Abd el-Kader ~ Worthwhile Longform Essay
08 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
From the Rany on the Royals blog. Rany writes well on the humanity of his ancestor; Abd el-Kader and the Massacre of Damascus.
8 Rules for Writing Fiction ~ Kurt Vonnegut
21 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
- Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
- Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
- Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
- Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.
- Start as close to the end as possible.
- Be a sadist. Now matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
- Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
- Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
Vonnegut, Kurt Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 1999.
Finish Your Novel in 4 Simple Steps
09 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Writing
There is no such thing as great writing, only great editing. Short, effective article on how to move quickly to the editing phase.
America learns a new word: GOOOOOOAAAAL!
25 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in Enthusiasm Tags: sports, USA
A physicist, engineer and a statistician are out hunting.
15 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
A physicist, engineer and a statistician are out hunting. Suddenly, a deer appears 50 yards away.
The physicist does some basic ballistic calculations, assuming a vacuum, lifts his rifle to a specific angle, and shoots. The bullet lands 5 yards short.
The engineer adds a fudge factor for air resistance, lifts his rifle slightly higher, and shoots. The bullet lands 5 yards long.
The statistician yells “We got him!”
Improbable Deniability
15 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in Quotes Tags: Hoffman, trust
“Some things, however, are true no matter how hard you might try to block them out, and a lie is always a lie, no matter how prettily told. Some doors, once they’re opened, can never be closed again, just as some trust, once it’s been lost, can never be won back.†~Alice Hoffman
TEDTalks: Simon Sinek ~ How great leaders inspire action
09 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in Inspiration, Motivation Tags: leadership, Sinek, TED Talks
I Got It (What You Need) ~ Galactic and Lyrics Born
09 Jun 2010 10 Comments
in Music Tags: galactic, lyrics
I’ve been trying to figure out he lyrics for this awesome funk song. Can you help me?
You got to step [out | up ] on the corner, man. You know I got what you need, baby.
[something] Oh!
[Chorus]
You want it? Baby, I got it.
You need it? Baby, come get it.
You want it? Baby, I got whatchya need, watchya need, watchya need, watchya need?
[Repeat Chorus]
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