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Recent Posts
- No! I’m Not Insane
- Is “Show Don’t Tell” Good Advice?
- What Exactly is Imagery?
- The Writing Sampler
- Classics Don’t Qualify as Comps
- Dealing with Painful Critiques
- The Power of Laughter
- Scoring Your Sense of Humor
- Why Do We Read Emotions?
- Distinguishing types of laughter
- Why Not AI?
- The Price of Staying Connected
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Author Archives: knlistman
No! I’m Not Insane
Have you ever seen Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs inverted so it is upside down? If you are a writer or any kind of creative person, you should familiarize yourself with this. It is balanced on the tiny point of self-actualization … Continue reading
Is “Show Don’t Tell” Good Advice?
When running out of advice to help a struggling author improve their novel, a more seasoned author may point out the benefits of showing rather than telling. What exactly does that mean? Unless you are producing a picture book, it … Continue reading
Posted in Literary devices, Novels, Writer's resource
Tagged books, Creative writing, Description, Fiction, show don't tell, Writing, writing-tips
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What Exactly is Imagery?
What is the difference between describing details and creating imagery? Perhaps I should ask what is the difference in describing details that are exquisite and those full of boring minutia. The concept is difficult to explain because it does depend … Continue reading
Posted in Showing versus telling, Writer's resource
Tagged books, Description, details, imagery, Literature, Philosophy, poetry, Writing
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The Writing Sampler
I recall a time when I could amble through a mall and be approached by marketing interviewers. If I fit the criteria, I could spend twenty minutes of time providing my opinion in exchange for a few dollars or coupons … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Ideas for writing, Literature, Teaching writing skills
Tagged books, content, critiques, Fiction, grammar, Publishing, trends, Writing, writing-tips
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Classics Don’t Qualify as Comps
Before attending my first writer’s conference in Oklahoma, I poured over the biography of all the speakers. Each one was asked to disclose a classic novel in their want to read list. Despite the different books listed I was shocked … Continue reading
Posted in Drama and movies, Literary devices, Psychology, Teaching writing skills, Trends in books
Tagged agent, books, comparable-comp, dark-fiction, dostoevsky, Fiction, Literature, Publishing, Writing
3 Comments
Dealing with Painful Critiques
Educators often do not recognize their most creative students. I witnessed examples of this behavior as teachers described which poems they preferred in an anthology written by students. The cheerful rhyming poems were often considered better than those dealing with … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity
Tagged Alex Osbourn, brainstorming, business, Creativity, critique, Education, neurodivirgent, research, teaching, Writing
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The Power of Laughter
Evidently girls between the ages of 11 and 18 all over the world laugh more than any other group. They even laugh when nothing is particularly amusing. However, the very sound of an initial giggle seems to generate the impulse … Continue reading
Posted in Laughter and humor, Manipulation, Persuasion
Tagged humor, laughter, life, Mental health, placating, protection, Writing
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Scoring Your Sense of Humor
My patience is often short with motivational speakers. They may tell interesting stories but often their techniques only work for themselves. I listen to one who was humorous enough to get a chuckle out of his audience. However, afterward in … Continue reading
Posted in Laughter and humor, Mental health
Tagged decoding, Humor Orientation Scale, humor research, laughter, malaproprisms, puns
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Why Do We Read Emotions?
In the last blog I described the difference between real and faked laughter. Both are quite useful and will be heard in the feasts that mark the cooler seasons in the United States. We indulge in food and conversation at … Continue reading
Distinguishing types of laughter
The muffled giggle, the high pitch twitter, the polished chuckle, the wheezing chortle, and the deep belly laugh can all be taken differently depending on who is uttering the sound. Real involuntary laughter is often contagious in groups, one person … Continue reading
Posted in Group psychology, Ideas for writing, Laughter and humor
Tagged Fantasy, Fiction, humor, laughter, Short story
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