? CNN

Using microbes to mine on Mars. SciShow Space

We come from the stars: Indigenous astronomy, astronauts, and star stories. CBC’s Unreserved

Icelanders celebrate the end of Christmas with bonfires for the elves. Iceland Wonder

Timothy Roberts introduces us to photographer Drew Doggett, who captures fairy-tale-like horses roaming Iceland’s beautiful landscape. Greater Good News

Kevin Duong examines the symbolism of the French Revolution. Flash mob: revolution, lightning, and the people’s will. The Public Domain Review

Julian Lewis explains how El Anastui broke the seal on contemporary art. The New Yorker

Wild cephalopod ink. SciShow

Thanks for visiting. I hope you took away something to inspire your next creative project.

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

Thoughty Thursday: Things that made me go hmmmm on the interwebz, June 17-23, 2018

Happy Friday eve! Let’s get your mental corn popping so you can make it through to the weekend 🙂

Valerie Valdes turned her twitter stream into a post because we need to hear this message. And it’s not just for millennials. It applies to everyone: smart kids eventually grow up. A Candle in Sunshine

Andrew Zalesky wonders, is there any truth to anti-aging schemes? Popular Science

ASAP Science: Can loneliness kill you?

 

Inverse: Your brain on kittens with Shannon Odell.

 

SciShow Psych: Are there “male” and “female” brains?

 

Samanth Subramanian: the world’s top art-forgery detective explains how to spot a perfect fake. The Guardian

Sarah Scoles reports on how NASA is learning the best way to grow food in space. Popular Science

Seán Doran: Gorganum Chaos (there’s also gorganum chaos 2, if you’re interested)

 

Peter Gwin: the horses that changed history. The Wall Street Journal (yes, really)

Lia Eustachewich: how Koko forever changed the way we think about gorillas. It’s heartbreaking that this compassionate and independent spirit is gone. The New York Post

Ze Frank’s True Facts: The Fruit Bat. This may be an old one, but it’s still hilarious.

 

Florence + the Machine – Big God

 

I hope you enjoyed your edutainment for the week, and possibly got some inspiration for your work-in-progress.

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

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Tipsday: Writerly Goodness found on the interwebz, Sept 3-9, 2017

Here are your informal writerly learnings for the first full week of September (!)

K.M. Weiland continues her most common writing mistakes with part 62: head-hopping POV. Helping Writers Become Authors

Colleen M. Story explains how your time personality influences your writing productivity. Writers in the Storm

Susan Spann explains the law (and ethics) of conference blogging. Writers in the Storm

James Scott Bell stops by the Writers Helping Writers coaches’ corner: using the novel journal to make writing breakthroughs.

Vaughn Roycroft is fortified by gratitude. Writer Unboxed

Donald Maass muses on what makes a journey. Writer Unboxed

Here’s the second part of my exploration of The Hero’s Journey on DIY MFA.

Crash Course Mythology – The Hero’s Journey and the Monomyth. They do a really good job of illustrating how some of the stages of The Hero’s Journey are optional, or can be shifted 🙂

 

Leanne Sowul: it’s back to school time at DIY MFA—what do you want to learn?

Kristen Lamb explains why suffering is essential for great fiction.

Jeff Lyons returns to Jami Gold’s blog to bust the rest of the top ten writing myths.

Rachel Chaney is Dan Koboldt’s equine expert for this article: matching horses to use, climate, and characters in fiction.

And then, Judith Tarr contributed in praise of the hard-working fantasy horse to the Tor.com blog. What do these ladies have against Friesians, anyway?

Rebecca Solnit: if I were a man. The Guardian

Isabella Biedenharn: Libba Bray has some thoughts on this all-female Lord of the Flies remake. Entertainment Weekly

What growing up in the sulphur city taught me about beauty. Christine Schrum on the Latitude 46 blog.

Cat Rambo announces that games writers will be eligible for an award in the 2018 Nebulas. Geekwire podcast.

Tor.com presents Ursula K. Le Guin’s introduction to the Library of America’s The Hainish Novels & Stories, volume one.

OMG. Droughtlander’s almost over! Actually, the first ep will have aired by the time I post this. Still. OUTLANDER!

 

Ever think Gandalf was a dick? Well, so does Emily Asher-Perrin: five things Gandalf should have admitted instead of being a jerk. (ROFL-hilarious) Tor.com

So I went to WorldCon in August, eh? This happened. The Tea & Jeopardy live podcast taping with George R.R. (Really Really) Martin!

 

Enjoy, and be well until Thoughty Thursday!

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