Matthew Arnold Stern's Blog, page 64
August 9, 2013
How to Be Happy (When There Is No Reason to Be)
Happiness becomes a problem when you’re expected to be happy all the time. That’s not possible. Even Disneyland, “The Happiest Place on Earth,” isn’t happy all the time. Driving for 20 minutes to find a parking space isn’t happy. Waiting an hour and a half for a ride isn’t happy. Paying $7 for a Diet …
July 29, 2013
Does fiction have to stick with the facts?
As President Reagan said, facts are stubborn things. This is especially true when you’re trying to tell a story. When I started my new novel, The Ghosts of Reseda High, I based my story on school starting in mid-September as it has in Los Angeles since probably the beginning of public education. This year, the …
July 20, 2013
Why speakers need eye contact from listeners
As a speaker, you need to give the appropriate amount of eye contact to your listeners. But you also need to get eye contact from your audience. Their eye contact provides valuable information that can help you give your speech. What to Look for when People Look at You Eye contact helps you gauge the …
July 8, 2013
“The youth of old age”
I’m about to start my third year of my fifties, and I’m not liking this age very much. When a decade of my life starts with appendicitis, it can’t be a good sign. Although my fifties have given me my first international trip and enabled me to afford all sorts of cool and useful gadgets, …
June 30, 2013
Germany, Paula Deen, and the Burden of History
I had a wonderful business trip in Germany. I went to Freiburg, a charming city at the foot of the Black Forest with a cathedral dating from the Middle Ages and a modern concern for the environment. The people were friendly and patiently accepted my inability to speak German. I enjoyed delicious food and great …
June 15, 2013
Why I publish independently
When I finished my first novel Offline in 2004, I had a choice. I could have gone through the traditional route and found an agent, who would find a publisher, who would take the book through the production process until it wound up in bookstores. Or I could publish my book independently and get it …
June 13, 2013
Advice to fathers
Twenty years ago, I became a father for the first time. When the doctor handed me my newborn daughter, I wished he also handed me a manual that told me how to be a father. But if such a manual existed, it would have to be revised monthly. Errata pages would be released on a …
June 6, 2013
How not to be an “Ugly American”…when abroad
I’m about to take my first international trip. So, I can no longer say that I’m one of the majority of Americans who don’t have a passport. The need not to be an “Ugly American” is even more important when you’re a guest in another country. As Americans, we want to make a good impression …
May 25, 2013
How to write about heroes (and be one)
What makes a true hero, at least in a story? Joseph Campbell had many great things to say about the hero’s journey, and we can see them in popular works such as Star Wars and the Harry Potter series. I think that the heroes we enjoy the most are people like us. We can relate …
May 19, 2013
The gift of feedback
Feedback is valuable and, when presented properly, inspirational. Feedback can help us build upon the things we already do well and give us direction on how to do better. How do we give feedback that helps someone, and how do we use the feedback we get? Giving Feedback To give effective feedback, you need to …
