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[nighttime-novelist]

I’ve been looking for this really helpful post about artist growth… where you get to these points where your skill doesn’t match your knowledge of what SHOULD look good, and then it flips… it looked like a double helix on the graph, if that helps. If anyone happens to have that pic I’d love to see it again!

[nighttime-novelist]

Learning about Economics the same way Paladins study dark arts to ward themselves against their vile machinations.

[nighttime-novelist]

[nighttime-novelist]

“We cannot live in a world that is interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a home. Part of the terror is to take back our own listening. To use our own voice. To see our own light.”

— Hildegard von Bingen, from ‘Selected Writings’

[nighttime-novelist]

Richard👏Stallman👏was👏right👏

[nighttime-novelist]

I see the big difference between the past and present tenses not as immediacy but as complexity and size of field. A story told in the present tense is necessarily focused on action in a single time and therefore a single place. Use of the past tense(s) allows continual referring back and forth in time and space. That’s how our minds normally work, moving around easily. Only in emergency situations do they focus very tightly on what’s going on. And so narration in the present tense sets up a kind of permanent artificial emergency, which can be exactly the right tone for fast-paced action.

- Ursula K. Le Guin, Steering the Craft: A 21st Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story

[nighttime-novelist]

Download this easy DIY clothing repair guide (only 10 pages) from Uni of Kentucky

link to PDF

[nighttime-novelist]

you cant employ me in a way that matters

[nighttime-novelist]

poor old granny scorpion-shoes. no one ever saw her death coming

[nighttime-novelist]

my brother and I don't say "mcdonalds" when referring to the fast food chain. we've always said "mcnaldo's", then it became "naldo's". now it's simply "nald". and we always refer to it as a single unit. like "do you want a nald?"

[nighttime-novelist]

[nighttime-novelist]

Reframing Show vs Tell

Notes and excerpts from the section on Showing vs Telling in Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne. I thought the way she reframed show vs tell gave us a better understanding of their respective function in a story. Basically:

Showing → Scenes

Telling → Narrative Summary

Scenes take place in real time; the reader experiences what is going on at the same time as it occurs in the text. Narrative summary, on the other hand, describes what happened after the fact. Both are essential to a story, but writers tend to overly rely on narrative summary. 

Narrative Summary (Telling)

Large-scale

Don’t use this to start your first chapter–you want to engage your readers early on. Turn any narrative summary you have into an actual scene taking place and deliver the information you want to give through it

Varies the rhythm and texture of your writing. Scenes are immediate and engaging, but sometimes you want to slow things down and give readers a chance to catch their breath, and narrative summary is a good way to do so.

Gives continuity on a larger scale. Narrative summary can capture weeks or months of slow, steady growth and development. The critical moments of this development should be captured by scenes, but the summary can help fill-in the gaps of a longer period of time.

Helps consolidate repetitive actions. For example, if there are multiple races occurring, not all of them may be important enough to justify a scene. Summarize the unimportant ones and give scenes to the crucial ones.

Use it when a plot development isn’t important enough to justify a scene. For example, you can narrate a minor event that leads up to a key scene. Or two key events being separated by narrative summary of what occurs between the events puts emphasis on the important key events while giving reprieve between the scenes.

Small-scale

Avoid telling us character traits or emotions. Examples include: “Wilbur felt absolutely defeated” and “Geraldine was horrified at the news”. It’s better to show these by describing their reactions, expressions, words, and body language. However, I personally believe sometimes it is okay, and even preferred, to tell emotions and traits. Just don’t overdo it, and save the telling for when it’s difficult to express by showing.

You don’t want to give your readers information. You want to give them experiences. Resist the urge to explain

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers Checklist

How often do you use narrative summary? Are there passages when nothing happens in real time?

Do the main events in your plot take place in summary or in scenes?

If you have too much narrative summary, which scenes do you want to convert into scenes?

Does any of it involve major characters, where a scene could be used to flesh out their personalities?

Do you have at least some narrative summary, or are you bouncing around from scene to scene without pausing?

Are you describing your character’s emotions too much? Have you told us they are angry/irritated/excited?

[nighttime-novelist]

Word Economy in Short Fiction

These are my notes from a workshop hosted by Apex magazine. The workshop focused on cutting down unnecessary language in stories with a restricted word count.

Filler Phrases

Junk (or filler) adverbs that 95% of the time add nothing to your prose. Ex: Just, almost, seem, suddenly, rally, actually, about, very, some Ask yourself: Will it hurt the writing at all if I remove this word?

Filler expressions are those constructions with extraneous words, usually signaled with prepositions at the end of the phrase. Ex: All of, Add up, Enter in, Which is, You’re going to, That, Seems to

Ex: I did some more digging Better: I did more digging

Ex: Jason seems to think he knows how to edit. Better: Jason thinks he knows how to edit.

Ex: Describe the way that John feels about Jason. Better: Describe the way John feels about Jason.

Ex: Jason nodded and started to stuff the envelopes. Better: Jason nodded then stuffed the envelopes.

Wordy Constructions

Say more with less The English language has approximately a million words. Use fewer of them to make your point.

Ex: She reached out to take the trophy. Better: She accepted the trophy.

Ex: "No way," she told him. Better: "No way," she said.

Ex: You're going to learn to be quiet. Better: You'll learn to be quiet.

Ex: The fire had gone out. Better: The fire was dead.

Remove Redundancies

Remove the bad habit of repeating yourself

Examples: Stand up Sit down Look up at the sky Looked down in the hole Ascending up Raise up According to Start out Basic necessities Blend together Close proximity Write down Plunge down

Ex: We can't finish in that time frame. Better: We can't finish in that time.

Ex: Jason is having an epic temper- tantrum on Twitter. Better: Jason is having an epic tantrum on Twitter.

Ex: I'm surrounded on all sides by students. Better: The students have surrounded me.

Nominalization

Turning a noun into a verb or adjective.

Ex: Jason holds the belief that editing makes a story much better. Better: Jason believes editing makes a story much better.

Ex: His definition of good writing is flowing prose and smart word choice. Better: He defined good writing by flowing prose and smart word choice.

Ex: Let's have a conversation about submission guidelines. Better: Let's talk submission guidelines.

Poor Verb Selection

Make good choices, avoid passive.

Ex: Jason was asleep vs Jason slept

Filler Verbs

Got to nip this in the bud. Usually uses the "to go" or "to have" constructions.

Ex: I could go on quoting Barney Fife, but I shouldn't. Better: I could continue quoting Barney Fife, but I shouldn't.

Ex: Andy Griffith is entertaining to me. Better: And Griffith entertains me.

Ex: She had to get into the barn to gather the horses. Better: She needed in the barn to gather the horses.

Unnecessary Conjunctions

The primary culprits are "And" and "So"

Ex: And then a voice startled her from behind. Better: A voice startled her from behind.

Ex: So out of greed, the King took the treasure away from the dragon. Better: Out of greed, the King took the treasure away from the dragon.

Empty Phrases and Qualifying Language

The English language is filled with these. Purge them from your prose.

Examples: All things being equal One way or another Time and again As a matter of fact In my opinion Went back over Pretty much A bit Almost

Unnecessary Directional Phrases

Blocking and POV

As writers we have a tendency to be too detailed. This can create redundancies due to positional and blocking descriptions referenced earlier.

Example: Malcolm and Julie are on the porch discussing ways to become better writers. Julie turns to look at Malcolm to give an opinion that he disagrees with. Better: Malcolm and Julie are on the porch discussing ways to become better writers. Julie states an opinion that Malcolm disagrees with.

Example: He raised his fist and cocked it back towards himself, ready to strike. Better: He raised his fist and cocked it back, ready to strike.

Example: A notebook in front of her with a few scribbled notes lay on the coffee table. Better: A notebook bearing a few scribbled notes lay on the coffee table.

Example: The shop's A/C felt good on Jen's face as she walked through the front door of the shop. Better: Inside, the shop's A/C felt good on Jen's face.

Pleonasms

Pleonasm is when we use unnecessary adverbs and adjectives to modify absolutes.

Examples: Extremely perfect The blackest of black See with one's own eyes

Passive vs Active Voice

While there's nothing wrong with writing in passive voice (like everything else, there's a time and a place for it), keep in mind that passive constructions are wordier than active.

Many manuscripts can be improved with selective passive to active changes, and you'll save a few words while you're at it.

[nighttime-novelist]

Starting the writing process with 3 Q's

Was looking at writing resources at the library and came across one of The Great Courses on writing fiction. The author, James Hynes, used the concept of Three Questions to get started with a piece of writing. Basically you look at your idea through the lens of three major questions:

The Artistic Question

What is the story about?

What is the idea you want to explore?

What is motivating you to write?

The Logistical Question

Who's telling the story?

What point-of-view will I use?

Is there a word count I'm aiming for?

The Psychological Question

How ready do I feel to write this story?

[nighttime-novelist]

Something that's been knocking around in my head for a while: I think a lot of new writers get thrown off by their assumption that writing will be anything like reading. Reading is a dreamy, passive experience--scenes, dialogue, and description flow over you as you are taken under the writer's spell. Writing, on the other hand (with the exception, sometimes, of the first draft), is the laborious, almost mechanical-like task of putting narrative elements together so that the reader can lose themselves in your story. In short, reading and writing are very different experiences, and the assumption that they will be, or even should be, the same, is cause for much angst among new and experienced writers alike. It's a frustrating thing, because a love of reading is usually what gets people interested in writing in the first place. I've been writing for several decades and I still feel confounded by this clash--it's part of why I don't read much when I'm deep into my writing, and vice versa. And when I am writing, I constantly have to remind myself: Writing is not watching a magic show. Writing is figuring out how to smuggle the rabbit into the hat.

[nighttime-novelist]

Easy zero waste tip no. 6: Find out what caffeinated beverage you actually want/need, then learn how to make it; aka "The Starbucks Lie"

Tl;Dr: You may be misinformed about how coffee actually works, leading you to purchase beverages that you may not actually like, that may not serve the purpose you want them to serve, and you can save money (and the environment!) by learning to make something you'll actually like at home.

Last week, I went to Starbucks to get a pumpkin chai latte, because I'm not perfect and needed to fulfill a craving on a bad day- but at least I used a reusable cup. Anyhow, while I was there, I witnessed the following conversation, not for the first time, nor the last, which I'm sure is commonplace:

Barista: What can I get you?

Customer: Do you have a dark roast? I like my coffee dark.

B: We just have a medium roast ready, but I can do a dark roast pourover.

C: Nah, that's not going to be enough caffeine for me, and I need drip coffee, not anything fancy. I'll have an Americano, then- espresso beans should be high enough in caffeine!

Now, if this seems like a reasonable exchange, that's ok- you're likely not a trained barista, and even if you are, there's a chance your training was at least a little bit wrong. Let's walk through it point by point, to explain why this exchange made me want to tear my hair out of my head.

"I like my coffee dark!" Most likely, this is false- studies have shown that people are most likely to say they want dark coffee, when they actually most enjoy a lighter or medium roast. Darker roasts are bitter, partially due to having more tannins- which is why they can cause more side effects, like headaches and digestive issues.

"Not enough caffeine" In fact, the longer (darker) you roast coffee, the more caffeine it loses. If you want a highly caffeinated beverage, you should opt for the lightest roast available.

"I need drip coffee, not anything fancy (pourover)" Pourover is essentially a method of making drip coffee one cup at a time. No machine or anything, it's the least fancy coffee option possible.

"Espresso beans should have high enough caffeine" The beans used for espresso are the same as the beans used for the drip coffee- they're just ground more finely before going through the machine.

"An Americano [...] should have enough caffeine" An Americano is a double shot with hot water, about 160 mg of caffeine if you're getting a 'grande'. A drip coffee that same size is over 300 mg.

This man claimed to love coffee, but didn't understand anything about it, leading him to pay $4.39 for 160 mg of caffeine instead of $3.28 for almost double that- keeping in mind that number could easily have been doubled again had he opted for the lighter roast. So, let's fix that.

1. Light or Dark Roast?

Have you ever wondered why Starbucks has a medium roast, the Pike Place, as their go to roast all the time? It's because it's the most middle of the road, bland option, completely inoffensive- not very good, but also, not too bad. It's a blend from a bunch of places, so there's no overwhelming flavor besides coffee with a slight hint of being burned. That burn taste everyone complains about, btw, is a result of the roast being too dark for them, hello tannins!

A lot of things happen to coffee as you roast it. Let's go through each point one by one:

The color changes. The darker the roast, the darker the roast- literally. This is best gauged with ground coffee, where you can see the average of the whole bean, not just the outer shell.

The mass decreases due to a loss of moisture. However, the bean actually expands in volume due to the strength of the cell walls. In essence, the density decreases.

Oils seep out from inside of the beans, coating them, and protecting volatile chemical compounds that give them flavor.

The caffeine content is lessened the longer you roast.

With high heat, the Maillard reaction occurs. While this reaction is responsible for the lovely color and the viscous, dark flavor notes, it's also responsible for breaking down the citric and tartaric acid, which causes the sweet and fruity flavors to dissipate. It also breaks down chlorogenic acid, creating caffeic acid and quinic acid, aka bitter, bitter tastes.

High heat also causes caramelization of sugars- but at a certain point, those sugars start to burn away.

Taking all this into consideration, we can begin to figure out what kinds of coffee you'll actually like. One quick note: always get single origin coffees. Each region has its own flavors, and if you're only getting coffee from one spot in your cup, then those notes will be amplified for your enjoyment.

A dark roast will have less caffeine, a stronger coffee bitterness, and very simple, up front flavors: chocolate, nuts, smoke, wood, etc. (My favorite tastes like dark chocolate with a hint of hickory)

A light roast will have more caffeine, a lesser amount of bitterness, and very complex, more nuanced flavors: citrus, caramels, fruits, florals, etc. (My favorite tastes like blueberries and white chocolate, with notes of almonds)

No two coffees are alike. My recommendation is that you purchase a bag of whole beans from your favorite local cafe or roaster based on your caffeine needs, and try out different beans until you find one- or two, or five, or a dozen- that you really love.

One quick note- a much, much greater flavor difference can be found in aerobic v. anaerobic roasted beans. I recommend reading into this process on your own, it's fascinating- both of my favorite coffees are anaerobic roasts, as it happens.

2. How should I make my coffee?

I'm a big fan of the affogato. I'm a dessert for breakfast kind of gal, so it makes sense; a hefty double shot over a scoop of ice cream. Absolutely divine; I pretty much only do espresso for myself, although my partner greatly prefers French press.

The overall rule for caffeine in your coffee is that the finer the grind, the more caffeine you're going to get out of the bean. That being said, that doesn't mean the final product will actually have more caffeine than another method, as different ways of making coffee require different amounts of coffee grounds. Keep the ratio of grounds to water in mind for this reason. However, you must remember that the perceived strength of the beverage- the concentration of flavors- is not necessarily correlated to the amount of caffeine. I'll now go over a few methods of making coffee which can be 100% zero waste (assuming you compost those coffee grounds!).

Cold Brew- You either let grounds freely float in water, or let them steep inside of a little filter bag. Let it rest overnight, up to 48 hours. If you like your coffee cold, and not a lot of effort, this might be your best bet.

Pourover- You put grounds into a little filter over either your cup or a pitcher. Pour water over the filter and let it drip down. If you like having a calming morning ritual, this might be for you. Essentially the same as drip coffee, except you don't have to care about a machine.

French press- You put grounds in the bottom of the press, then fill with hot water, and let it steep for a few minutes, then press the grounds down. If you don't mind a little work every morning, waiting a few minutes (when you could prep your breakfast, perhaps) then give this a go.

Moka pot- You pour water into the base, then put grounds into the basket, then screw on the top. Place on the stovetop, and remove as soon as the coffee begins to come out of the spout within. If you like a strong cup but don't want to invest in espresso, this is a great option. The pressure is too low for it to be true espresso, but it's very good.

Manual espresso- This is a bit more complex. It will be the same as automatic espresso, except there's no chance of the machine failing for any electronic reason. You fill a little basket with grounds, then tamp them down. Water is brought to temperature, then pressed through the espresso at a relatively high psi. If you want espresso, this is the way. You can get an entry level (Flair makes several that are fantastic) or you can get something high end with a built in boiler (I have a La Pavoni with an attached steam wand, great purchase).

Automatic espresso- Essentially the same as manual, but the machine does the pressing for you. If you love espresso but don't want to do a lot of work for it, this is a great investment! If you can buy used, do- just make sure the brand is one that offers replacement parts.

There are plenty of other options, but these are a good place to get started, when figuring out what works for you.

3. Why do I want my coffee?

Are you looking for a caffeine boost to get through a rough workday? Do you want something sweet to accompany your breakfast? Are you just bored?

Figure out why you want your coffee, then tailor your morning experience to your needs. If you need a caffeine boost for a rough workday, maybe don't do anything time consuming- prepare a middle of the road medium roast cold brew for the week on Sunday, and go ahead and grab a glass in your hurry out the door each morning. If you want something sweet with breakfast, get a light roast and a French press, and make it part of the routine for the meal. If you're bored, do pourover with a dark roast into a funky mug, or learn to steam milk to make latte art.

Really, coffee is something lovely, that you should enjoy, without mindlessly spending money on something that's not even good. As a bonus, you can support local businesses (coffee roasters and cafes), develop a new skill, and better the environment.

[nighttime-novelist]

Blackout poetry exists on a dual axis from "banal" to "insightful" on the input side and "kind of deep" to "incredibly fucking dumb" on the output side, and while taking something banal and producing something kind of deep is well and fine, for my money taking something insightful and rendering it incredibly fucking dumb is where the real art is.