Robyn Paterson's Blog, page 29
June 13, 2014
TNG Theme on an NES Keytar
The coolest thing you’re going to hear today:
June 12, 2014
Flashpulp Podcast
Each Summer, as part of my change in routine, I go through the list of podcasts that I listen to and swap out a few old ones for something new. I might go back to the old ones in September, but to keep things fresh I like to try out new shows during the Summer when my news and politics podcasts tend to fall prey to the Summer doldrums.
One recent podcast I’ve begun listening to is the Flashpulp Podcast, written by fellow Ontarian JRD Skinner and produced by his partners in crime. For those who...
June 11, 2014
Brilliant Anti-Texting Ad
Texting while driving is now the leading cause of automobile accidents in North America, and one of the leading causes of deaths. This is a beautiful way to make that hit home!
Rob
June 10, 2014
Tom Cruise on The Nerdist Podcast
After having seen the amazing film Edge of Tomorrow on the weekend (go see it, now!) I noticed the Nerdist podcast had an interview up with Tom Cruise and so I decided to give it a listen. I’d heard Tom was an incredibly nice and gracious guy in person, and this podcast totally confirmed that. It’s a great and very personal chat between him and The Nerdist crew, which mostly focusses on his experiences in the movie industry and his thoughts about film-making in general. Given that he’s been i...
June 9, 2014
Udemy- A New Educational Model?
Udemy is a site where people can create and post online courses in subjects they’re experts in and then charge for those courses. It’s a lot like the courses people stick up on YouTube, but with extra materials, a group learning forum, possible interaction with the teacher, and possible actual certification in those subjects. Think of it like a giant online community college, and you’ll have the right idea, but one where you learn at your own pace and all teachers and courses are constantly r...
June 8, 2014
Why Your First Draft Should Suck (and That’s a Good Thing!)
I’m a couple chapters in to my newest work-in-progress, and it kinda sucks.
But that’s okay, in fact, that’s great!
Let me explain.
Of the many pieces of advice often handed out to new writers, two are in my head at the moment. The first is “It’s okay to suck.”, and the second is “The first draft is the writer telling themselves the story”. These two combine nicely to explain my feelings about the story I’m working on, and how I feel differently about it thanthe first draft forany story I’ve wri...
June 6, 2014
Cozilla: The “Lost” Italian Godzilla Release
Grab Mary Jane and prepare to ride the Galaxy Express! We’re going back to the 70′s!
The Technique of Mystery
In my travels across the net, I recently came across a book from 1914 by Carolyn Wells called The Technique of Mystery. This book is her thoughts on the theory and practice of writing mysteries, and while Ms. Wells may not have been a particularly successful mystery writer, she did put a lot of thought into the subject that even a modern writer might want to consider.
June 5, 2014
Surprise! Taking notes with pen and paper proven to be more effective.
From: For More Effective Studying, Take Notes With Pen and Paper
According to a new study,Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer of Princeton University and UCLA Los Angeles respectively, students who write out their notes by hand actually learn more than those to type their notes on laptops. Over the course of several experiments, Mueller and Oppenheimer tested students’ memories for factual detail, conceptual comprehension, and synthesizing capabilities after half of them took notes by hands and...
June 4, 2014
How Much Should You Write a Day?
Yesterday, I made a post about Tracking Your Writing Progress using a spreadsheet in an effort to develop good production habits. After I posted it, a friend wrote to me and asked how much I thought was a good number to aim for. It seems like such a simple thing, but it was an issue I struggled over myself, and still struggle over.
My initial answer to him was figure out whatever you think you can handle each day consistently, and then multiply that by 365 to get a target number. However, afte...
