Bill Cheng's Blog, page 121
March 9, 2013
Jeffrey Rotter takes on Laser Tag
“Media psychologist” Dr. Harris Stratyner contended that the game desensitizes children to killing. The local media took up the question: isn’t this game exactly the type of pretend violence that could provoke someone to commit acts of real-world aggression? So I decided to see for myself if one afternoon of iCombat would turn me—and my mild-mannered friends—into cold-blooded killers.
Read the whole piece at The Atlantic Cities.
March 8, 2013
myimaginarybrooklyn:
Raymond Chandler, Trouble Is My...
Raymond Chandler, Trouble Is My Business.
“It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands’ necks. Anything can happen.”
speakcelebrity:
“Afterwards” by Thomas Hardy
Read by Jeremy...
“Afterwards” by Thomas Hardy
Read by Jeremy Irons
Music by Jon Lord and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
laboratoryequipment:
First Early Human Fossil Found in Africa...
First Early Human Fossil Found in Africa Goes on Display
Just over 90 years ago a discovery was made that started a fascinating journey exploring human evolution in Africa. The Broken Hill skull was the first early human fossil to be found in Africa and evidence suggests it probably represents the species from which we, Homo sapiens, descended.
For the first time ever, the skull goes on public display in the Natural History Museum’s Treasures Cadogan Gallery. The skull was found in the Broken Hill mine in Zambia, in 1921. It belongs to the ancient human species Homo heidelbergensis. The skull belonged to an adult, probably male, and has a massive brow bridge and large face. It is the finest known example of its kind.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/03/first-early-human-fossil-found-africa-goes-display
Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling
These rules were originally tweeted by Emma Coates, Pixar’s Story Artist. Number 9 on the list - When you’re stuck, make a list of what wouldn’t happen next – is a great one and can apply to writers in all genres.
You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.
Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.
14 is a big one for me
housingworksbookstore:
Welcome to the inaugural episode of On...
Welcome to the inaugural episode of On Stage at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, a podcast showcasing the best moments from recent events at the the nonprofit bookstore, cafe, and event space located at 126 Crosby St. in SoHo, New York City.
On this first episode, we revisit events from late January and early February, including the launch of independent publisher Sorry House, a party for literary magazine the Atlas Review, the OkCupid Show, a discussion on Matt Kepnes’s How to Travel the World on $50 a Day, Canteen Magazine Presents Writing vs Commerce, and Open Source: A Guide to Free Culture.
HUGE thanks to Jenny for creating this! So excited! We hope to have a podcast for y’all every two weeks.
