5296 Easier said than done, right? Especially when you’re criticized for doing it. Lots of adults want to learn how to play a musical instrument, but hang it up when they realize they have go through a period where they’re going to suck before anything even remotely sounds good. People will hear them, roll their … Read more
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5301 You know what I’m talking about.
5302 I came across this while listening to Elon being interviewed by Lex Friedman on his podcast. It’s interesting to see his thought process when approaching manufacturing and business. For us mere mortals just trying to get difficult things done, the first three are good starting points for pretty much anything. Elon Musk’s 5-step algorithm, … Read more
5303 Because it’s a way to put your thoughts about the world and life on the page in the context of a story. A story populated by real people you’ve made up, in a real world you’ve invented, doing real things that are, of course, fictional. But, while I’m working on it, I get to … Read more
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5305 I’m of the opinion that nobody will bother to read far enough to even discover the plot unless the characters are interesting — so for me, it’s all about the characters. Mind you, others may feel differently, but hey, that’s why there are so many writers. This topic is weird though, or rather, I’m … Read more
5306 The man’s words ran on a repeated loop in his brain, 24/7. ”If you know you’re going to have to shoot, then shoot. Hesitating is only going to get you killed.” It was wartime, Skip thought. I did what I had to. The problem was, regret doesn’t care about why. Regret’s about wishing you … Read more
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5308 Released 37 years ago, directed by Tim Hunter and written by Neil Jimenez, this is both a once-seen-never-forgotten and “how the fuck did this ever get made” film from 1987. Essentially a story about neglected youth growing up in a society that values nothing, it opens with a hulking teen sitting on a riverbank, … Read more
5309 Is there a kind of scare that books can’t provide no matter how hard they try? Fiction can do anything. — Stephen Graham Jones
5310 Knowing something about your characters past will help you understand why they are responding to situations the way they do. Think about it: your personality and prior experiences determine your actions, and from the outside they may appear surprising and unexpected. This is what you want in fiction — to surprise the reader with … Read more
5312 I’ve been watering my garden for a while now, patiently nurturing it and waiting. Recently I can feel something growing, assembling itself, preparing to burst forth. Almost ready…
5313 Some books have a way of transporting the reader into a very definite world — a time and place so real it might as well have come from your own life — but it didn’t. How does this happen? It’s kind of a magic trick, really. I don’t think it happens because the writer … Read more
5315 When in doubt — take a deep breath and dive the fuck in.