Ukraine

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, July 31-Aug 6, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

It is time, my writerly friends, to get your mental corn popping!

Dylan Lovan reports that feds charge four police officers in fatal Breonna Taylor raid. Associated Press

“A specific form of anti-Black racism”: scholars want Canadian apology for slavery on Emancipation Day. CTV News

Saba Aziz: hate crime reports in Canada surged during covid-19 pandemic: StatCan. Global News

Wency Leung wonders, is there a covid-19 endgame still in sight with BA.5 spreading fast? Not with vaccines alone. The Globe and Mail

Natalia Zinets says there’s a glimmer of hope as Ukraine grain ship leaves Odessa port. Reuters

Matthew Lee, Nomaan Merchant, and Aamer Madhani: Biden declares killing of al-Qaida leader is long-sought “justice.” Associated Press

The four things you need to be an expert. Vertasium

Arthur C. Brooks explains how to embrace doing nothing. Like literally. The Atlantic

Tracy Brower: this is how job stress can worsen your health, according to science. Fast Company

Lindsay Kohler explains why boredom at work is more dangerous than burnout. Forbes

Clark Quinn wonders if learning and development (L&D) language is limiting? Learnlets

Harold Jarche is navigating complexity (in personal knowledge management).

How Fahrenheit fails you. Answer in Progress

Ashley Strickland: rare type of galaxy dazzles in new Webb telescope image. CNN

Why is puberty so weird? Be Smart

Ian Sample reports that scientists create world’s first synthetic embryos. It’s more about understanding how organs develop in a fetus and the potential for growing transplants from stem cells like bone marrow for leukemia patients. The Guardian

Jill K. Robinson: in Polynesia, tattoos are more than skin deep. National Geographic

Allyson Chiu says when celebrities use private jets excessively, it’s a climate nightmare. The Washington Post

True facts: the self-sacrificing amoeba. Ze Frank

Thank you for visiting. I hope you took away something to support a future creative project.

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

Thoughty Thursday: Popping your mental corn, June 12-18, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

It’s thoughty Thursday, and you know what that means. It’s time to get your mental corn popping!

Guy Kawasaki interviews John Biewen, author, journalist, and documentarian, about the origins of racism. The Remarkable People Podcast

Jon talks with Isabel Wilkerson about white resentment. The Problem with Jon Stewart

Jazmin Graves Eyssallenne introduces us to Mumbai, where Indian Ocean diasporas and cosmopolitanisms meet. JSTOR Daily

Hans van der Burchard, Clea Caulcutt, Christopher Miller, and Jules Darmanin: Germany, France, and Italy back EU candidate status for Ukraine. Politico

Danica Kirka: UK cancels first flight deporting asylum-seekers to Rwanda. Associated Press

Marie Woolf reports that the “Whiskey War” between Canada and Denmark over tiny arctic island ends peacefully with deal. CTV News

Cameron Mclean reports that retired priest, 92, charged after decade-long investigation into residential school sexual assault. CBC

Peggy Lam reveals that specialized clinics to treat long covid are in demand, and physicians say they can’t keep up. CBC

Jessica Stilllman suggests you try this magic two-minute, research-backed trick for a better night’s sleep. Inc.

Romano Santos wonders, are you sleeping properly? Vice

Emily Graslie explains how shoulders took over the world. SciShow

Jessica Thiefels shares everything you need to be happier, according to science. Fast Company

Clark Quinn: critical instructional design (ID)/learning experience design (LXD) differences? Learnlets

Rachel Triesman advises the best way to was the Strawberry Full Moon (on June 14th). NPR

Marcia Dunn reports that NASA launches study of UFOs despite “reputational risk.” Associated Press

Diana introduces us to a new phase of matter: 4th dimensional time crystals. Physics Girl

Olivia Box: turf algae and kelp forests. JSTOR Daily

Katie Hunt explains why cats go crazy for catnip. CNN

Thank you for spending some time with me. I hope you took away something to inspire a future creative project.

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

Tipsday: Informal writerly learnings, May 1-7, 2022

/ Melanie Marttila

Ah, Tuesday. Monday has been endured/survived and we’re one day closer to the weekend. Fortify yourself for the rest of the week with some informal writerly learnings!

Lauren J. Sharkey is aimlessly acquiring and agent. Then, Adam W. Burgess helps you build your LGBTQ+ summer reading list. Gabriela Pereira interviews Jessi Honard and Marie Parks about using the “loop method” to co-write your novel. Later in the week, Mary Adkins suggests your best writing goal based on your enneagram number. DIY MFA

Five easy ways to get story ideas. Reedsy

Greer Macallister says you can’t do it all. Then, Sarah Penner talks about hiding your villain in plain sight. Donald Maass: it’s simple. It’s complicated. It’s a novel. Keith Cronin offers some tough love from a guy named Francis. Then, Liz Michalski says hello, village. Writer Unboxed

What’s wrong with Calanthe’s armour? Jill Bearup

K.M. Weiland explains the role of the antagonist in story structure (part 1 of 2). Helping Writers Become Authors

Brooke Warner says we all need to be protected against predatory publishing practices. Then, Kristen Tsetsi interviews Alan Davis about the benefits of MFA programs. Anne Carley: not a journal person? Post-pandemic might be the perfect time to start. Jane Friedman

Five things I got (very) wrong about writing craft. Shaelin Writes

September C. Fawkes shows you how to use crisis to reveal character. Writers Helping Writers

Lisa Norman explains what to do if you’ve been hacked! Or have you? Later in the week, Kris Maze explains how to create a powerful synopsis to sell your book. Writers in the Storm

Kristen Lamb discusses the mother wound and fiction.

Why has the majestic griffin been forgotten? Monstrum | PBS Storied

Tiffany Yates Martin explains how Rochelle Weinstein revises: building grassroots success. Fox Print Editorial

Chris Winkle reveals how to make your craft more pretentious. Oren Ashkenazi: no, social justice warriors aren’t reducing diversity in fiction. Mythcreants

The worldview genre: stories about maturation, disillusionment, and revelation. Story Grid

The quarter life crisis is more stressful than ever. The Take

Clara Pasieka: Cree author, David A. Robertson questions why Durham District School Board removed his book from shelves. CBC

How libraries became a quiet battlefront in the war on Ukraine. CBC

Ukraine’s national poet. JSTOR Daily

Thanks for taking the time to visit. I hope you took away something to support your current work in progress.

Until Thursday, be well and stay safe!