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zamoimagines · 4 years

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Dreams (Oneshot)

Word Count: 1,448

Pairing: Misty Day x Reader

Summary: After a long day at work, you try to unwind by getting high to some music in hopes that it’ll make you feel somewhat better. Little do you know that someone was watching you from your window.

A/N: I really wanted to write something up for Misty, so here it is! I played with this idea last night in between fics while listening to Dreams by the Cranberries. Kinda short, but I hope you guys like it! If ya’ll want a part two, let me know :)

Today had been particularly shitty. Most days were alright, considering you had moved to New Orleans two months ago. How could bad days happen when you lived in such a beautiful city? Unfortunately, they still seemed to happen even in the middle of being in a dream land. Your apartment was beautiful, you lived above a small cafe run by the sweetest old couple, the weather was always amazing, and you even loved your job. Though, your boss was not the most pleasant of people. It took you making one typo mistake in the company memo for her to degrade you in front of all of your coworkers. You had never been so embarrassed.

Needless to say, you were happy to be home. The sun had gone down hours ago. The usually bustling streets were now completely quiet in the dead of night. It was absolutely serene, so much so that you left your window wide open.

You turned on your bluetooth speaker and put on your favorite playlist on shuffle. The music to an old Cranberries song began to start up. Sighing to yourself, you grabbed the pre rolled joint one of your neighbor’s had given you. After the day you’d had it was a perfect excuse to get way too high so that your troubles would melt away. You lit the end of the paper with a candle that was already going and took a long drag. As the smoke hit the back of your throat, you coughed hard.

“Damn, this shit is strong.” you mumbled to yourself in between hacking. Your neighbor had warned you that her shit was the best. It had to be true for only after two more hits, you were stoned out of your mind.

The music began to pick up as you continued to smoke. You found that your body began to start to sway along to the rhythm. You had forgotten how amazing this song was. In this moment, it was the most beautiful thing you’d ever heard. Naturally you turned the volume up all the way. You hummed along and let your body flow with the song. Every now and again, you would take another drag. You probably looked like an absolute fool right now, but you didn’t care. This was the most alive you’d felt in weeks.

As the high hit you even harder, you forgot that time was passing. The song was so drawn out, but in a good way. As if you could dance to it for all of eternity without ever stopping.

Your arms raised above your head while making fluid gestures with your hands. Your head began to bob more along to the beat as your hips swayed along. The wind had picked up from outside, causing your window curtains to fly everywhere. There was something so magical about all of this. A big smile grew on your face.

Immediately, you rushed over to your window and sat down. The spring air filled your nostrils with a fresh, floral scent. You gazed out at the trees beyond the town. Everything was blossoming and growing. Dreamily, you gazed up at the stars and leaned your face on one of your hands. Good things were coming, you could feel it in your gut.

“Nice dancin’ moves!” an unfamiliar voice called out. You jerked upward. Was someone in your house? You glanced behind you, trying to find out who had come inside.

“Down here!” The voice sounded out. It was a woman’s voice… It was a thick southern drawl. Deep, but very warm. It was a rather inviting tone. You turned back to your window and looked down at the street. To your surprise, there was a stranger standing down below.

She was the most beautiful woman you’d ever laid eyes on. Her blonde hair was wild and curly. She was dressed in a short, red prairie dress with the greatest knee high boots. A black shawl embroidered with flowers was wrapped around her shoulders. Her eyelids were covered in smudged liner, but even through the makeup, you could see that her eye color was a piercing ice blue. The smile she gave you was beaming. It was as if this woman was glowing in the moonlight. She was absolutely ethereal.

It was then that you realized your music was still going at a very loud volume.

“Shit! I am so sorry!” You cried out. You scrambled to find your phone to pause the music.

“No, no! Come back to the window!” The woman shouted.

You did as she said and sat once again. Her smile grew even wider when you came back.

“Don’t turn it off, I love this song,” she began. “This the Cranberries?”

“Yeah.” You grinned a little. “It’s one of my favorites.”

“I can tell. You were a dancin’ fool up there.”

She was giggling at you, but not in a rude way. Though you still managed to feel like a complete idiot. You had to laugh at yourself too.

“I’m sorry you had to see that. My dancing is an atrocity.” You joked.

“Actually, I thought it was pretty cute.”

Her words sent shivers down your spine. Was she flirting?

“What’s your name, sugar cube?” she cooed.

The pet name was enough to make you blush. You stuck your head just a little further out of the window so she could hear you better.

“Y/N.”

“That’s mighty pretty. Suppose a pretty face needs a pretty name like that.” The woman replied cheekily.

“Thanks… You’re gorgeous.” The last part slipped out from your lips as if you had no control over your thoughts. You bit your lower lip nervously. This lady probably thought you were a world class dunce. Though, to your surprise, you swore you saw her cheeks turn a light shade of pink.

“Fuck- I mean…” you began,

“It’s alright, darlin’. I’m glad you think so.” She walked a little closer toward the building so that she was directly under your window.

“You new ‘round here? I’ve never seen you before.”

“Just moved here a couple months ago. I work a little further out from the city, so I’m only downtown when I’m at home.”

“That’s a damn shame. Do you know your way around yet?”

“Uh… I mean as best as I can.”

“So, no then?”

You took a drag from the joint in your other hand. As you exhaled, you shook your head.

“I guess not.” You laughed.

The blonde chuckled right back. Her shawl fell slightly, resting around her forearms as she peered up at you.

“Not to give you any ideas… But rumor has it that I’m gonna be dyin’ for a bagel in the mornin’.” She gestured toward the cafe under your place. “Maybe I’ll stop in there… say about ten o’clock? That’s just what I’ve heard though.”

She was beautiful and charming and witty? You couldn’t believe that you weren’t dreaming.

“And who told you that?”

The blonde shrugged. “Some little birdie told me. It would be somethin’ magical if you and I just happened to bump into each other. I could even show you around if you’re interested.”

You laughed aloud, for she made you a giggly mess the way she was talking. But you nodded back.

“That would be something.”

“So, I’ll see you there tomorrow then?”

“Yeah… Why not.”

The blonde winked at you. “It’s a date, sugar cube.”

Your face felt hot as she began to strut away from the building. She turned for a brief moment to wave at you.

“See ya ‘round, Y/N.”

You waved right back to her. As she walked further and further, your heart began pounding in your chest. It occured to you that you hadn’t even asked her who she was.

“Hey! Wait!” you called out over the music. You weren’t sure if she would hear you that far out. When she turned around to face your window once again, you felt a sense of relief.

“Yeah?” She rang out.

“What’s your name?”

“Misty!” She grinned happily. “Misty Day!”

With that, she turned right back around and faded into the night. You shut your window before holding your beaming face in your hands. Maybe it was magic, or fate. Perhaps even luck. All you knew was that you had to get to bed immediately so that tomorrow would come sooner.

The song ended softly. That didn’t stop you from listening to it on repeat for the rest of the evening because now it wasn’t just a good song. This was Misty’s song.

You fell back onto your couch before hugging your knees to your chest.

Misty Day… The woman of your dreams.

REQUEST MORE IMAGINES HERE!

#ahs #ahs imagine #misty day x reader #misty day #american horror story #american horror story imagine #ahs coven #ahs coven imagine #misty day imagine #lily rabe x reader #coven #coven imagine #hope ya'll like it!

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flowingfloweringdrinks · 5 years

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Welcome to my first blog post! This is a very self-serving blog in which I dump all of my innermost thoughts which are piling up like planes over Atlanta these days. It’s been less than two weeks and my inner dialogue MUST be heard! I chose this blog name for a few reasons:

1. It’s cute

2. If I stop blogging when the quarantine is over, hey, no judgment (I’m not great at sticking with projects)

3. It made me think of that Sesame Street feature where there was this small little cartoon character on the side of a drinking glass. They used (I assume) stop-motion animation to have the guy go from glass to glass and the theme song was, “Teeny Weeny Little Super Guy.” Anyone remember that? No? Just me? Cool.

Also as a public service I will be posting nature photos so that you have something to look at besides horrible virus warnings.

Speaking of which, today I did something I’ve never actually done before. I went on a run and then a bike ride back to back because OMG OUTDOORS, one thing I’ve certainly never done before. But during my bike ride every time I saw a plant or flower of interest I got off my bike and took a photo of it.

Many people are posting that the upside of this whole quarantine thing is that it gives us time to pause, stop, and reflect on life. Well, my first instinct is to just keep moving. Just keep swimming, as Dory would say. I got caught up on all my household chores. My house is cleaner than its ever been and in a twist of irony, I can’t invite anyone over to show it off. I hung pictures I’ve been meaning to hang for months. I repaired a necklace. I did art projects. I made videos for my job. And after all of this, I found out, none of those activities are meeting my need for social interaction.

I was getting depressed and it was time for ACTION! So I did something I swore I’d never do again, I signed up for another six months of Match.com. In the past, I’ve only had negative experiences from online dating. 100% negative. Which I guess is self-evident by the fact that I’m STILL SINGLE. But alas, I digress.

It turns out this whole quarantine situation has somehow created a uniquely ideal situation for me and my online dating. In no particular order, I shall list them below:

1. Volume. The sheer volume of responses has been overwhelming. Why? Because everyone is bored AF and lonely and most, like me, are stuck at home. I’m not the only one with the brilliant idea to turn once again to the world of online dating. It’s like that parable of Jesus and the fishermen. They didn’t catch anything all night of fishing and then he tells them to cast their nets again and they catch so many fish they can’t pull up their nets. I suppose comparing the Corona Virus and subsequent quarantine to JESUS is in horrible taste, but, welcome to my blog, mothafuckas! We gonna get politically incorrect as HELL up in here! And also cursing. Lots of cursing in my blog.

2. Clearly, volume does not a match make, so there must be other factors. And there are! Turns out finding out how someone is handling this quarantine is what I have termed, “Automatic Douchebag Indicator”. Here’s how it works: Step 1: message someone and ask them how they are handling the quarantine Step 2: If they say quarantine-shmarantine and then launch into a soliloquy about how this whole quarantine situation is ridiculous, then you block their ass. Dating hack. You’re welcome. And lest you think I’m making this up and that didn’t happen, I assure you it DID. I’m talking to you, Gideon. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

3. Social distancing. I tell you, my friends, social distancing + meeting people for the first time on a date = Heather’s Dream. Did I tell you about the time I went on a date and at the end of the date the guy said to me, “So are you gonna give me a side hug like you did last time or are you gonna give me a real hug?” I just met you, motherfucker, so forgive me for not wanting to press my boobies (small though they are) against your chest. Seriously, we’ve spent less than four hours together. Back. The. Fuck. Off. Needless to say I ghosted him (because I’m so great at confrontation. Should add that to my resume) and needless to say, he was puzzled by my lack of response. Here’s a question to all you guys out there: In the comments, tell me, would you rather have the naked and unvarnished truth about why I don’t want to see you any more, or would you rather be ghosted? There is no weird third thing. I’m not gonna lie to you or give you a fake reason. Your choices are truth or silence. I personally believe silence is the better option. So now if I don’t want to hug a guy on the first, second, or even 15th date, I don’t have to. Holding hands? EWWW!! Germs! GTFO! It takes me a few months to develop feelings for anyone so I figure, if I start going on my 6 feet of social distancing dates now, by the time I’m even remotely inclined to make physical contact with the guy, this quarantine will be over and I can jump his bones, all 200 pounds of me because you KNOW that’s how much I’m going to weigh after this thing is over. Culinary arts degree + too much time on my hands + making all the cocktails = cue “Chunky” song from Madagascar 2.

So I really have no idea how this whole dating thing is going to go, but the good news is that I am taking action! I am the master of my own destiny, if not my own density! Things I “always mean to do but never get around to” include meeting guys/dating and being a writer. Turns out this quarantine is forcing my hand and pushing me to do both of those things. I guess I should be grateful. It’s easier to feel happy on days like today when the weather is idyllic and I’m sitting on my front porch typing this and basking in the sun. Whether you are basking in the sun or staring at the rain, I hope you are making the best of this situation.

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tamakirishima · 6 years

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DDIWT headcanon their first date please!!!!

AHHHH just thinking of this makes me warm and fuzzy cause the DDIWT boys are all so adorable! This is so long, so I’m sorry for the long read T____T I hope you enjoy!!~ :)

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Ichigo:

“What kind of a first date is it where I have to pick him up?” you muttered, under your breath on the way to Ichigo’s house.

Ichigo lived on the other side of town, and despite the town being small enough to walk from place to place, you were lazy. You sighed when you got to the familiar front gate, and pressed them bell continuously until you heard a scream from inside.

“Quit it! I’m coming!”

You smirked and crossed your arms. You didn’t want to be this petty, but it was kinda fun. Especially when it made Ichigo get mad.

“Was that necessary?” he asked, with an annoyed expression.

“Well hello to you too!” you replied.

Ichigo moved aside and swung his arm around to indicate that you could enter. His apron was wrapped around his body with a couple of flour marks smeared on it, and his hair was lightly touched up on.

A sweet and warm aroma immediately hugged you upon entering the house, and you couldn’t wait to try what Ichigo was baking in the oven.

“What is that? It smells so good!” you moaned, rushing to see what it was.

Upon turning around, you saw Ichigo hold out an apron for you. His cheeks spread with a red glow, and his eyes darted back and forth between the floor and the oven. You stuck your neck into the hole and let Ichigo tie the loose ends at the back.

“So…what are we doing…?” you asked, brushing your hands on the front pocket.

“Well, I know how much you like our cakes and I wanted to make them with you…but if you don’t want to, you can just eat them once they’re done.”

You laughed out loud, and soon Ichigo joined as well.

“I’m going to make it, but you can’t make fun of me if it looks weird, okay?” you said, holding out your pinky for a promise.

“I promise.” Ichigo said, with a boyish grin. “But I’m not eating it if it looks weird.”

Haruki:

The clear blue sky warmly greeted you from above, as the spring air whirled around you as you walked through town. Your new blue sundress sway from side to side with every step you took, attracting the eyes of everyone around you. You hurried over to the flower shop that Haruki’s family owned to meet up with Haruki. It was a tad bit too early, but you couldn’t wait or else the butterflies would gnaw away at your stomach until you got sick. It wasn’t long until you saw Haruki walk out the door, holding a beautiful bouquet of bright red tulips.

“______? What are you doing here?” Haruki asked, confused. “I was going to pick you up.”

“I got ready earlier than I expected so I just…” you trailed off, looking down and kicking a pebble with your foot.

Haruki handed you the tulips and smiled warmly.

“These are for you.”

You blushed and took the flowers, thanking him softly. Haruki gently took your hand and squeezed it. You looked up into his face and smiled back at him. Somehow the nervous energy left and a feeling of comfort took its place.

You two walked along the river and into the woods with beautiful bright flowers all around you as you walked. The two of you sat down on a bench where the breeze hit your face and the sun shined in your eyes.

“Did you know that every flower has a different meaning? Daisies are a symbol of innocence and purity, while Amaryllis means extreme beauty.” Haruki said, looking out into the field of flowers.

“Well…what does this mean?” you asked, pointing at the red tulips sitting on your lap.

Haruki smiled to himself. He held your hand and touched the side of your face.

“It means perfect and true love.”

Ryuzo:

“What…is…this…?” you asked in utter belief as Ryuzo shoved a bundle of carrots in your face.

“I thought girls liked presents on dates!” Ryuzo replied, also in utter disbelief.

You smacked your hand to your forehead and started laughing. How could he do this one thing and make you so happy? This idiot brought carrots to you and you couldn’t stop smiling.

“Thanks, Ryuzo. They’re lovely.” you said, still laughing to yourself.

“I was debating between carrots or eggplants, but I’m glad you like it!” Ryuzo exclaimed, without a clue in the world as to why you were laughing 2 minutes ago.

You swallowed another laugh and took Ryuzo’s hand, causing his cheeks and ears to turn beet red.

As you walked along the river with one hand in Ryuzo’s and one hand holding a bundle of carrots, you found a nice field, where a picnic basket was set nicely on a checkered picnic blanket.

“I wanted to cook you something, because you cook for me and my family all the time. It-It won’t be as good though, so don’t complain if it tastes bad!”

“Anything you make will be good! Thank you!” you replied, sitting down and opening up the riceballs and taking a big bite.

The sour vinegar punched you in the mouth and nose after taking the first bite, leaving you coughing and on the verge of crying. Ryuzo sprung up to pat you on the back when you were hacking your lungs up.

“I-I told you it wasn’t good..!!” Ryuzo said, a bit embarrassed after you drank some water and stopped coughing.

“Well…it’s a good thing we have these.” you replied, holding up the carrots.

Rihito:

It was the weekend, so it appeared to be busier than normal on the small streets of your town. You were waiting in front of Black Ship, when you felt a warmth enveloping your hand. You snatched your hand back and yelped a bit, but to show only a pouty Rihito.

“Richy!” you cried out, placing a hand over your heart. “You scared me.”

Rihito smiled charmingly at you and took the hand off your heart and into his hand. He squeezed it tightly, making your heart flutter up and down. Ugh how was he so calm?!

You looked down and cleared your throat.

“So where are we going?” you asked.

“It’s a secret. Let’s walk this way.” Rihito said, guiding you away from the crowd to an alleyway.

You couldn’t help but look at Rihito’s side profile as the two of you walked hand in hand in the dark and humid alley. His soft golden curls bounced up and down with every step he took, his lips turned up in a sweet smile, and his perfect fitted jeans and button down looked amazing on him. It was like he was meant to wear that outfit, him and only him.

“Do you like me that much?” Rihito asked, smirking since he caught you staring. You quickly looked away and pushed him away.

The two of you walked further away from the busy main streets of the town to a small house with a stunning garden and a grand wooden door. Upon entering the house, you saw a lone white piano in the middle with snacks and soda on the coffee table. You sat down on the nearby sofa while Rihito took his place at the piano bench.

“This is a song I’ve been working on and… I want to dedicate it to you, ______.” Rihito said, quietly and lovingly, before working his magic on the keys to your song.

Takeshi:

Takeshi was never the type to be super romantic, so you didn’t really expect anything for the first date. You were incredibly nervous that you wanted to puke, but you knew you would have a good time as long as he was with you.

“_____!”

You turned around to see Takeshi jogging up to you in front of Black Ship and smiling quickly before going back to his regular ‘idontcare’ face. The two of you walked away from your house to go to where Takeshi planned your date, and it was incredibly awkward. You were trying your best to make conversation, but Takeshi wasn’t really making it easy to, so you guys were now walking in silence.

“Huh?” you muttered, knowing where you guys were going now.

The treehouse was still the same after a decade of abandonment, and a wave of nostalgia struck you. You were still in awe when you heard Takeshi yell out from the ladder on the tree.

“Are you coming?!”

When did he get there? Were you spacing out that long? You hurried to catch up with Takeshi and climbed the ladder swiftly before opening the wooden door to the entrance. The place was mostly the same, except for the tons of comic books, fresh sandwiches, snacks, and Takeshi covered in pillows and blankets. You couldn’t help but laugh.

“What is all this?” you asked, amused.

Takeshi just looked around the room and looked up at you before replying.

“I wanted to take you someplace special, but I just felt like I wanted it to be somewhere private and special to both of us. Not just a restaurant or a cafe, but someplace…special.” Takeshi said.

His voice remained calm, but his cheeks and ears turned bright red as he finished replying. You couldn’t help but smile and blush a little at his thoughtfulness and nod.

Takeshi was an action based person rather than a word/speak based person, so you sat down next to him and squeezed his hand. The whole day was filled with occasional deep conversations and lots of comic books, and you wouldn’t have wished for a better day.

Johji:

It was the first time going on a date with an older guy, and it was so different than the other dates you’ve been on with guys your age. Johji picked you up to go to a small and elegant Italian restaurant on the outskirts of town. The restaurant had a dress code, so you were squeezed into black heels and your homecoming dress from last year. Needless to say, you were incredibly uncomfortable.

The car pulled up to the restaurant, and you stumbled out in your heels to see a restaurant that you never thought you would go to anytime soon.

“Shall we?” Johji asked, holding your arm.

The interior was beautifully decorated and the scent of basil greeted you, but you could barely focus on anything except your feet that were probably bleeding internally.

The food came out rather quickly and it was delicious, but you couldn’t feel your feet anymore. You had to go home. Or change.

“______? What’s wrong?” Johji asked, concerned after seeing you wince in pain.

“It’s nothing.” you replied, still wincing.

“It’s not nothing. Are you hurt?”

“Um…my feet hurt real bad.. I think I need to change or something. You can stay though! It’s fine!” you replied, not wanting to ruin Johji’s night.

Johji smiled and called the waiter over, asking to take everything to-go before helping you back to the car. Once you guys reached Black Ship, you felt awful for ruining your date. You bowed and apologized, when Johji reached over and shook his head.

“I ruined it.. I’m really sorry. I should have worn the flats, but I wanted to impress you so-” you rambled, until Johji put up a hand.

“______. You didn’t ruin anything. It’s better being at home comfortable, isn’t it? So I should be thanking you and those horrible heels.”

You nodded and snuggled closer to Johji on the couch, with a box of lasagna. It really did taste better at home.

#voltage inc #dreamy days in west tokyo #ddiwt #dreamy days in west tokyo headcanon #ddiwt headcanon #ddiwt fanfic #ichigo sato #haruki tanemura #ryuzo hatta #Rihito Hatsune #Takeshi Yuno #johji chakura #mine

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cutie1365 · 8 years

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Daughter (Sherlock x Reader Imagine)

Title: Daughter

Pairing: Sherlock x Daughter!reader

Characters: Sherlock, John, Reader, Mary

Word Count: 1,554

Warnings: mentions of death and murder. If you think I should add anything else please comment or message me and I’d be happy to do so.

Request: Hi I was wondering if I can request an imagine wherein reader is Sherlock’s daughter. Sherlock’s love interest died because of Moriarty and Sherlock’s too broken to take care of his daughter that John and Mary became her parents. Ending is reader has the deduction skills and deduced that Sherlock is her biological father??? If it’s not too much to ask. Thank you! Xx ~ Anonymous

A/N: First Requested Imagine Yay!! Feel free to request more! Preferably Sherlock but I might be able to branch out! Enjoy! Requests are OPEN, feel free to leave a request in my ask box or message me!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You had been born to loving parents who couldn’t financially provide for you. Your father had died at war, and your mother soon after. At least that was what you had been told, and you had questioned it every day of your life.

After you were born, you were raised by John and Mary Watson. While you loved them and they treated you as one of their own, you still felt like an outcast. You were the black sheep, the brunette in a house full of blondes.

Not only were you physically an outcast, but academically you thrived at a rate not seen before. You kept yourself busy, reading, exploring new sciences, but there was always one question eating away in the back of your mind… What happened to my parents?

John and Mary have always been suspiciously quiet about your parents, to the point where you had given up asking about them. You knew they were lying– the side glances, the nervous blinking, the sigh of relief when you left the room– but you needed to find the truth on your own.

One afternoon you hit your breaking point. After three hours of delving into hacked private records, you had found nothing. Nothing. Nothing to the point where it was suspicious. Even your birth certificate had been redacted. What kind of normal 18 year old has their birth certificate redacted by the government. Conclusion: You weren’t normal. Your parents, or at least one, was more important than John and Mary seem to let on. And at least one of them was alive. If they were dead there would be no reason to protect their identity by redacting it. There was also a chance that you had known them your whole life– someone important enough to redact would want to keep an eye on their child.

Three firewalls later MI5’s archives still came up empty. You were going to have to run your own experiment in finding your birth parents.

First: Woman or Male? Which one is still alive? A woman would be less willing to leave her child if she had lost her husband. They’re stronger that way, they want to hold onto that last piece of him. But if the woman had died, the father could have been more likely to give the child up to a trustworthy friend. Especially if their job was important or dangerous, they couldn’t possibly raise a child without a mother. Conclusion: Mother died, it was too much for the father to take, and you were placed in the hand of a friend.

Luckily for you, your parents didn’t have that many friends. And ones with important dangerous jobs narrowed down the list a little more too. First there was Lestrade, but his wife is still alive, though they’re going through a divorce so we can rule him out. There was Mike Stamford, though you didn’t consider a medical trainer a dangerous job. Mycroft? Talk about important there, but also very likely that he has ever had a romantic relationship of any kind. That left Sherlock. His job was dangerous, but you had many doubts about his romantic capabilities as well. As long as you had known him he had been cold and calculating… was this the effect of a lost love? You were going to need more evidence to come to a final conclusion.

You sat at the breakfast table with your dad, well, John. Mary was already at work and it was summer so you didn’t have school. Needless to say you were extremely bored and no number of books in the world could entertain you. John was reading the paper while you picked at your food.

“Did you read about this yoga teacher found dead in his bathroom, doors locked, candles lit, but died from–” John began but you cut him off.

“Asphyxiation. I glanced over it, bit obvious isn’t it?” You said casually.

“Obvious?” John lowered the paper.

“It was the flatmate. Read it again.” You instructed.

“Y/N Watson if you’re making this up–” John protested.

“I’m not! I’m just bored! Can we please go do something today, I can’t stay cooped up here all day I might go mad.” You begged desperately.

“We could go visit Mrs. Hudson, you haven’t seen her in a while.” John suggested.

“Perfect!” You exclaimed and rushed upstairs to change, making sure to add a few deductions for Sherlock to complete your plan. You had a hunch, and you just had to follow it.

After the short drive from your house to Baker Street, you slipped upstairs while John was helping Mrs. Hudson with the tea.

Sherlock was sitting in his chair, clearly just as bored as you were. He didn’t seem to notice you until you had sat in John’s old chair opposite him. He looked up to you and raised an eyebrow.

“What are you doing?” He asked, his fingers steepled under his chin.

“We’re just stopping by, dad will be up soon.” You said, looking for any sign of change is his face when you called John ‘dad’. Nothing.

“I mean after.” He said, spotting your expertly placed deductions for him, falling into your trap.

“Oh, I’ve got a date later if that’s what you mean.” You smiled casually.

“A date?” He asked, raising his voice slightly.

“You know, where two people go out and have fun. I think you’d like him, he rides a motorcycle. Big, probably in a gang, full of sperm.” You said, and Sherlock jumped to his feet, anger in his eyes. As human error at it’s finest.

“What!?” He yelled.

“Jesus, I’m kidding, calm down, we’re just meeting mum for dinner later.” You laughed, and he sat back down looking you over curiously. He seemed to stare for ages, before your voice filled the silence.

“In a universal time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” You spoke.

“Sorry?” He asked confused.

“I don’t trust words, I even question actions. But I never doubt patterns.” You said and Sherlock raised his eyebrow.

“And what patterns are you speaking of?” He asked curiously.

“You.” You stated.

“Me?” He asked, sitting up in his chair.

“Yes, you. Ever since I can remember, every time our eyes meet, you look away. Like it’s too painful for you. It’s the one thing I can rely on every time I see you. But why would your best friends kid be painful to you? Another pattern, which I’m sure John chooses to ignore, is the fact that you’re always high on my birthday. I’m surprised you show up to the parties at all. See, I’ve been doing a bit of research, most of it inconclusive, hacking into MI5 just isn’t as fun as it used to be.” You began.

“Y/N…” Sherlock said.

“If my whole life has been a lie, I need you to tell the truth right now. Sherlock Holmes, are you my father?” You asked, a tear slid down your cheek and his eyes grew wide. Your head turned sharply when you heard a teacup shattering on the floor in the doorway. John stood there with his mouth hanging open.

“How long have you known?” Sherlock asked, not denying your question.

“I think part of me has always known, and I’ve pushed the thought away out of fear. Not the fear that it was true, but fearful of finally knowing why. Why you gave me up? How my mother died, assuming she is dead.” You said.

“Y/N, this really isn’t the time–” John began.

“It’s exactly the time! I deserve to know! I’m 18 for god sakes!” You yelled, standing to face John. You were angry, you hoped you had been wrong, that John and Mary were telling the truth and that maybe you just had an overactive imagination.

You felt a hand grab your own, and you turned to see Sherlock reaching out to you.

“Don’t take it out on him. This was my doing not his.” Sherlock said, sadness in his eyes. “You want the truth?”

“Yes.” You pleaded.

“I loved your mother, and when we had you everything seemed to be fitting into place. I never thought I could have a normal life, and I was right. Have you heard of a man named James Moriarty?” He asked, you nodded.

“The consulting criminal.” You answered and John looked to you curiously, “I read more than I should.” You answered.

“He killed your mother on your first birthday, and it broke me. I couldn’t raise a baby alone. John helped, then Mary came along and it just got harder and harder for me to see you. I mean, Jesus Y/N you look just like her. I got worse and worse, and no amount of narcotics could numb the pain. You were almost two when John and Mary took you in permanently. I was in no state to raise a child, I couldn’t. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I just wanted you to have a chance!” Sherlock cried and you looked up to him in awe.

You cautiously wrapped your arms around him. He held onto you tighter and continued to apologize.

“Don’t be sorry, I’m here, I’m safe, and I have three great parents.” You smiled, and you knew everything was going to be okay.

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Blood Feuds and All the Feels: TorCon 2021 Highlights

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For the second year in a row, Tor Books and Den of Geek have presented TorCon, a virtual convention bringing the exciting panels and dynamic conversations of a book convention to your computer screens. This weekend built on the success of the inaugural con with over 30 authors from Tor Books, Forge Books, Tordotcom Publishing, Tor Teen, and Nightfire matching wits and being candid about their emotional, scary, and hopeful writing processes.

The weekend started off spooky, with horror trivia and thoughtful conversations from female thriller writers, then transitioned into a bevy of gay delights by way of deep dives into emotional storytelling in SFF and upcoming fall reads to make you shiver with antici…pation. Panels ran the gamut from one-on-ones (with assists from Den of Geek moderators) to panels playing games in real-time, all for your entertainment. Check out the highlights below, with links to relive the livestream fun or check out the events for the first time if you missed them live!

Visit the TorCon Bookstore here.

Catriona Ward in Conversation with Gillian Flynn

Listening to one of today’s gutsiest thriller writers Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl, Sharp Objects, Dark Places) chat with Catriona Ward, author of the highly-anticipated The Last House on Needless Street, felt like listening in on the pivotal conversation in a mystery, where everything slots into place. “No one goes from skipping along the street to becoming a monster,” Ward said, “it’s incremental. You turn around and look back at your footsteps and you don’t realize you’ve walked the path to monsterhood.” Between this empathy for the monster and their frank discussion of female culpability in horror, it’s no surprise to learn that Gone Girl‘s ending was the easiest of Flynn’s shocking conclusions to come up with.

Moderated by Den of Geek Books Editor Kayti Burt, the conversation tackled the inherent creepiness of unreliable narrators and whether the authors know their books’ dynamic twists when they first sit down to write. A sense of place is extremely important to both writers, from the eponymous house—and its Bible-reading house cat—in Ward’s forthcoming book to the themes that ground Flynn’s stories. “Whether it’s about what it’s like to grow up in extreme poverty in the ’80s with Satanic Panic and reclaim that mentality, or female aggression and violence and what it looks like cyclically,” Flynn said, “it just happens that the mystery is the way for me to attach an engine to it and give me the discipline to actually tell this story.”

Rewatch Here!

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Chaotic Storytelling—Take 2!

Last year’s most chaotic panel returned with a new batch of ambitious authors ready to pants, not plot, their way through a speculative story in front of a live audience. How do you get from Gladys the tortured mummy in Stephen King’s castle to one of Keanu Reeves’ many incarnations saving the day? By tripping over some security lasers that emit glitter, of course. Enjoy this glimpse into the minds and creative processes of J.S. Dewes (The Last Watch), Jenn Lyons (The House of Always), Christopher Buehlman (The Blacktongue Thief), Andrea Hairston (Master of Poisons), and Neil Sharpson (When the Sparrow Falls), with plot twists and surprise d20 rolls supplied by moderator Drew Broussard of LitHub.

And while most of the panelists agreed that they were unlikely to collaboratively co-write a novel—unless it was a project like Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar’s This is How You Lose the Time War—they relished the opportunity to tap into their more unpredictable sides and go with the first plot ideas that popped into their heads without that self-editing voice. After all, as Lyons reflected, “sometimes fun is destroying stuff.”

Rewatch Here!

Nightfire Family *Blood* Feud

Tired: Family Feud. Wired: Gathering a temporary coven of authors from Macmillan’s newest horror imprint Nightfire to answer horror trivia submitted by the Tor staff. Guided by moderator Lee Mandelo (Summer Sons), these masters of thrills and chills had to answer burning questions such as… What’s the most common hiding spot in a slasher film? Which tropes are the most beloved? Who’s the scariest serial killer? (Spoiler: The shark from Jaws makes the list.)

In addition to guessing at their editors’ and publicists’ answers, the panelists let us into their own brains for some fascinating insights. Thomas Olde Heuvelt (HEX, Echo) once passed out while giving blood, while Cassandra Khaw (Nothing But Blackened Teeth) has a soft spot for Sophie Kinsella’s rom-coms. Gretchen Felker-Martin (Manhunt) has to purposely scare herself to get in the zone, while Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Certain Dark Things) fondly told childhood stories about a spot known as Blood Alley.

“We like to be scared because we all have our little dark sides to ourselves,” Olde Heuvelt said, with Khaw praising how the genre creates a space for people to process fears. Moreno-Garcia pointed out that horror doesn’t necessarily have to scare to be effective, that its tropes are in conversation with other genres and familiar stories retold. And Felker-Martin summed it up best: “Horror is about looking at things you don’t want to look at until you can expand your sphere of empathy enough to encompass them.”

Rewatch Here!

James Rollins in Conversation with Holly Black

Holly Black kicked off our conversation with the thrilling news that she’ll be publishing her first adult novel, Book of Night, with Tor Books! While Black is embarking on a new stage in her writing career with this series, for James Rollins it was like coming home: The thriller writer returns to epic fantasy with The Starless Crown, the first installment of the ambitious Moon Fall series in which he applies his love of scientific discovery on the fringes with a story that he carried in his head for over a decade before putting pen to paper.

With Den of Geek contributor Natalie Zutter moderating, the conversation delved into the authors’ shared love for the band Dead Can Dance as well as the appeal of liminal spaces—from the Faerie court to a twilight realm on a tidally-locked planet—and characters with a foot in two worlds at once. Both authors enjoy writing fantasy characters who fail to honor that old adage to be careful what you wish for, with magic bringing as much potential for world-ending disaster as for life-changing joy. As Black pointed out, “The difference between curses and wishes is just shading.”

Revisit the discussion for talk of non-Chosen Ones, fantasy jewelry, swamp bats we would die for, and the pop culture getting these authors through the pandemic. To that end, could there be some Lupin-esque heists in Book of Night? “Maybe” Black teased. “I hope so!”

Rewatch Here!

All the Feels: Emotional Storytelling in SFF

“With all due respect,” Becky Chambers (A Psalm for the Wild-Built) said to the more stoic authors on this panel, “if you’re not crying when writing a book, then what is the point?” Kerstin Hall (Star Eater) joked about how to “hack” readers, but quips aside, moderator TJ Klune (Under the Whispering Door) guided these authors in a soul-searching conversation about how they put themselves into the emotional highs and lows of their SFF stories. “It’s all about contrast, isn’t it?” asked T.L. Huchu (The Library of the Dead), comparing their writing to how artists work with light and darkness on the same canvas. “If you have these highs, when the really messed-up stuff happens, you’re bringing the characters down from a height, which creates a greater effect.”

From infusing the worldbuilding with feelings to constantly stepping back from the text and taking the temperature, these authors of everything from cozy sci-fi to cannibalistic family sagas never lose sight of the intense relationship on both sides of the page. Part of being a writer, as Alex Pheby (Mordew) pointed out, is letting readers meet you partway by “letting them have space in the text where they can engage their own feelings” instead of being prodded by the author to feel a certain way. Most important when writing from a place of trauma, Lucinda Roy (The Freedom Race) said, was for the author to be sure that they had come to terms with their own emotional starting point: “Have I reconciled my spirit to this trauma in such a way that I can stand back from it and write about it in a way that will be useful to others?”

Despite the name of the panel, it was still a heartstring-tugging surprise to see the panelists get emotional over their brief time together. When asked about inspiration, Roy said of her fellow authors, “Those kinds of people are my people.” Aww, right in the feels.

Rewatch Here!

Ethereal & Eerie: A Glimpse at Captivating Fall Reads

Bless all the authors on this panel for candidly saying that in most cases they would not want to live in the worlds they’ve created—especially because for many of them, like Catherynne M. Valente (The Past is Red, Comfort Me With Apples) and Lee Mandelo (Summer Sons), their books are set in a version of our present. As moderator Seanan McGuire (Where the Drowned Girls Go, Across the Green Grass Fields) pointed out, “Would I have written a book about where I am now if I wanted to stay?”

The panelists spoke about how they set the proper atmosphere for their novels, from Valente cribbing from an actual Florida HOA agreement to Freya Marske (A Marvellous Light) recreating a real manor house she visited in England. The most pressing question is which came first, the world or the characters? For Alix E. Harrow (A Spindle Splintered), it was walking out of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and saying, “I want to Spider-Verse a fairy tale.” While Zin E. Rocklyn (Flowers for the Sea) drew upon her “very deep respect” for the water (“that shit is scary and it’s our least explored area of the Earth”) to create the world first, her character came immediately after: “I wanted to mess with something that was catastrophic and bleak.”

What with releasing new books during spooky season, of course talk turned to tried-and-true Halloween reads and especially favorite eerie bookish characters, including We Have Always Lived in the Castle‘s narrator Mary Katherine Blackwood (Shirley Jackson sure knows how to write ’em) and the eponymous protagonist of Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi. And how do these authors get in the proper eerie mindset? Everything from Rocklyn’s Spotify playlists to Valente and Mandelo each needing to do no more than step outside into a nearby cemetery. It’s gonna be a great fall ahead.

Rewatch Here!

Charlie Jane Anders in Conversation with TJ Klune

If this were an in-person con, Charlie Jane Anders (Victories Greater Than Death) and TJ Klune (Under the Whispering Door) would have been all over the place, appearing on and/or moderating in a variety of other panels. It was such a treat, then, to see the two of them in devoted conversation, led by Kayti Burt. The two found a lot of common ground, from writing for both YA and adult readers, to debating the benefits and drawbacks of standalones versus series, to speaking candidly about trans identity and asexuality.

As Burt astutely pointed out, both authors go to great lengths to depict kindness and empathy even within their more traumatic or grim stories. That intentionality is for the readers’ sake, Klune said, speaking about his YA superhero series The Extraordinaries and the second installment Flash Fire: “Queer kids deserve to have a book about queer kids that isn’t about the angst of coming out and homophobia; queer people should be able to read about happy queers who do stupid things.” And while Anders often finds that she establishes the tone at the start of a project, she’s aware that tropes can sometimes lead the story in a darker direction and that she as the writer can choose to diverge from where a story may seem like it’s turning grim: “Most tropes aren’t the boss of me! They work for me, not the other way around!”

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Space is Gay!

With books like Everina Maxwell’s Winter’s Orbit, Charlie Jane Anders’ Victories Greater Than Death, and Ryka Aoki’s Light From Uncommon Stars, it comes as no surprise that space is becoming increasingly gay. But moderator K.M. Szpara (First, Become Ashes) keenly started off the panel by asking the authors to define what they even mean by space. For Aoki, it was the sense of needing space: “If there’s any world you sometimes need a break from, it’s the world we live in as queers.” Anders likened the genre, with its interstellar jaunts and gallivanting, to one of the very best romance tropes: “It’s like there’s only one bed, but with the entire cosmos around you.”

“There’s only one pod!” the panel chorused, and we knew this was going to be a gallivant for the ages even if we were stuck on terra firma. But it wasn’t just riffing: When asked what should be made gay after space (dinosaurs and cyberpunk came to mind), Aoki brought up the necessary point that our work in space was not done: “Don’t just make it gay,” she said, “make it queer and trans.”

This panel had some of the most sparkling witticisms of the con, with this self-appointed starship crew of authors plotting a gay space heist involving tactical ballgowns, robbing Elon Musk’s inevitable space bank, and knowing exactly where to hide a body on a space station. Even when discussing more serious topics such as the need for queer scientists and educators (in addition to sci-fi writers), Aoki had the panel and audience cheering: “Imagine Bill Nye the Science Bi!”

Rewatch Here!

Conjuring the Diaspora: Myths, Legends, and Classics Reimagined

Moderator Lily Philpott began this panel, about the intersections between the Asian diaspora and speculative storytelling, by acknowledging how vast the diaspora is, inviting the panelists to each speak about their ancestors and formative myths and legends. With these authors based on three different continents, no two people had the same perspective on identity. To wit, in discussing the disparate influences on Light From Uncommon Stars, Ryka Aoki said, “I’m not doing that to show you how many places I can be, I’m doing this to show you how many places I am.” With regard to rediscovering one link to her family history in Japan while losing another, Aoki said, “I refuse, with this book and with many of my books, to see myself as fragmented.” Whereas Nghi Vo (The Chosen and the Beautiful), whose family is Vietnamese and Hakka Chinese, said that while she appreciated the discussion of wholeness, “I have no interest in being whole. I have plenty of identity in fragment.”

As for what drew them to SFF, for Aliette de Bodard (Fireheart Tiger) it was because it’s fun! “I think on some level what I’m trying to find were these stories my grandmother would tell me as a child,” the French-Vietnamese author said, “and that sense of wonder you had when finding a dragon or turning a mountain and meeting the mountain spirit.” Interestingly, Shelley Parker-Chan’s She Who Became the Sun started out as more historical palace drama but eventually turned fantastical, especially playing with the what-if aspect by adding magic. “One of the appeals of fantasy for me is you can approach issues side-on,” said the author, who grew up in a Cantonese-speaking Malaysian-Singaporean community in Australia. “With fantasy, you can conjure up characters who evoke those same issues, like with gender, but it’s cloaked by a softening layer that makes it vague. So many true people with their own experiences can see themselves in it.”

“The experience of the diaspora is one of monsters,” Vo said. “If you start with monsters, you start in horror and SFF. When you’re operating from a place where monsters want to eat you, and realize you’re a monster as well, you have to figure out how you’re gonna eat everyone else—that’s where I’m writing from.”

Rewatch Here!

Jo Firestone in Conversation with Joe Pera

Unfortunately, this is the only TorCon event that was truly live in the sense that there isn’t a link to rewatch Adult Swim star Joe Pera (Joe Pera Talks With You) and Punderdome creator Jo Firestone dryly yes-and their way through discussing Pera’s first book A Bathroom Book for People Not Pooping or Peeing but Using the Bathroom as an Escape. A boon for socially awkward and/or overstressed readers everywhere, the book was a challenge for Pera in translating stand-up from the stage to the page, and a delight in collaborating with illustrator Joe Bennett.

Kayti Burt led the audience Q&A, featuring such pressing questions as the best wood on which to display this book in a bathroom (teak). Pera hopes that the book, intended to be read in the duration of a short but much-needed bathroom break, will be a meditative guide but not necessarily recognizable by name: “Sometimes, like with stand-up, it’s best when someone stumbles upon it and has no idea who you are,” he said, “and feels like they’ve discovered something more personal that talks to them.”

The post Blood Feuds and All the Feels: TorCon 2021 Highlights appeared first on Den of Geek.

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filmardotcom-blog-blog · 5 years

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Don't be SCAMMED this is important

Don't be SCAMMED this is important Have you ever received an email like this: "Dear Traders, Beware of . When you buy from them and send them money, you’ll never get your products and then suddenly can’t contact them anymore. Then they won't answer your emails or take your calls. Soon, you lose all your money. Please share this information with your customers." Or this: "It has been brought to our attention that there may be individuals operating in the marketplace impersonating in order to perpetuate fraud." You’d be surprised how often I get these emails. This next one is especially tricky because it could be legit, depending on your business. “The customer is willing to place a big order but needs sample units first and is not willing to pay for the samples upfront. This is going to be an issue because the sample units are going to be quite expensive.” Whatever your business and wherever you live, scam artists are out there, waiting to take advantage and siphon away your hard-earned revenue. They regularly change their alleged business names, aliases and even their scamming methods to avoid getting caught. But I’ve learned a few tricks in my years about spotting scam artists and I want to provide you with the knowledge and confidence you’ll need to remain scam-free. Below are some tools, tips and resources to help you curtail any future losses. Here are a few more common scams: You pay someone and then don’t receive anything. You buy AC adapters or batteries that turn out to be counterfeit. A product’s condition turns out to be misrepresented. For instance, you were promised Grade A or B, but what you got was junk. The deal you signed up for turns out to be significantly not-as-described. You try to remedy it with the seller but they stop answering your phone calls and responding to emails. Scammers often purchase a domain name similar to yours. They might even take your exact same name but use a .net, .org, or .us, instead of .com. A scam site might link its reviews to your site to make it seem legit. Then when customers Google your company, your reviews will come up. The customer feels comfortable even if the deals seem too good to be true, so they start placing orders on the fraudulent site. The scam site takes the order, but nothing ships out. Soon you start getting calls for order statuses you can’t locate. Read more details of the scam here. This next scam is the most popular one. You order all “Grade A,” “New,” or “Refurbished” products, but when they show up at your dock, they’re all wrong, or it’s all junk. I won’t say you should have gone out and inspected the products yourself, because I‘ve hand-tested each product in an order, then had the boxes swapped during shipping. I probably missed a few but if you come across any other scams, let me know so we can protect other traders. You might not have come across these issues yourself, but it could be worth your while to have some contacts and tools at your disposal when scoping out new customers and vendors. I also have more tricks in my E-book to help you circumvent cheating and get inspections performed on the cheap. The evolving scam Scam deals typically start with a phone call or email. Look closely at the email and the associated domains to get a sense of how serious the request is. Keep in mind, scam artists are going to be slippery. They love to use tricky domain names and fake social media accounts. They’ll even build websites to try to convince you they’re legit. When you talk on the phone with a possible scammer, it’s a good idea to jot down the number they called from. Reverse phone lookups and simple Google searches can help fill in missing information to verify a company. When determining if a buyer is safe or a scam, consider if their reviews are real or fake. Scamadviser.com is a good tool for assessing the risk of third-party websites. This tool saves you time authenticating domains. Scamadviser uses an algorithm to authenticate reviews, as well as determine if a website is legit or a front for phishing, and if a seller is peddling fake products. Two important things to consider here are 1) was the domain name registered recently? 2)how long until the domain name expires? Scammers are not going to register a domain name years in advance. Scam domains are usually registered recently. Next, look closer at the email. Does it have a signature, address, phone number, fax? Try to verify some of those details on your own. If they have Skype, WhatsApp or social media contacts, check them out and connect with them. Do those accounts look legit? When did the user last write a post? Use Google Maps to verify addresses, and zoom in using Street View to check out the building. Another verification hack I’ve found useful is calling neighboring businesses and asking about a business I’m suspicious of. How long have they been there? What type of unit are they in? Ask if trucks roll in and out of the location. You’d be surprised how much info people give out to strangers. Counterfeit products are another big problem in our industry — everything from batteries to AC adapters. Some of you probably know this a big problem and don't care because counterfeiting means cheap products. But counterfeit products can cause an end-user’s computer to fail, catch fire or worse, explode. Needless to say, this can lead to very high return rates for you and your resellers. Detecting counterfeit products or fakes can be difficult. RAM modules, hard drives, power adapters and batteries can be verified with the manufacturer, though it’s a time-consuming process. And checking with a manufacturer is really only feasible if you have a very specific need and must be 100% sure an item is legit. So here’s a quick hack to find out if your adapter or battery is legit. Get out a scale and weigh the original and the potential fake. The fake will always weigh less than the original. Here’s a video showing the obvious difference in weight. Payment time So you’re ready to pay and you’re feeling good about the deal. Now comes time to pay. I know what you’re going to say: wire transfer only. But I want to tell you that if the funds were obtained and transferred illegally, they can be reversed by your bank or the originating bank for up to one year. Wire transfers seem to be the favorite method for scammers these days. Good companies take credit cards and charge fees to do so. If a seller insists on wire-only, further investigation on your part is needed. There is too much material to go over in one blog post, but I go over ACH payments, Paypal and credit card payments scams in detail in my E-book (which I highly recommend reading because there is a lot to learn about ACH and the capabilities of reversals and chargebacks). Who can help me? Depending on the type of scam and the legalities of your county, state or country, I would contact a few agencies along with your local police. But first, I recommend consulting with your attorney to see what your options are. You must find a good attorney. If you need help finding an attorney anywhere in the globe, download my E-book. I’ll show you where to find them and how to keep them accountable as you track down buyers and sellers. Here are some other tools and processes you should put in place to avoid becoming a victim yourself. According to the Better Business Bureau’s investigative project Scam Studies, millions of people fall victim to scams each year. Take some time to check out the content there, which is very informative and should keep you updated on the latest scamming techniques. Also, check out the BBB’s Scam Tracker, where you can see all its reports. There are some methods to slow down a scam, but it will take hard work and it’s best to get ahead of the problem. So here are two tips to help make your online presence a little more bulletproof: Register all variations of your domain name — .net .org, .us, with dashes and without. Trademark your domain name. That way you can get the domain’s registrar to take down any infringing domains. I’m sure I missed a scam or two but I’ll leave you with a starting point and some additional links and search tools. Come back often because I’ll be updating this list and adding some content to make sure you’re aware of future cons. MANTA Company Lookup Hoovers Company Search California Secretary Of State Delaware State Divisions of Corporations Florida Department Of Division of Corporations Georgia Corporations Division Iowa Secretary Of State Kansas Business Center Massachusetts Michigan Corporations Division Business Entity Missouri Nebraska Secretary Of State New Hampshire Corporation Division New Jersey New York Corporation and Business Entity Database Ohio Secretary Of State Oklahoma State Corporation Entities Pennslyvania Department Of State Rhode Island Texas Secretary Of State Canadian Govt Corporate Records Search. Duedil.com: UK/Ireland Company Background Search Companies House UK Company Check UK CD Rex Check Website and Email Domain Owners Guidestar.org - US non-profit look up tool Arizona Corporation Commission Glassdoor Company Reviews (UK) North Carolina Department Of The Secretary Maryland Department Of Assessments & Taxation Virginia State Corporation Commission Illinois Secretary Of State Minnesota Secretary Of State Utah Divisions Of Corporations European Commission VAT verification Danish Business Authority Database British Columbia Registry Services Nevada Secretary Of State Charitable Organizations within Quebec Hong Kong Washington State Corporation Ministry of Corporate Affairs India Microsoft Refurbisher Directory Dun & Bradstreet State of Colorado B2B Yellow Pages Merchant Circle UK Company List kompany Tennessee Business Entity Search Hong Kong DIR Hong Kong Company List New Zealand Companies Office New Mexico Secretary of State Bizfile Kentucky Secretary of State Online Resources Bizearch Connecticut Secretary of the State FBR Pakistan ESC Corporate Services SERI Washington DC Business Verification Belgium Business Database Maine Department of the Secretary of the State e-information of Hungary Companies System for Award Management Shenzhen Credit Org Oregon Business Directory California Board of Equalization Idaho State Business Directory Mississippi Secretary of State United Arab Emirates Government of Pakistan - Federal Board of Revenue Registraire des entreprises Quebec Find the Company | A Company Research Engine Kyckr EU Business Lookup Open Corporates Netherlands Business Directory NY State Tax Vendor Lookup UAE TRN Number Verification IRS - Exempt Organizations Check Tool Texas TaxPayer Search Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions Ireland - Companies Registration Office Italian Business Register Vietnam Business Registration Portal Malaysia Registration Search Nigeria Corporate Affairs Commission Arkansas Secretary of State Germany - Unternehmensregister Bloomberg San Jose Business License Lookup Wyoming Secretary of State Kenya Revenue Authority Zoominfo Argentina - CUIT (Tax Lookup) e-Information on Hungarian Companies France - sirene.fr Social Media Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Alibaba eBay Seller Profile Google + Amazon Foursquare Pinterest Newegg Seller Profile Panjiva - Global Trade Insights Other Company Directory Listing Online Review Sites Ripoffreport.com Reseller Ratings Scambook Better Business Bureau Yelp Google Reviews Yahoo Local eBay Feedback Profile Angie''s List HomeAdvisor Environmental, Health, and Safety Compliance EPA - Enforcement & Compliance History Online US Dept. of Labor - OSHA enforcement inspections ISRI SREA Reasonable Care Compliance Program NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection CA.gov Envirostor Texas Commission on Environmental Quality SERI e-Stewards Directory There is a lot here and if you think I missed one leave a comment below and we can add it. At Filmar.com I Buy Sell End of Life Corporate IT Assets is an expert on the secondary market of IT products. Specialties include used and off-lease refurbished computer products, laptops, computers, LED LCD TVs, digital cameras, electronics, unlocked phones, tablets and enterprise IT equipment. These are my observations and my opinions but I would love to hear more about your frustrations Read the full article

#fraud #scam #technews

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melindarowens · 7 years

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The Fallacies Of The ‘Russia-Truthers’

Authored by James Carden via ConsortiumNews.com,

The anti-Russia hysteria – now rivaling past Red Scares with Russians hiding under every bed – has led to factual errors in press accounts and has erased standards of political fairness.

One of the more extraordinary developments since the U.S. presidential election is that the paranoia and the grotesque disregard for facts, evidence and logic that characterized the Trump-inspired “birther movement” can now be reasonably said to characterize the Left’s stance toward Donald J. Trump.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, following his address to the UN General Assembly on Sept. 28, 2015. (UN Photo)

There seems to be nothing that Trump opponents will not say and no charge, however low, they will not stoop to making as long as it furthers the goal of removing Trump from office. But, alas, the liberal case against Trump rests upon little more than widely shared fictions and unsubstantiated claims about Trump’s alleged ties to Russia.

For instance, testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 8, former FBI Director James Comey cast doubt on a Feb. 14 New York Times report titled “Trump Campaign Aides Had Repeated Contacts With Russian Intelligence.”

The article, which relied on “four current and former government officials,” said that “Phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election” and that “the intercepts alarmed American intelligence and law enforcement agencies, in part because of the amount of contact that was occurring while Mr. Trump was speaking glowingly about the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin.”

Comey was asked about the report during an exchange with Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho.

RISCH: I remember, you — you talked with us shortly after February 14th, when the New York Times wrote an article that suggested that the Trump campaign was colluding with the Russians. This is not factual. Do you recall that?

COMEY: Yes.

RISCH: OK. So — so, again, so the American people can understand this, that report by the New York Times was not true. Is that a fair statement?

COMEY: In — in the main, it was not true.

Later in the hearing, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, asked Comey: “Would it be fair to characterize that story as almost entirely wrong?” To which Comey replied: “Yes.”

Spreading Hysteria

However, the anti-Russian hysteria has spread well beyond the pages of The New York Times and even beyond the circumstances of the 2016 presidential campaign. Allegations about Russian meddling have included U.S. government attacks on Russia’s RT network for allegedly undermining Americans’ faith in their democracy by broadcasting debates among third-party presidential candidates and covering the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The Washington Post building in downtown Washington, D.C. (Photo credit: Washington Post)

Even American journalists have come in for a taste of the lash for not joining in the Russia-bashing. Last Thanksgiving Day, The Washington Post ran a front-page story based on an anonymous Web site called PropOrNot that accused 200 Web sites – including Consortiumnews.com, Counterpunch, Truthout, Truthdig and other leading independent news sources in America – of peddling “Russian propaganda,” presumably in part, because they questioned the State Department’s narratives about the Ukraine crisis or the Syrian conflict.

The Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank founded by Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta, recently issued a report warning that Russian President Putin is building a European “5th column” to advance a goal of undermining Western democracy. Anybody who does not join in the ritual denunciations of Putin and Russia is under suspicion.

Yet in light of Comey’s testimony, perhaps it is worth recalling a number of other instances in which Russia was accused of seeking to disrupt and discredit Western democracies and see how well they’ve held up.

In April of last year, Dutch voters rejected a referendum on whether to approve an Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine. Russia was quickly accused of meddling in the referendum.

One New York Times headline screamed: “Fake News, Fake Ukrainians: How a Group of Russians Tilted A Dutch Vote.” The Times reported that two Russians had worked against the referendum for the Dutch Socialist Party.

But, as the Dutch journalist and author Chris Kaspar de Ploeg points out, the Times story credits “these mere two (!) individuals” with having “tilted the Dutch vote.” In the end, De Ploeg notes, the Times was forced to admit that “no one has yet come up with concrete evidence that the Russian state, rather than individual Russians, is working to skew the election and many wonder why Moscow would even bother trying to do so in a small country.”

Brexit Accusations

Similar accusations of meddling were leveled against Russia in the run-up to the June 2016 Brexit vote. Joerg Forbrig of the German Marshall Fund told the Daily Beast, “I do think that the Kremlin has been trying to reach out to the leave campaign. There may well be support but it will be very hard to find out about this because they will be extremely discrete.”

Russians taking part in an Immortal Regiment march, honoring family members who died during World War II, on May 9, 2017.

“We do know,” said Forbrig, “that the Kremlin is also materially supporting other actors that have potential to undermine European unity, and the European Union.”

After the “Leave” campaign emerged victorious, Labour MP Ben Bradshaw told the House of Commons “I don’t think we have even begun to wake up to what Russia is doing when it comes to cyber warfare.”

And yet, despite all the handwringing, U.K. Foreign Minister Boris Johnson was recently forced to admit: “We have no evidence the Russians are actually involved in trying to undermine our democratic processes at the moment. We don’t actually have that evidence. But what we do have is plenty of evidence that the Russians are capable of doing that.”

A December 2016 New York Times editorial also expressed concern that Putin had set his sights on Europe, citing “ominous signs that Russia is spreading propaganda and engaging in cyberattacks in Europe in advance of several national elections next year.”

And yet, according to Politico Europe, a year-long investigation by German intelligence issued in February 2017 “failed to uncover evidence of Kremlin-backed meddling” and “found no concrete proof of disinformation campaigns targeting the government.”

In the run-up to May’s presidential election in France, Sen. Richard M. Burr, R-North Carolina, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told the New York Times: “I think it’s safe by everybody’s judgment that the Russians are actively involved in the French elections.”

Speculation about Russian interference went into overdrive just hours before the vote when emails from the campaign of pro-E.U. candidate Emmanuel Macron were leaked. The culprit? You guessed it! According to a May 6 report in The Independent, “Vitali Kremez, director of research with US-based cyber intelligence firm Flashpoint, said his analysis indicated that APT 28, a group tied to Russia’s GRU military intelligence directorate, was behind the leak.”

But once again, no evidence was to be found. In an interview with the Associated Press, Guillaume Poupard, director general of France’s cyber-defense agency, said his agency “found no trace that the Russian hacking group known as APT28, blamed for other attacks including on the U.S. presidential campaign, was responsible” for the leak.

But that didn’t stop Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, from repeating the accusations. After all, why let facts get in the way of a good story? Raskin screeched to protesters at the so-called “March for Truth” that Russia “hacked and trashed Macron, in a bid to elect the right-wing, immigrant bashing Marine Le Pen.”

Viral Distortions

Needless to say there have been many reports of Russian cyber attacks in the U.S. that have gone viral but were quickly shown to be untrue.

A busy tourist scene in St. Petersburg, Russia. (Photo by Robert Parry)

Of these, perhaps the best known was a story in Slate by former New Republic editor Franklin Foer in which Foer claimed a computer server belonging to the Trump Organization was secretly communicating with what Hillary Clinton described as a “Putin-tied bank” in Russia.

And yet, as On the Media’s Bob Garfield sardonically noted, “it took cyber experts about 5 minutes to knock that story down.” As it turns out, the “secret server” wasn’t secret and the domain in question didn’t even belong to Trump; it belonged to a marketing company called Cendyn.

The link to the Russia’s Alfa bank? Executives from Alfa frequented Trump hotels and as a matter of course received marketing/promotional emails from Cendyn on behalf of the Trump Organization. Cyber expert Robert Graham described Foer’s story as “nonsense.”

Yet Foer, was if anything, in good company. The Washington Post, in a December 2016 story accused the Russian government of hacking into an electrical grid in Burlington, Vermont. The sensational headline read: “Russian operation hacked a Vermont utility, showing risk to U.S. electrical grid security, officials say.”

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin was quick to denounce the Kremlin, declaring “Vermonters and all Americans should be both alarmed and outraged that one of the world’s leading thugs, Vladimir Putin, has been attempting to hack our electric grid, which we rely upon to support our quality-of-life, economy, health, and safety.”

But, alas, the story was quickly debunked by the electrical utility in question, which released a statement, which read, in part: “There is no indication that either our electric grid or customer information has been compromised. Media reports stating that Burlington Electric was hacked or that the electric grid was breached are false.” The Post had to append an embarrassing editor’s note explaining why their story didn’t hold up to the minutest scrutiny.

Given all this, our hardy band of “Russia Truthers” might do well to curb their hysteria until such time as Independent Counsel Robert Mueller concludes his investigation. Maybe then there might be at least some evidence attached to the various allegations. But the prospects for such self-control are not good. There is too much momentum – and political self-interest – behind the sordid campaign to paint the 2016 election result as the product of sinister Russian interference.

source http://capitalisthq.com/the-fallacies-of-the-russia-truthers/ from CapitalistHQ http://capitalisthq.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-fallacies-of-russia-truthers.html

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everettwilkinson · 7 years

Text

The Fallacies Of The ‘Russia-Truthers’

Authored by James Carden via ConsortiumNews.com,

The anti-Russia hysteria – now rivaling past Red Scares with Russians hiding under every bed – has led to factual errors in press accounts and has erased standards of political fairness.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, following his address to the UN General Assembly on Sept. 28, 2015. (UN Photo)

Comey was asked about the report during an exchange with Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho.

COMEY: Yes.

RISCH: OK. So — so, again, so the American people can understand this, that report by the New York Times was not true. Is that a fair statement?

COMEY: In — in the main, it was not true.

Later in the hearing, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, asked Comey: “Would it be fair to characterize that story as almost entirely wrong?” To which Comey replied: “Yes.”

Spreading Hysteria

The Washington Post building in downtown Washington, D.C. (Photo credit: Washington Post)

Brexit Accusations

Russians taking part in an Immortal Regiment march, honoring family members who died during World War II, on May 9, 2017.

“We do know,” said Forbrig, “that the Kremlin is also materially supporting other actors that have potential to undermine European unity, and the European Union.”

Viral Distortions

Needless to say there have been many reports of Russian cyber attacks in the U.S. that have gone viral but were quickly shown to be untrue.

A busy tourist scene in St. Petersburg, Russia. (Photo by Robert Parry)

from CapitalistHQ.com http://capitalisthq.com/the-fallacies-of-the-russia-truthers/

#TrumpNews #CapitalistHQ.com

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richardrobertsimsuccessblog · 8 years

Text

How to Write Faster: 10 Crafty Ways to Hit 1,000 Words Per Hour

Yesssss!

The schedule gods have given you a break, and you have a rare hour to actually sit down and write. You could produce an entire blog post! An article! Maybe even a short book chapter! Your research is all done, so all you need to do now is write.

You apply ass to seat, fire up your laptop, start typing …

… and it’s like watching a video in slo-mo.

Once the hour is up, you do a word count — and let’s just say the final tally is less than impressive.

It’s time to pull you out of that rut. Here are ten ways to produce great writing in volume. Using these tactics, I can write a full 1,000-word article in under an hour; I bet they’ll speed up your output as well.

#1. Write Under Pressure (from Your Bladder)

When I’m on fire (or on a deadline) and don’t want to stop writing, I skip bathroom breaks until I’m done. Nothing speeds up your writing like knowing you’re on the verge of having a potty accident.

Being a 48-year-old woman, I have to pee every 30 minutes, so you can bet I’m writing scorchingly fast to make it to the next bathroom break; but if this isn’t the case for you, try quaffing a couple glasses of water before sitting down at your laptop.

Caveat: I am not a doctor and this probably isn’t the healthiest thing to do. In fact, I’ve heard of bladder infections being called “secretary’s disease” because they used to happen frequently to secretaries who held it in while they finished “just one more task.” Use this tactic at your own risk!

#2. Outwit Writer’s Block with This Old Journalist’s Trick

Instead of insisting that your facts and examples be all lined up before you put pen to paper, which leads to over-researching, try writing from your head. Get down what you know, and what you remember from your interviews — and drop in the term “TK” wherever you get stuck and need more information.

TK is journo-speak for “to come,” and it’s used as a placeholder for copy you’ll add later. The beauty of TK is that this combo of letters very rarely occurs in the English language — so once you’re done with your draft, you can do a search on the term in your word processing program and fill in the holes.

You’ll be surprised at how much you already had in your head, and at how much faster you can produce a piece of writing this way!

#3. Use Automation to Skip Two Million Keystrokes

Rewriting the same copy over and over, or playing the cut-and-paste game several times an hour, is a massive time suck. In the two minutes it takes you to type in your bio at the end of a guest post, you could have written the lede paragraph of a new post.

I use an app called TextExpander — which expands custom keyboard shortcuts into frequently used text — for common copy like my email sign-off, bio, mailing address, book titles, HTML codes, and words and phrases I use often in my writing. You can even use TextExpander abbreviations to insert images, the current date, and more. (Similar apps include TypeIt4Me for Mac and Breevy for Windows.)

As an example, when I type in “rren,” this pops up: The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success. That’s four keystrokes instead of 80!

TextExpander’s stats say I’ve saved myself from typing over two million characters, and have saved over 142 hours. Yes, that’s six solid days I’ve rescued from the abyss of needless typing.

One trick I learned years ago is to be sure the abbreviations you choose are letter combinations you won’t be using for anything else. For example, if you choose the word “address” to expand out into your street address, that will also happen when you write, “This blog post will address common time-wasters.”

Try repeating a letter at the front of the word instead. I use the combo “bbio” for my bio and “uurl” for my website URL.

Imagine how much speedier your writing will be if you can simply type fewer words!

#4. Turn Off the Squiggly Red Lines

You’re all in the zone, writing like your life depends on it — or like you have to pee really bad; see tip #1 — and suddenly you’re stopped in your tracks by a squiggly red line under a word. You pause to check it, and realize the program doesn’t recognize the name of that city in Germany you’re writing about.

So you right-click on “Nuremberg,” select “Add to Dictionary,” and …

… where were you again?

Your word processing program’s spelling and grammar checkers are just okay at checking spelling and grammar, but they are phenomenal at yanking you right out of your flow. I actually don’t mind the spell checker, but when I have the grammar checker on I find myself stopping every few minutes to yell, “Shut up, I meant to write it that way!”

Guess what? You have the power to switch off the checkers so you’re able to write without distraction. You can always run them after you’ve finished your writing if you need to.

#5. Invest in a Faster Pen

Like to write first drafts or take notes by hand? The Hack My Study site did a comparison on which pens are the fastest to write with.

Here’s a spoiler: Fountain pens are best for pure speed, but they’re also pricey and difficult to master. The next best option is a rollerball pen. These are less expensive, but they’re still fast because they create little friction on the writing surface.

The third best for speed is the gel pen, which is less expensive than the rollerball, and coming in dead last is the standard ballpoint pen — you know, the kind you pick up for free at your local bank or dentist’s office.

I can attest to the speed of the rollerball; a few years ago I decided to toss out every junky pen in the house and replace them with a few dozen of my favorite brand, the Pilot Precise V7 Rolling Ball Fine — blue for me, black for my husband, and red just because. That way, whenever I’m in the mood to write a draft or take notes by hand, I can reach into a kitchen drawer or my purse and be assured of pulling out a fast, smooth-writing pen every time.

Stocking up on quality pens is an investment (it costs around $20 for a 12-pack of the Pilot pen I use), but it’s worth it if it helps you write faster. Not to mention you’ll never again waste precious writing seconds furiously scribbling on a sheet of scrap paper to get the ink flowing in your cheap ballpoint.

#6. Do B-Minus Work

One of the chief habits that keeps you stuck in slow motion is editing yourself while writing. There’s nothing like agonizing over the perfect word in the middle of writing a blog post or article to keep you in perpetual “not quite finished” mode. (That habit, of course, is a consequence of perfectionism, another common bugaboo for writers.)

Value done over perfect and let the words fly. Give yourself permission to do B-minus work just to get the ideas down on paper, then go back and edit when you’re done. Chances are, you’ll discover your writing was pretty good to begin with!

The more you resist editing yourself as you write, the easier writing will become. The easier writing becomes, the more confident you’ll be. And the more confident you are in your writing, the quicker the process gets.

#7. Get Zen Before You Pick Up Your Pen

If your writing slows to a virtual crawl because you feel the need to check Facebook or answer an email after every sentence, you’ll love OmmWriter, a program that blocks out the files and applications behind the writing page to minimize distractions.

OmmWriter also offers a selection of calming background colors and music to keep you in Zen mode as you write, plus soothing sounds with each keystroke. I especially love the horizontal cursor (instead of the usual vertical blinking one) that seems to say “Write on” instead of “Stop writing!”

Ommwriter was free when I downloaded it several years ago, but is now a pay-what-you-want app; the average offering is $7.33.

#8. Stop Letting the Schedule Push You Around

Sometimes a little space is all you need to get perspective on a piece of writing that’s giving you fits, so you can get the words out faster.

An example: Last week I had scheduled myself to write an article for my website called “How Writers Waste Time by Saving Time,” about the dangers of cutting corners in your research and interviews. I eked out about 500 (crappy) words at a glacially slow pace before giving up; the article sounded more like a rant than a solid service piece, and I just couldn’t figure out how to fix it.

Then I looked over my ideas for future articles, and one called “Let Future You Handle Your Writing Problems” jumped out at me. I was inspired! I opened a new Word file, and that article — all 900 words — poured out of me in less than 60 minutes.

This week, I revisited the article I had been stuck on, and immediately saw exactly what the problem was and how to resolve it. An hour later, that article was done too.

If you have control over what you write and when you write it, this tip is for you: Stop being a slave to your editorial calendar. When you’re wrestling with a scheduled article or post, let it go. Scan over your editorial calendar and see if there are any post ideas that get you all fired up, and make the switch. You’ll find that the writing flows much faster that way.

#9. Play Games to Boost Your Words Per Minute

A big problem for many writers is that we think faster than we type. If your brain is churning out amazing ideas and perfect turns of phrase at a blazing pace, but you type slower than my husband trying to help me come up with a funny metaphor for something slow — you’ll finish out your allotted writing time with a only fraction of your page filled with, you know, writing.

Learning to type is a lot more fun than it used to be, with many sites offering free games, lessons, and tests to help you up your keyboarding speed. FreeTypingGame.Net has, among other goodies, a game called The Frogs Are Off Their Diet. A similar site, WordGames.com, offers hilariously titled typing challenges like Zombie Typocalypse and Type Type Revolution.

If you often find yourself writing on the go, seek out free apps that will help you learn to type faster on your smartphone or tablet. TapTyping is one example for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, and Typing Master is an app that works on Android devices.

#10. Gamble with Your Reputation

Feeling competitive? Challenge yourself to write your blog post, article, or book chapter in a (much) shorter amount of time than you normally would.

I did this once while working with a friend at a café and her jaw dropped open as she watched me complete an 800-word article in 30 minutes. (And yes, it was good!)

Even better, bet a friend something juicy that you can do it, or throw down the gauntlet on social media. The more people who see it and the harsher the consequences should you lose, the more likely you are to get those words down on the double.

On the low-pressure end, I also like to do mini challenges: I’ll see how much I can write in the five minutes while my tea steeps … in the two minutes before the microwave dings and my lunch is ready … while I’m on hold with AT&T before someone picks up. It’s incredible how quickly you can write when you have mere minutes to get it done.

Be More Prolific than You Ever Thought Possible

Fab news! It took me years to develop and learn these effective tactics for writing like a bat out of hell, but you can try them all on right now.

Feel free to combine tactics: Turn off the grammar checker, down a couple glasses of water, fire up Ommwriter, and use a text expander app to produce B-minus work.

Chances are you’ll boost your speed many times over, so you can do even more of what you love (hint: writing) every day.

Ready for the writing to simply pour from you? Set your timer and get started!

About the Author: Linda Formichelli has been a full-time freelance writer since 1997. If you’re marketing your butt off and getting nowhere, Linda’s theory is that it’s because you’re doing all the right things—and getting overwhelmed by it all. Instead, check out her upcoming Volume Marketing Challenge for Freelance Writers. During this fun, intense challenge, each week you’ll do the heck out of one type of marketing to reveal the one that will get you the most freelance writing assignments. Registration opens March 3!

How to Write Faster: 10 Crafty Ways to Hit 1,000 Words Per Hour

#Richard Roberts IM Success Mix #How to Write Faster: 10 Crafty Ways to Hit 1 #000 Words Per Hour

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annegalliher · 8 years

Text

How to Write Faster: 10 Crafty Ways to Hit 1,000 Words Per Hour

Yesssss!

You apply ass to seat, fire up your laptop, start typing …

… and it’s like watching a video in slo-mo.

Once the hour is up, you do a word count — and let’s just say the final tally is less than impressive.

#1. Write Under Pressure (from Your Bladder)

#2. Outwit Writer’s Block with This Old Journalist’s Trick

You’ll be surprised at how much you already had in your head, and at how much faster you can produce a piece of writing this way!

#3. Use Automation to Skip Two Million Keystrokes

As an example, when I type in “rren,” this pops up: The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success. That’s four keystrokes instead of 80!

TextExpander’s stats say I’ve saved myself from typing over two million characters, and have saved over 142 hours. Yes, that’s six solid days I’ve rescued from the abyss of needless typing.

Try repeating a letter at the front of the word instead. I use the combo “bbio” for my bio and “uurl” for my website URL.

Imagine how much speedier your writing will be if you can simply type fewer words!

#4. Turn Off the Squiggly Red Lines

So you right-click on “Nuremberg,” select “Add to Dictionary,” and …

… where were you again?

Guess what? You have the power to switch off the checkers so you’re able to write without distraction. You can always run them after you’ve finished your writing if you need to.

#5. Invest in a Faster Pen

Like to write first drafts or take notes by hand? The Hack My Study site did a comparison on which pens are the fastest to write with.

#6. Do B-Minus Work

#7. Get Zen Before You Pick Up Your Pen

Ommwriter was free when I downloaded it several years ago, but is now a pay-what-you-want app; the average offering is $7.33.

#8. Stop Letting the Schedule Push You Around

Sometimes a little space is all you need to get perspective on a piece of writing that’s giving you fits, so you can get the words out faster.

This week, I revisited the article I had been stuck on, and immediately saw exactly what the problem was and how to resolve it. An hour later, that article was done too.

#9. Play Games to Boost Your Words Per Minute

#10. Gamble with Your Reputation

Feeling competitive? Challenge yourself to write your blog post, article, or book chapter in a (much) shorter amount of time than you normally would.

I did this once while working with a friend at a café and her jaw dropped open as she watched me complete an 800-word article in 30 minutes. (And yes, it was good!)

Be More Prolific than You Ever Thought Possible

Fab news! It took me years to develop and learn these effective tactics for writing like a bat out of hell, but you can try them all on right now.

Feel free to combine tactics: Turn off the grammar checker, down a couple glasses of water, fire up Ommwriter, and use a text expander app to produce B-minus work.

Chances are you’ll boost your speed many times over, so you can do even more of what you love (hint: writing) every day.

Ready for the writing to simply pour from you? Set your timer and get started!

0 notes

alanajacksontx · 8 years

Text

How to Write Faster: 10 Crafty Ways to Hit 1,000 Words Per Hour

Yesssss!

You apply ass to seat, fire up your laptop, start typing …

… and it’s like watching a video in slo-mo.

Once the hour is up, you do a word count — and let’s just say the final tally is less than impressive.

#1. Write Under Pressure (from Your Bladder)

#2. Outwit Writer’s Block with This Old Journalist’s Trick

You’ll be surprised at how much you already had in your head, and at how much faster you can produce a piece of writing this way!

#3. Use Automation to Skip Two Million Keystrokes

As an example, when I type in “rren,” this pops up: The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success. That’s four keystrokes instead of 80!

TextExpander’s stats say I’ve saved myself from typing over two million characters, and have saved over 142 hours. Yes, that’s six solid days I’ve rescued from the abyss of needless typing.

Try repeating a letter at the front of the word instead. I use the combo “bbio” for my bio and “uurl” for my website URL.

Imagine how much speedier your writing will be if you can simply type fewer words!

#4. Turn Off the Squiggly Red Lines

So you right-click on “Nuremberg,” select “Add to Dictionary,” and …

… where were you again?

Guess what? You have the power to switch off the checkers so you’re able to write without distraction. You can always run them after you’ve finished your writing if you need to.

#5. Invest in a Faster Pen

Like to write first drafts or take notes by hand? The Hack My Study site did a comparison on which pens are the fastest to write with.

#6. Do B-Minus Work

#7. Get Zen Before You Pick Up Your Pen

Ommwriter was free when I downloaded it several years ago, but is now a pay-what-you-want app; the average offering is $7.33.

#8. Stop Letting the Schedule Push You Around

Sometimes a little space is all you need to get perspective on a piece of writing that’s giving you fits, so you can get the words out faster.

This week, I revisited the article I had been stuck on, and immediately saw exactly what the problem was and how to resolve it. An hour later, that article was done too.

#9. Play Games to Boost Your Words Per Minute

#10. Gamble with Your Reputation

Feeling competitive? Challenge yourself to write your blog post, article, or book chapter in a (much) shorter amount of time than you normally would.

I did this once while working with a friend at a café and her jaw dropped open as she watched me complete an 800-word article in 30 minutes. (And yes, it was good!)

Be More Prolific than You Ever Thought Possible

Fab news! It took me years to develop and learn these effective tactics for writing like a bat out of hell, but you can try them all on right now.

Feel free to combine tactics: Turn off the grammar checker, down a couple glasses of water, fire up Ommwriter, and use a text expander app to produce B-minus work.

Chances are you’ll boost your speed many times over, so you can do even more of what you love (hint: writing) every day.

Ready for the writing to simply pour from you? Set your timer and get started!

from Internet Marketing Tips https://smartblogger.com/how-to-write-faster/

0 notes