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Category Archives: Literature
Kick starting a story
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
Present tense prose
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
The foundation of world building
As a child, the stories that fascinated me the most were set in other lands. As an adult, reading passages that describe an unknown world still intrigues me. Simply throwing me into a story without a describing the setting leaves … Continue reading
The art of world building
I wanted to vacation on the banks of the San Antonio River as it meandered through the center of town. The river that had once created messy floods was now encased by sidewalk with a sprinkling of shaggy bald cypress … Continue reading
Posted in Literary devices, Literature, Story structure, Writer's resource
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What makes poetry, poetry?
Originally posted on Write about what?:
As a young child I assumed poetry must rhyme. Meter was beyond my comprehension. It was only that constant repetition of ending sounds that mattered. In fifth grade, the teacher encouraged us all to…
Educational play
When I was growing up there were a few “structured” learning events outside of school. A week of nature day camp in the summer, horse riding instructions, followed by a pony we had to take care of, and piano lessons, … Continue reading
Posted in Baby boomers, Generation X, generational differences, Literature, millenials
Tagged after school activities, clubs, sports, structured play
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Did you actually read what you thought you read?
The first few years my daughter was in grade school, she would sit at the table in the breakfast nook and do homework while I prepared dinner. One evening while I stirred cracker crumbs into a meatloaf mix, she sat … Continue reading
When characters will not conform
The social psychologist Solomon Asch is famous for his experiments on how peer pressure affects our perceptions in 1950s. According to Asch if all those answering before the research participant selected the same incorrect answer approximately 76% of the people … Continue reading
Posted in Group psychology, Literature, Writer's resource
Tagged creating interesting characters, defiance, descent, deviance, difference, groups, J. Jetten, M.J. Hornsey, non conformists, rebels, rogues, S.E. Asch
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Characters and cohorts
In fiction most protagonists like most people are not complete loners. Interactions with their cohorts make up a good portion of novels, so creating these peers takes a bit of thought. What enables a real-life group to be innovative in business also makes … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Group psychology, Literature, Writer's resource
Tagged cohort, doppleganger, Foil, group diversity, maintaining status quo, work groups
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What makes a classic, a classic?
When a person refers to classic art, you automatically assume it is the style derived from classic Greek art. This style is associated with city-states on a small Greek peninsula beginning about 500 B.C. and ending 323 B.C., at the death … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Educational trends, Literature, Poetry
Tagged architecture, art, Classic, empire, Harold Bloom, Literature, Shakespeare
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