Steven Barnes's Blog, page 13

“Epic!”

Jewel Barnett said THIS of Saturday’s brainstorming session, where Tananarive and I are writing a story in a month with a sentence a day, starting TOMORROW:

 

“This was so epic!!  I was so amazed at how everything flowed and the learning and sharing was definitely out of this world!”

 

There will be 3 more Saturday sessions, and you can join any time, as the previous sessions will be made available (hey, I’m taking today off.  Don’t bug me!).  You can still sign up at: www.lifewrite.com

 

Wha...

Spiders and Draining Swamps

If there is something hurting you from your past, that pain is there because your unconscious is trying to get your attention.  IF you can extract the lesson from it, and really LEARN it, then your deep mind will no longer be concerned that that particular problem will hurt you again, and stop investing emotional juice in fear responses.  IF you learn the lesson, then you can release the emotion.  If you still have the negative emotions…you didn’t learn the lesson.

 

For instance,  when I was...

More WHAT > WHY > HOW

 

I pointed Jason at the wall sign of  rules for his Morning Ritual, the things we do in the five minutes we spent every morning.  First, remember, we hug. NO MATTER HOW STRESSFUL THE PREVIOUS NIGHT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.

 

The things on the list are things like “check homework” “check spelling” “go over math”  “explain anything parent doesn’t understand” and so forth.  About ten different distinct steps from the book “How to Double Your Child’s Grades In School” by Eugene Schwartz.

 

I asked him:...

Another Success Story! You’re Next!

“Hey, I wanted you to know that the story I wrote during the class I took with y’all (a few years back) is up on Apex Magazine’s site. It’s called “A Siren’s Cry is a Song of Sorrow”. (The writing prompt was write about something you never told anyone.) Thanks so much for the class. It was really useful for me!”–Stina Leicht

https://www.apex-magazine.com/a-sirens-cry-is-a-song-of-sorrow/

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Do you have any idea how happy it makes us to get letters like this?  THIS IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT.  ...

A Pair of Questions

 

I would like some help from the readers. ONLY those who believe in human equality will be able to answer this question.  But I won’t forbid others from trying.

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My perspective is that there is parity between races and genders in terms of mentation and morality.  A fascinating series of conclusions can be drawn about history and current events if one sticks to this…and it is HARD.  The drive to believe “our tribe” is superior is so strong that few can really resist it.  Sometimes I think i...

First, Get Your Head Right

I was listening to a video of a lady named Stacey Martino, an internet millionaire who coaches broken marriages, talking about how she would get it all back if she lost everything. No money, product, reputation, Rolodex, NOTHING except her knowledge of how she did it the first time.    WHAT WOULD SHE DO IN THE FIRST MONTH?

 

What a great question!   The thing that was so terrific is that she really could access that place inside herself.  The scenario HAD really happened (as if often true of...

Equality or Bust

I talk about faith-based arguments. That’s because at the core, any argument dealing with the nature of human beings cannot be totally proven with logical, deductive reasoning. Ultimately, there is an element of “best guess” involved. People decide on a position, see if their world fits from that perspective, and usually then go on with their lives.

When it comes to this arena, in both race and gender, I find that starting with the assumption of equality produces fewer errors…and less horrifi...

Enough is enough

I have a commitment to being reasonable and balanced, as well as polite.   This makes me consider that great set of questions about any statement or position:

1) Is it true?

2) Is it useful?

3) Is it kind?

The first two bars are easy to cross for the following thoughts. That last one…”kind” is useful in the sense that it is a kindness to shoot a rabid dog.  Even Cujo would have wanted to die rather than hurt the ones he loved.   So if there are people this might tweak a bit, that discomfort i...

Who Knows what evil (and self sabotage) lurks in the hearts of writers?

I’ve been having such a wonderful time working on the script (Hint: the initials of the title are “MS”) that I am overwhelmed with gratitude. No, I have no idea if I’ll be able to sell it, or if it will get made, or if it will be good.  If I focus on those things, I’ll go crazy.  My task is to focus on what is right in front of me: doing the very best job I can bringing these characters and this situation to life.

 

I was a lonely, bespectacled, nerdish little kid, who lost himself in books a...

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Here are Satu...