Author Archives: knlistman

Creating a team-like atmosphere in classes

Posted on March 23, 2019

Originally posted on Write about what?:
Imagine a group of athletes from different sport that all have a  general idea about playing positions in the other sports. However, they  have little  to no idea how their skills stack up against…

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What is the purpose of education?

Posted on March 16, 2019

Originally posted on Write about what?:
What does a railroad have to do with the purpose of education?  It has more to do with what it should not be. So what exactly is the purpose of obtaining an education? If…

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What’s in Style in Words?

Posted on March 9, 2019

Adolescents are known for following fads in fashion. Buying clothes which they wouldn’t dare be seen in the next year. Only, I’m seeing styles that keep coming back. The tendency towards fads has moved on into the world of books. … Continue reading →

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Writing the car wreck

Posted on March 2, 2019

Imagine a movie scene from the seventies or eighties– a car veers out of control over the edge of a cliff  and tumbles end-over-end finally exploding  at the bottom of the ravine. We’ll never know who that unfortunate driver was. … Continue reading →

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Mastering the ambiguous character

Posted on February 16, 2019

Recently I started reading two different stories with a peculiar similarity. In one the romantic male lead had olive skin, and dark hair and eyes. The other had tanned skin and raven black hair–both variations of tall, dark and handsome. … Continue reading →

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Kick starting a story

Posted on February 9, 2019

Many writers believe that most readers will only read a novel that grabs their attention from the first page. A dramatic episode must unfold in the first paragraph. I witnessed a workshop in which writers were coached to do just … Continue reading →

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Present tense prose

Posted on February 2, 2019

Since the popularity of The Hunger Game series and the awards won by All the Light We Cannot See, a trend is fiction is the use of present tense. This style is touted as making the character’s actions more intimate … Continue reading →

Posted in Literary devices, Literature, Poetry, The writer's voice, Writer's resource, writing trends | Leave a comment

Stories for the new stars

Posted on December 31, 2018

Walking beneath the of faces of stars glowing from two story tall billboards, I glanced down at the stars embedded into the side walk—at least when they were not covered by the feet of the crowds on Sunset Strip. Above … Continue reading →

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The strong female character

Posted on December 23, 2018

Recently, I read three short stories dealing with female characters of different strengths. None of them exactly fit the common meme of the female warrior—who can take on man larger than her and physically defeat him while remaining stoically detached … Continue reading →

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Creative mess

Posted on December 15, 2018

Originally posted on Write about what?:
Psychologists often study creativity like a kind of pathology, researching causes of creativity, methods to diagnosis it, and determining best practices. The creative person is often contradictory because the strongest drive in creative people…

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