Vonnegut on how to write a short story

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things–reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.

Read more and watch the video at openculture.com: http://www.openculture.com/2012/06/kurt_vonneguts_eight_tips_on_how_to_write_a_good_short_story.html

I am NEVER ever guilty of tip number 6. No, no. Not me.

We’ve added years to life, not life to years...

‎"We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much. 

We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living but not a life. 

We’ve added years to life, not life to years."

- George Carlin 1937 - 2008

Fantasy Writing

I am not about to go writing all out fantasy, but this blog struck true, and I am an old Pratchett fan and a new Gaimen fan. Go read it and my other fellow bloggers over on Mslexia: http://www.mslexia.co.uk/blog/2012/01/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-dragons/

Go on and write

"You can write twice as well now as you ever could. All you need to do is write truly and not care about what the fate of it is. 

Go on and write. "


On May 10th of 1934, a month after the publication of his new novel, Tender Is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote to his friend, Ernest Hemingway, and asked for his honest opinion on the book — a tale about Dick and Nicole Diver, a couple based largely on mutual acquaintances of both Fitzgerald and Hemingway: Gerald and Sara Murphy.

Hemingway certainly responded with honesty. His engrossing reply — a letter that contains plenty of advice for any writer — can be read below.


READ MORE: http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/04/forget-your-personal-tragedy.html

A L Kennedy: Why I hate the myth of the suffering artist

'It is absurd and insulting to assume artists are assisted by despair or hunger in a way that, say, plumbers are not'


http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2012/apr/02/myth-of-the-suffering-artist

Home of the Future

In the first episode, the family discover what rest and relaxation will be like, as they road test some of the latest sleep-enabling gadgets, designed to help them fall asleep quicker, stay asleep longer, stop snoring, and monitor the quality of their kip. There are even brainwave-controlled meditation games.

The programme also reveals what a fully automated house is like, with everything from the blinds and the lights to the music and the TV controlled from a 'smart' device. And forget about a front door key; the house now has a computer-controlled thumb print door entry system!

For the first time, youngest son Leon gets a space all to himself - a bedroom in the garden - while mum Michele tries out the latest driver-aided cars, which do the difficult job of parallel parking for her, and presenter Chris finds out about the future of driverless cars.

There are also robot lawnmowers that cut the grass by themselves and a mini power station installed in the house to provide electricity for the new technological toys.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/home-of-the-future/4od

Panorama: Hunting the Internet Bullies

Online bullying is rapidly growing in size and intensity. A new breed of self-styled "trolls" are stalking social networking websites, aiming their vicious attacks at victims who range from TV celebrities to grieving teenagers.

Declan Lawn meets X Factor star Cher Lloyd, who describes how cyber attacks are ruining her life, and highlights a new survey revealing that one in thirteen young people face persistent online bullying. Panorama tracks down some of the bullies and asks: what more could be done to stop them?



http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01c00y3/Panorama_Hunting_the_Internet_Bullies/