tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-185718462024-03-19T01:43:53.803-04:00My Life, or something like itWriting, pets, food, and the many things that occupy my mind.Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.comBlogger225125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-68413878920834202262011-04-07T17:34:00.005-04:002011-04-16T17:43:30.624-04:00My doggie Piffy - a feel-good video<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwNu8tX9Lfa_-I6iEVMr-0aNL4iCr2hy22tbL0hpIWyRT1iFj2pvD1Cy6gRuPCj3WmwbGWMqMy71RA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-75505275933158870132011-01-12T22:21:00.005-05:002011-01-12T22:36:28.263-05:00Survival of the fittest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuixdFsAYbLkw7fx1mCrmLv5o7kAFVF4iBUQwvOIPHm695qi8ad8UovlUFou4PmijLSzNU2v9pJOrPsEuLkOBYC2jQzBHYfFZo8iS2GPqKQPeirPuLtON80J99EO27Fpmvma5R/s1600/chimpbehavior.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuixdFsAYbLkw7fx1mCrmLv5o7kAFVF4iBUQwvOIPHm695qi8ad8UovlUFou4PmijLSzNU2v9pJOrPsEuLkOBYC2jQzBHYfFZo8iS2GPqKQPeirPuLtON80J99EO27Fpmvma5R/s400/chimpbehavior.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561508086065474898" border="0" /></a>I used to think that animals deserved more respect than humans because they did everything to survive. It was all a process of evolution - survival of the fittest. They weren't capable of being mean or evil. (However, my experience with pets has taught me animals can premeditate, have a sense of humor, steal, envy, trick, and want.)<br /><br />The more I think about it, humans also just do what they do to survive. In fact, I believe a lot of how we behave is sub-conscious - tactics that help us to survive. Whether a predator or victim, abuser or abused, we have learned behaviors to survive this world. No one is really bad or good.<br /><br />What do you think?<br /><br />As an example, here is an article on depression as an evolutionary survival mechanism: <a href="http://www.suite101.com/content/evolutionary-psychology-depression-a298146">http://www.suite101.com/content/evolutionary-psychology-depression-a298146</a>Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-43228757521406239492010-03-15T20:13:00.006-04:002010-03-15T20:31:32.864-04:00Are you in?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.scriptfrenzy.org"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriqwWFPdzsi8rdF-8iIyMpio1Gfuw3tM905EYhlhvBNiv6F8eoBoxy2Z7aZlDLdaP8XVva4JH3ti6rhj6w61i2XT_XBveKfYI8psd7hlNOqb-mi9lEvAAupR2qCv2mXmjww_b/s400/Flyer320W.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449018371365513426" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">My user name is <a href="http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/eng/user/135209">Nienke</a>. <a href="http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/eng/user/135209">Friend me</a>.<br /></div>Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-91028625689799896982010-02-24T10:41:00.002-05:002010-02-24T10:59:15.310-05:00Authors' Rules of Writing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhL7t7zhGEt13CPDWsw-gDFAcRpzZT13P3vVBmsDO7Fi3U1JBMrkuxe0tXZRhgJ90AnI9vI00SkMNLqNTAErOSD2ekxyF1sjr1lrWJokVIg9mM1KPNNNUpv74EwuTVTWp5wTA/s1600-h/norules.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhL7t7zhGEt13CPDWsw-gDFAcRpzZT13P3vVBmsDO7Fi3U1JBMrkuxe0tXZRhgJ90AnI9vI00SkMNLqNTAErOSD2ekxyF1sjr1lrWJokVIg9mM1KPNNNUpv74EwuTVTWp5wTA/s320/norules.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441840133772222642" border="0" /></a><br />Authors share their personal rules for writing:<br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one">Part One</a><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/10-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-two">Part Two</a>Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-57980263945934544882010-01-05T14:46:00.000-05:002010-01-05T14:47:03.304-05:00Sun, grass, ice<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFo148XicRtWFK8EaNLk85ljQ2dxVxTc1EhLlvfVUFoMDB_S7P324UjcyGONP68G-u7Le70j887haVPrF26jyR_Hgc9nKR1G6m08Vb0n315Klr2JqplAMw3MY5fRGaCT5weD5I/s1600-h/IMG00222.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; FLOAT: left; CLEAR: both" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFo148XicRtWFK8EaNLk85ljQ2dxVxTc1EhLlvfVUFoMDB_S7P324UjcyGONP68G-u7Le70j887haVPrF26jyR_Hgc9nKR1G6m08Vb0n315Klr2JqplAMw3MY5fRGaCT5weD5I/s400/IMG00222.jpg" /></a><div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-53661550588826129372009-09-04T15:31:00.002-04:002009-10-26T09:38:33.760-04:00Symbolisms of place in literature<h4>Symbolism of Place:<br /> The Hidden Context of Communication</h4><a href="http://www.symbolism.org/writing/books/sp/home.html">Symbolism.Org: Symbolism of Place</a><br /><br />Talks about the symbolism of place in literature. Very interesting - news you can use.Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-48760436570266357182009-07-22T11:23:00.004-04:002009-07-22T11:30:45.734-04:00On avoiding writing...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5Xc5wJlfY7ptrjC0gzaK461WgWx_TGkDENLA1zn6re11EdEhEkCtQKROzIpDbzGN9EnBBcG3NT7StbTZN8g4bftc7DYGc3rX22aQUUWkVTISwEVfQvUhdP-wZ-lypcMm3alh/s1600-h/paisley_ties.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5Xc5wJlfY7ptrjC0gzaK461WgWx_TGkDENLA1zn6re11EdEhEkCtQKROzIpDbzGN9EnBBcG3NT7StbTZN8g4bftc7DYGc3rX22aQUUWkVTISwEVfQvUhdP-wZ-lypcMm3alh/s320/paisley_ties.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361307217683092690" border="0" /></a><br />"Usually, writers will do anything to avoid writing. For instance, the previous sentence was written at one o'clock this afternoon. It is now a quarter to four. I have spent the past two hours and forty-five minutes sorting my neckties by width, looking up the word 'paisley' in three dictionaries, attempting to find the town of that name on 'The New York Times Atlas of the World' map of Scotland, sorting my reference books by width, trying to get the bookcase to stop wobbling by stuffing a matchbook cover under its corner, dialing the telephone number on the matchbook cover to see if I should take computer courses at night, looking at the computer ads in the newspaper and deciding to buy a computer because writing seems to be so difficult on my old Remington, reading an interesting article on sorghum farming in Uruguay that was in the newspaper next to the computer ads, cutting that and other interesting articles out of the newspaper, sorting -- by width -- all the interesting articles I've cut out of newspapers recently, fastening them neatly together with paper clips and making a very attractive paper clip necklace and bracelet set, which I will present to my girlfriend as soon as she comes home from the three-hour low-impact aerobic workout that I made her go to so I could have some time alone to write."<br /><br />~P.J. O'RourkeNienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-4090311586401653942009-07-09T14:45:00.003-04:002009-07-09T14:50:09.867-04:00Good-bye Cody<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZqcBCyzuBpxuMTEIxqmPrwaQ8JOiBuHbZhpoGwu4k_dYruc0-M714wykzhoyOswsxYmd_qJpjWM6UlarRzJs5W1ueHULelBynfy5WakBs4uMlhJR-tPj1pgOOnKfMIYYRCKp/s1600-h/cody.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZqcBCyzuBpxuMTEIxqmPrwaQ8JOiBuHbZhpoGwu4k_dYruc0-M714wykzhoyOswsxYmd_qJpjWM6UlarRzJs5W1ueHULelBynfy5WakBs4uMlhJR-tPj1pgOOnKfMIYYRCKp/s320/cody.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356534443868280930" border="0" /></a>I'm so sad. My brother's family just lost their loving Collie, Cody (see picture).<br /><br />Laurel L. Russwurm, my sister-in-law and a writer, wrote a moving memorial to him called "Ode To A Fifth-Hand Dog. <a href="http://laurelrusswurm.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/ode-to-a-fifth-hand-dog/">You can read it here</a>.Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-72466370933522710452009-07-06T17:17:00.005-04:002009-07-06T18:10:36.910-04:00Write with Holly Lisle!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfsXj2B3AqOwGq689MNHWT8oj4qjz1g6gmWqScmg-kbeJjpef-HnnUIavowGImVKFeqWjRE9uSEyyhxZ9q9qs8NQB72hDZxXEYyxk1twFOnOq8LPrLOQM6pm4tQozG_UiovZd/s1600-h/dreamtake.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfsXj2B3AqOwGq689MNHWT8oj4qjz1g6gmWqScmg-kbeJjpef-HnnUIavowGImVKFeqWjRE9uSEyyhxZ9q9qs8NQB72hDZxXEYyxk1twFOnOq8LPrLOQM6pm4tQozG_UiovZd/s320/dreamtake.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355472726479050274" border="0" /></a>I'm writing with Holly Lisle! <a href="http://hollylisle.com/writingdiary2/index.php/write-a-book-with-me/">Click here to find out how you can join us</a>.<br /><br />The script is coming along, albeit slowly. Last night I couldn't sleep because the movie started rolling in my head - including camera angles and shots! Why is it that these scenes start right when I need to go to sleep?<br /><br /><a href="http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/">Paperback Writer</a> said she composed in her head before she begins writing, now I know what she means!<br /><br />Sandy Sullivan says, "I will play music sometimes when I'm writing, but if I start getting into an intense scene, I'll turn it off so I can just sit and picture it in my mind. It makes it much easier to write it, if I can see it." <a href="http://absolute-x-press.blogspot.com/2009/07/interview-mondays-with-sandy-sullivan.html">Click here to read the full interview over on Absolute XPress Blog</a>.<br /><br />Diane Peterfreund says, "When planning out series, I often find myself imagining scenes years and years in advance of the moment I actually get to write them. I wrote the ... "sandbar scene" in summer of 2007. I first imagined it in summer of 2005. I recently wrote a scene into KU2 that I'd been imagining also since 2005." <a href="http://dpeterfreund.livejournal.com/55346.html">Click here to read her post on 'set pieces</a>.'<br /><br />One writer fixes a scene by imagining himself in it as the main character. <a href="http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/2009/05/doing-your-exercises.html">Click here to read the post on This Itch of Writing</a>.<br /><br />"Imagine the scene and let your imagination fly" is advice for writing action sequences. <a href="http://pacejmiller.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/writing-action-sequences/">Check out About Writing – The Personal Blog of An Aspiring Writer to read the post</a>.<br /><br />Jurgen Wolff talks about imaging scenes to write vivid novels and screenplay scenes. <a href="http://timetowrite.blogs.com/weblog/2007/08/writing-vivid-n.html">His blog, Time to Write, is here</a>.<br /><br />So let your imagination go, writers. Just be prepared not to get any sleep.Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-38321467726432164982009-06-26T16:37:00.001-04:002009-06-26T16:39:06.801-04:00Still working...Still working on my script. Slowly but surely.<br />Saddened at Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson's deaths.<br />More later.Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-1263252823257369232009-04-06T14:01:00.004-04:002009-04-06T14:12:04.450-04:00Script Frenzy - I'm in!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.scriptfrenzy.org"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEoGVsFkUCPGrwBrVus_EM0vZTxKT5IItqBvmRRZWzmIfkos-H_j0ni1XLk7PtGdSF1BCY0F9Qi9tM36riiuh7wW2HVpoJUHU-OBvkikOVpQRoUJnFcBebTMl_x6GeQleRDTR/s400/scriptfrenzy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321640174558880818" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/eng/user/135209">Click here </a>to visit my Script Frenzy page.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tickerfactory.com/counter/wfNGLwA/"><img src="http://tickers.tickerfactory.com/ezt/t/wfNGLwA/counter.png" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-79592690112376648362009-03-12T11:10:00.003-04:002009-03-12T11:28:59.606-04:00Off to a great start<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rto0JiLz7oGBXngUgTwno0m58bYPxLWxCXpWLrpN8Bo-dsPO0SRBA21lVeDefaDYNCzsDW9DnCGuKnTzo_TZRobroZesi1u54tw60ezsROAvKvTKKJnf8fYGXUq-krMnApR1/s1600-h/workinghard.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rto0JiLz7oGBXngUgTwno0m58bYPxLWxCXpWLrpN8Bo-dsPO0SRBA21lVeDefaDYNCzsDW9DnCGuKnTzo_TZRobroZesi1u54tw60ezsROAvKvTKKJnf8fYGXUq-krMnApR1/s400/workinghard.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312319811049230978" border="0" /></a>Today I have a guest post by<b> </b>Holly McCarthy.<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Tips for Getting Your Fiction Writing off to a Great Start</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Writing fiction can be one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences that you do as a writer. You are able to create your own worlds, characters, settings, situations, and thematic elements. Sometimes, however, just getting started can be the hardest part. Here are a few tips for getting you fiction writing off to a great start.</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Character Studies</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">What kind of characters do you want your story to have? Will they be funny, realistic, or fantastic? Taking some time to create character profiles is a wonderful way to ensure that your characters are fully developed. It’s good to know what your characters’ likes and dislikes are, what they look like, what kind of emotional problems they may have, and any number of other details. Getting in-depth with your characters will help to make them interact realistically with on another as well.</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Goal Setting</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Whether you have already started your work of fiction or are still in the planning phases, setting goals can make writing a large work of fiction less daunting. Set goals for each time you sit at your desk. Five thousand words a day may sound like a lot at first, but quickly becomes feasible if you make this part of your writing routine. If you want to become a prolific writer with lots of stories under your belt, you will need to learn how to achieve lofty goals regularly.</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Shut the Door</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Some of the best advice that can be given to any writer is to make sure that your time for writing isn’t interrupted by anyone or anything. You must make your writing time something that is non-negotiable and stick to it. This may mean late nights or early mornings are the best time to plug away at your story. The important thing is to communicate to those around you that you have set aside time to work and that you are not to be disturbed except in extreme cases.</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Be Flexible</b></p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">You may start out with a great idea for a story and you may feel like you shouldn’t waiver from that idea at all. However, remember that your story is a living document that will change based on a whole lot of variables. This means that any number of things related to the telling of your tale may change over the course of its telling. Be flexible and willing to make small and/or significant changes based on where the story takes you as a writer.</p> <p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: italic;">This post was contributed by Holly McCarthy, who writes on the subject of <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><u><a href="http://www.onlinebestcolleges.com/">the best online colleges</a></u></span>. She invites your feedback at hollymccarthy12 at gmail dot com.</p>Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-55278720334697104432009-01-15T17:22:00.002-05:002009-01-15T17:59:28.503-05:00Cold morning, windy day<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsbljR9mRvLv4g5iQuZkGYuLo_Pc2Lqp_1g7pCBsxnHNNB1JtNDvqjApPoTaTVTymf3xmRWVQKw3oXLGqb1tcEN4oqpYDy0vAhdLc5aroxNWgE3Ck-ymPP_SjMZjLVO_IKRdZ/s1600-h/cold+sky1.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsbljR9mRvLv4g5iQuZkGYuLo_Pc2Lqp_1g7pCBsxnHNNB1JtNDvqjApPoTaTVTymf3xmRWVQKw3oXLGqb1tcEN4oqpYDy0vAhdLc5aroxNWgE3Ck-ymPP_SjMZjLVO_IKRdZ/s400/cold+sky1.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div>This picture I took on my walk this morning. The temperature is -18 C (0 F) and, although it's hard to make out, the steam rising from the water was mesmerizing. The lake is Lake Ontario.<br /><br /><br /><p> </p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291650927250427746" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; height: 303px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg462EW35T7elQELIDwhdxDXRdVD-2pKGThv8N8U_TPTppAQHBXprzp9UU3HJfudt0JVzD8jw8kzCol-epEFOadGpnTVhEGyIRM7mt2TPbBtkrzOx7xj8ii7NjCYqq9qHht3u1q/s400/wind+sky2.jpg" border="0" />Here's another picture I took from roughly the same location a few weeks ago during a wind storm. We seldom see whitecaps on this lake, so it's quite exciting to see waves. The storm had winds up to 129km (75mph), which is worthy of a Category One hurricane. The winds took out a 40' tree on our neighbouring property. Missed our house by 1 foot but killed the fence.Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-23112748017771246782009-01-13T16:55:00.003-05:002009-01-13T17:20:02.803-05:00Distractions... (aka ways to enable procrastination)<a href="http://www.zefrank.com/byokal/kal2.html">Create your own kaleidoscope</a><br /><a href="http://www.gamesolo.com/games/pacxon%5B1%5D.swf"><br />Pac-Xon (pacmanish game)</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.allmixedup.com/cgi-bin/hangman/hangman">Hangman</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.puzzleconnection.com/">Crossword and word search puzzles</a><br /><br /><a href="http://writing.msu.edu/ink/index.html">Devolop an interactive story online</a><br /><br />Now get back to writing!Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-47518200457474584122009-01-08T13:21:00.001-05:002009-01-08T13:21:51.635-05:00Editor Kitteh has spoken...<a href="http://icanhascheezburger.com/2009/01/07/funny-pictures-changes-i-can-always-edit-your-face/"><img class="mine_2940803" title="funny-pictures-cat-threatens-to-edit-your-face" src="http://icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/files/2008/12/funny-pictures-cat-threatens-to-edit-your-face.jpg" alt="funny pictures of cats with captions" /></a><br />more <a href="http://icanhascheezburger.com">animals</a>Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-37934792926828769562008-12-23T16:19:00.003-05:002008-12-23T16:21:45.860-05:00Season's Greeting!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nFgCpgRnqvlKPj9uRkAqeE6xZkTMowjz0Oet1A7AoR19h2zaUTKVisJlyhSj84dk144HLQr8u_akJFkIBJ0sYfVcCBeqeBuMexP-LGhNxzf73yT1g5tznome72hkp2Da5sZ7/s1600-h/cartoon-christmas-snowwomen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 357px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nFgCpgRnqvlKPj9uRkAqeE6xZkTMowjz0Oet1A7AoR19h2zaUTKVisJlyhSj84dk144HLQr8u_akJFkIBJ0sYfVcCBeqeBuMexP-LGhNxzf73yT1g5tznome72hkp2Da5sZ7/s400/cartoon-christmas-snowwomen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283098541867534066" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Season's Greetings to all my friends in cyberspace!<br />I hope your holiday is filled with love, peace and happiness.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-40418262495649189432008-12-17T19:30:00.003-05:002008-12-17T19:36:05.110-05:00I am so sad...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBMVimHf8WK1YOa71lD1U2V3aHXUeI3ZJvjOXmQicz5QXuVlOOcPHxXQ6101loe7f_njwhzSV352f1JFYDj8pCA9wPcpT1Sqgao2d0UYxnXKYWZTuN4fdLx_2Vf9KnHVGkBae/s1600-h/cute-sad-kitten01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 119px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBMVimHf8WK1YOa71lD1U2V3aHXUeI3ZJvjOXmQicz5QXuVlOOcPHxXQ6101loe7f_njwhzSV352f1JFYDj8pCA9wPcpT1Sqgao2d0UYxnXKYWZTuN4fdLx_2Vf9KnHVGkBae/s320/cute-sad-kitten01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280922138502828178" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gm59I3mOJLxMF8vkyhz67_WuHgzw">150 cats, 3 dogs and many small animals perished during a fire at our local animal shelter</a>.<br /><br />It has been suggested that lack of funds may have contributed to proper upkeep of the building.<br /><br />Please take a moment to make a donation to your local humane society - or if you can afford it, to the <a href="http://www.humanedurham.com/">Durham Region Humane Society</a>.Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-89070361872389210782008-12-16T12:43:00.008-05:002008-12-16T13:43:54.264-05:00Character Evolution and Christmas Tree Program<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTId-32sKvnhKChLo52nc4inFjEYrtp0-e9VZtUaLbm2C4zhPfeScKM8uxABTHdy3uRTrcHW0ymlGSS6AoV9E92FDLJF7wjbMFFfEWYMAJZpjbyRwlgsamEENbjdr5eAZ1Sjk/s1600-h/character-lounging.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTId-32sKvnhKChLo52nc4inFjEYrtp0-e9VZtUaLbm2C4zhPfeScKM8uxABTHdy3uRTrcHW0ymlGSS6AoV9E92FDLJF7wjbMFFfEWYMAJZpjbyRwlgsamEENbjdr5eAZ1Sjk/s320/character-lounging.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280457292136764210" border="0" /></a><a href="http://aravisgirl.blogspot.com/">Aravis Girl</a> has an interesting post about <a href="http://aravisgirl.blogspot.com/2008/12/distancing-myself-evolution-of-story.html">The Evolution of a Story</a>.<br /><br />In her post, she describes how her her characters evolve as she writes. Sometimes, it is in the interest of the story, but other times it's because she gets to know the characters better.<br /><br />I've had the same thing happen--to the point where I end up changing the entire story because the character is leading me.<br />And, sometimes, my protag evolves into an entire new character.<br /><br />Does this happen to you?<br /><br />One of the things I enjoy doing before and during writing a story, is to continually develop my characters. I fill out a character questionnaire or two and watch the world for interesting quirks, hobbies, habits, obsessions, mannerisms, etc. to apply to my characters to help develop them. When I'm in the middle of writing story, even when I'm not actually writing, my mind is always acutely aware of my story and its characters. So, when I notice something in a person in real life or on television, for example, I will directly realize that the trait I see belongs to my character. Sometimes these traits seem to come out of the blue.<br /><br />I believe a well-developed character (both in the story and behind the scenes) will lead herself in a story. The reader should never be surprised (I am not referring to plot surprises here) in how the protag responds to or avoids things (and, yes, I know there are many exceptions).<br /><br />Here are some interesting articles on character evolution and how to make your character interesting without becoming a two-dimensional cliched stereotype:<br /><br /><a href="http://secondwindpub.wordpress.com/2008/11/04/character-evolution/">J. J. Dare discusses how to keep character from becoming charicatures by using the Character Police.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.familyvideos.co.uk/how-develop-interesting-characters.html">How to Develop Interesting Characters</a> discusses the need to show how the character grows and reacts to elements of the plot and story.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Develop-a-Character">How to Develop a Character</a> gives tips on developing characters and how or when to reveal these characteristics.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/a4254-how-to-develop-your-characters.html">How to Develop Your Characters</a> focuses on goals, obstacles, arcs, and traits.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/146569/how_to_develop_oneofakind_characters.html?cat=7">How to Develop One-of-a-Kind Characters</a> for your Fiction goes more in-depth by suggesting to create a resume, shopping list, journal, and more from the viewpoint of your character.<br /><br /><a href="http://shop.hollylisle.com/index.php?crn=211&rn=356&action=show_detail">Holly Lisle's Create a Character Clinic</a>. Very comprehensive. It just doesn't get any better than this.<br /><br />Got any good character building links to share?<br /><br /><hr /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHzdTVsUUVVUfBGlSAKSolNs5KeKYcgPK6H_3QrW1lWeLDGYdKbKi_DRth4Or51j0aqWOO3skVlHNLRPimvHNxYei588lhkg0Ev1HnoNi8Up2rRQcP0HbA2vIVeC0ZPhRgaSN/s1600-h/christmasbeerbottletree.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 111px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHzdTVsUUVVUfBGlSAKSolNs5KeKYcgPK6H_3QrW1lWeLDGYdKbKi_DRth4Or51j0aqWOO3skVlHNLRPimvHNxYei588lhkg0Ev1HnoNi8Up2rRQcP0HbA2vIVeC0ZPhRgaSN/s200/christmasbeerbottletree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280459562388651330" border="0" /></a>On a different note, for all of you programming geeks: here is a funny program for <a href="http://thisblogisnotforreading.blogspot.com/2008/12/putting-up-christmas-tree.html">Putting up the Christmas Tree</a>.Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-74665448188377823342008-12-08T22:21:00.007-05:002008-12-08T22:28:15.686-05:00NaNoWriMo?<span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCdkkwJ0U8cboN7poo8T5lbSZlhou8uY1dHBh1Y_VQyQunRvEpmJIHYTA9nbrSS0suzsrizNu3K-aLgrp2iiZNs8f6HBk9dxROZ_FnzzoIc6bt34f1Q3i77odVDPWcUvClay5/s1600-h/fail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCdkkwJ0U8cboN7poo8T5lbSZlhou8uY1dHBh1Y_VQyQunRvEpmJIHYTA9nbrSS0suzsrizNu3K-aLgrp2iiZNs8f6HBk9dxROZ_FnzzoIc6bt34f1Q3i77odVDPWcUvClay5/s320/fail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277625679599390834" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo</a>?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;font-size:180%;" >FAIL!!</span><br /><br />I must say, I enjoyed following others and I also very much enjoyed the guest star "<a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/peptalks2008">pep talks</a>."<br />Funniest thing? Now I'm itching to work on my story.<br />How'd you do?<br /></span></div>Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-30081142746062133312008-10-31T10:11:00.004-04:002008-10-31T10:48:59.710-04:00Only a few hours to go!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUfB5QgDbHWhhKn55vqsUu3BXqEoPfa4XBrn_MwpYynppzusIGkPVdeeJ9OhyphenhyphenXaExYgizXD-V0jbcH73HMvVWsN-JAef0bhuIa1mNFpP0W2OEyFsMnsK0gzUQWLoD7XV9_HhT/s1600-h/L&F+book+cover+jpg+sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUfB5QgDbHWhhKn55vqsUu3BXqEoPfa4XBrn_MwpYynppzusIGkPVdeeJ9OhyphenhyphenXaExYgizXD-V0jbcH73HMvVWsN-JAef0bhuIa1mNFpP0W2OEyFsMnsK0gzUQWLoD7XV9_HhT/s320/L&F+book+cover+jpg+sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263325507586312050" border="0" /></a>Uploaded my book cover to my NaNoWriMo page today. My story will be new age fiction with a hint of mystery. Title: Lost & Found.<br /><br />I don't have a set outline or my plotting done yet, but I have many ideas floating around in my head. I met with my friend Melly last evening and we went over some ideas. We plan on getting together a few times throughout the month (both virtually and physically).<br /><br />A couple of NaNo articles / posts of interest:<br /><a href="http://authorstoolsblog.com/nanowrimo/nanowrimo-how-do-you-write-50000-words%20-in-30-days/"><br />How do you write 50,000 words in 30 days?</a><br /><br /><a href="http://authorstoolsblog.com/nanowrimo/do-you-need-help-with-your-national-novel-writing-month-nanowrimo-book/">Some helpful links to writing tools.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/peptalks2007">2007 NaNoWriMo Pep Talks</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.routinesforwriters.com/">Routines for Writers</a> - lots of great articles and tips for Nanoers.<br /><a href="http://eelkat.wordpress.com/2007/03/26/writing-tip-reaching-50000-useing-the-13-step-method/"><br />The 13-Step Method to reach 50,000 words</a><br /><br /><a href="http://vintagesoul.macabreink.com/">More great Nano articles</a><br /><br /><a href="http://10-30-ltoaabr.blogspot.com/">One writer's journey through NaNoWriMo 2008</a><br /><br /><a href="http://inkinmysweettea.blogspot.com/">Another writer's NaNo journey</a><br /><br />Good luck all! And don't forget to <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/135209">friend me</a>!Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-72773679689819535372008-10-20T17:47:00.004-04:002008-10-20T17:56:16.957-04:00It ain't easy to be original...I've decided I'm writing a fantasy story for my NaNo project. I haven't written fantasy before, but I enjoy reading it.<br /><br />My hope is that a fantasy world will give me more room to be creative so I won't feel "stuck" as often. My goal for NaNo this year is to just get 50,000 words down in a somewhat understandable format. More specifically, learn how to apply myself to the act of writing.<br /><br />I have a loose plot outline floating around in my mind but I haven't committed anything to paper (or computer) yet, other than some ideas.<br /><br />I did come across this, tho. I realize I need to do a little soul searching not to be cliche. With a new genre, come new rules.<br /><br />Here is <a href="http://www.rinkworks.com/fnovel/">The Fantasy Novelist's Exam by David J. Parker</a>. It seems it's not easy to be original. I will take this exam tonight and see where I'm at with my floaters.<br /><h3 class="center">The Exam</h3> <ol class="spaced"><li>Does nothing happen in the first fifty pages?</li><li>Is your main character a young farmhand with mysterious parentage?</li><li>Is your main character the heir to the throne but doesn't know it?</li><li>Is your story about a young character who comes of age, gains great power, and defeats the supreme badguy?</li><li>Is your story about a quest for a magical artifact that will save the world?</li><li>How about one that will destroy it?</li><li>Does your story revolve around an ancient prophecy about "The One" who will save the world and everybody and all the forces of good?</li><li>Does your novel contain a character whose sole purpose is to show up at random plot points and dispense information?</li><li>Does your novel contain a character that is really a god in disguise?</li><li>Is the evil supreme badguy secretly the father of your main character?</li><li>Is the king of your world a kindly king duped by an evil magician?</li><li>Does "a forgetful wizard" describe any of the characters in your novel?</li><li>How about "a powerful but slow and kind-hearted warrior"?</li><li>How about "a wise, mystical sage who refuses to give away plot details for his own personal, mysterious reasons"?</li><li>Do the female characters in your novel spend a lot of time worrying about how they look, especially when the male main character is around?</li><li>Do any of your female characters exist solely to be captured and rescued?</li><li>Do any of your female characters exist solely to embody feminist ideals?</li><li>Would "a clumsy cooking wench more comfortable with a frying pan than a sword" aptly describe any of your female characters?</li><li>Would "a fearless warrioress more comfortable with a sword than a frying pan" aptly describe any of your female characters?</li><li>Is any character in your novel best described as "a dour dwarf"?</li><li>How about "a half-elf torn between his human and elven heritage"?</li><li>Did you make the elves and the dwarves great friends, just to be different?</li><li>Does everybody under four feet tall exist solely for comic relief?</li><li>Do you think that the only two uses for ships are fishing and piracy?</li><li>Do you not know when the hay baler was invented?</li><li>Did you draw a map for your novel which includes places named things like "The Blasted Lands" or "The Forest of Fear" or "The Desert of Desolation" or absolutely anything "of Doom"?</li><li>Does your novel contain a prologue that is impossible to understand until you've read the entire book, if even then?</li><li>Is this the first book in a planned trilogy?</li><li>How about a quintet or a decalogue?</li><li>Is your novel thicker than a New York City phone book?</li><li>Did absolutely nothing happen in the previous book you wrote, yet you figure you're still many sequels away from finishing your "story"?</li><li>Are you writing prequels to your as-yet-unfinished series of books?</li><li>Is your name Robert Jordan and you lied like a dog to get this far?</li><li>Is your novel based on the adventures of your role-playing group?</li><li>Does your novel contain characters transported from the real world to a fantasy realm?</li><li>Do any of your main characters have apostrophes or dashes in their names?</li><li>Do any of your main characters have names longer than three syllables?</li><li>Do you see nothing wrong with having two characters from the same small isolated village being named "Tim Umber" and "Belthusalanthalus al'Grinsok"?</li><li>Does your novel contain orcs, elves, dwarves, or halflings?</li><li>How about "orken" or "dwerrows"?</li><li>Do you have a race prefixed by "half-"?</li><li>At any point in your novel, do the main characters take a shortcut through ancient dwarven mines?</li><li>Do you write your battle scenes by playing them out in your favorite RPG?</li><li>Have you done up game statistics for all of your main characters in your favorite RPG?</li><li>Are you writing a work-for-hire for <cite>Wizards of the Coast</cite>?</li><li>Do inns in your book exist solely so your main characters can have brawls?</li><li>Do you think you know how feudalism worked but really don't?</li><li>Do your characters spend an inordinate amount of time journeying from place to place?</li><li>Could one of your main characters tell the other characters something that would really help them in their quest but refuses to do so just so it won't break the plot?</li><li>Do any of the magic users in your novel cast spells easily identifiable as "fireball" or "lightning bolt"?</li><li>Do you ever use the term "mana" in your novel?</li><li>Do you ever use the term "plate mail" in your novel?</li><li>Heaven help you, do you ever use the term "hit points" in your novel?</li><li>Do you not realize how much gold actually weighs?</li><li>Do you think horses can gallop all day long without rest?</li><li>Does anybody in your novel fight for two hours straight in full plate armor, then ride a horse for four hours, then delicately make love to a willing barmaid all in the same day?</li><li>Does your main character have a magic axe, hammer, spear, or other weapon that returns to him when he throws it?</li><li>Does anybody in your novel ever stab anybody with a scimitar?</li><li>Does anybody in your novel stab anybody straight through plate armor?</li><li>Do you think swords weigh ten pounds or more? <span class="subitem">[<a href="http://www.thearma.org/essays/weights.htm">info</a>]</span></li><li>Does your hero fall in love with an unattainable woman, whom he later attains?</li><li>Does a large portion of the humor in your novel consist of puns?</li><li>Is your hero able to withstand multiple blows from the fantasy equivalent of a ten pound sledge but is still threatened by a small woman with a dagger?</li><li>Do you really think it frequently takes more than one arrow in the chest to kill a man?</li><li>Do you not realize it takes hours to make a good stew, making it a poor choice for an "on the road" meal?</li><li>Do you have nomadic barbarians living on the tundra and consuming barrels and barrels of mead?</li><li>Do you think that "mead" is just a fancy name for "beer"?</li><li>Does your story involve a number of different races, each of which has exactly one country, one ruler, and one religion?</li><li>Is the best organized and most numerous group of people in your world the thieves' guild?</li><li>Does your main villain punish insignificant mistakes with death?</li><li>Is your story about a crack team of warriors that take along a bard who is useless in a fight, though he plays a mean lute?</li><li>Is "common" the official language of your world?</li><li>Is the countryside in your novel littered with tombs and gravesites filled with ancient magical loot that nobody thought to steal centuries before?</li><li>Is your book basically a rip-off of <cite>The Lord of the Rings</cite>?</li><li>Read that question again and answer truthfully.</li></ol>Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-67737940131287583012008-10-10T13:59:00.002-04:002008-10-10T14:01:48.104-04:00Writerz BloxI don't has it, but thought this was cute:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="%3Ca%20href=" com="" 2008="" 10="" it=""><img class="mine_1909993" title="funny-pictures-cat-has-writers-block" src="http://icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/files/2008/10/funny-pictures-cat-has-writers-block.jpg" alt="cat" /></a><br /><br />This kitty needs <a href="http://nienkehinton.blogspot.com/2008/05/another-cure-for-writers-block.html">THIS</a> kitty.Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-35010379622967110062008-10-08T10:38:00.005-04:002008-10-14T18:36:28.684-04:00Literary Abandon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZW9QTBkopTBNIrSEVVvUDzwwqeI5y2F1qEEwYYviLk2uz5NV6ItepHrresvugBtoFS9CjoXCwT50llp5vpU7yOfYKtlXyV8r_wL4lPx4FJIfqhfyJ1blr6wrpjcowL1h0QDu/s1600-h/participant_120x90_mug.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZW9QTBkopTBNIrSEVVvUDzwwqeI5y2F1qEEwYYviLk2uz5NV6ItepHrresvugBtoFS9CjoXCwT50llp5vpU7yOfYKtlXyV8r_wL4lPx4FJIfqhfyJ1blr6wrpjcowL1h0QDu/s320/participant_120x90_mug.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257142112716425058" border="0" /></a>Okay. I've decided. I'm participating in <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo</a> this year. And I'm gonna succeed.<br /><br />Anyone else taking the plunge?<br /><br />My info page is <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/135209">here </a>- friend me if you're partaking!Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-33831466743252007582008-08-30T11:59:00.003-04:002008-08-30T12:04:28.776-04:00Writing is about experimenting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxubeoLfMdQR_SRA8Sp5wR8_HrROeoCcfWuloMBWuLqc1XWc6O3EAbgx_cD6SlOCNfaykNA9AvX5WuwfcWYjEqZRgp6H6J-9FWOUi9Pm-eqqlANJlAdLqQJH_tTBSLPDHUgMs/s1600-h/choices.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxubeoLfMdQR_SRA8Sp5wR8_HrROeoCcfWuloMBWuLqc1XWc6O3EAbgx_cD6SlOCNfaykNA9AvX5WuwfcWYjEqZRgp6H6J-9FWOUi9Pm-eqqlANJlAdLqQJH_tTBSLPDHUgMs/s400/choices.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240342045579992578" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Tahoma;font-size:10;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">I enjoy experimenting with motivations, consequences, reactions and choices. It helps me to understand life, mankind's role in life and, best of all, myself.</span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><br /></p>Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18571846.post-61168753090383962372008-08-13T11:13:00.002-04:002008-08-13T11:19:47.602-04:00Writing funnies...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjwddfHie0x8mZukEEWE2KQsHfY6waQdueTcbsp4Paqjx9TwpfaSDH7H2-a1ZrYdEIoVIOCKg65TWtCAB_qsnG5dm5Njc1B8bXkJ6IAH5r0Er14G41Fy-aOMFAM1SKvHSRWo9/s1600-h/lightbulb.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjwddfHie0x8mZukEEWE2KQsHfY6waQdueTcbsp4Paqjx9TwpfaSDH7H2-a1ZrYdEIoVIOCKg65TWtCAB_qsnG5dm5Njc1B8bXkJ6IAH5r0Er14G41Fy-aOMFAM1SKvHSRWo9/s320/lightbulb.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234022248579528290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: courier new;">A visitor to a certain college paused to admire the new Hemingway Hall that had been built on campus.</span><br /><p style="font-family: courier new;" class="MsoNormal">"It's a pleasure to see a building named for Ernest Hemingway," he said.<br />"Actually," said his guide, "it's named for Joshua Hemingway. No relation."<br />The visitor was astonished. "Was Joshua Hemingway a writer, also?"<br />"Yes, indeed," said his guide. "He wrote a check."<o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;" class="MsoNormal">________________________________________________________________<o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;">A linguistics professor was lecturing to his English class one day. "In English," he said, "a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative." <o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;">A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."<o:p> </o:p> </p> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; font-family: courier new;" align="center"> <hr align="center" size="2" width="100%"> </div> <p style="font-family: courier new;">A writer died and was given the option of going to heaven or hell. <o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;">She decided to check out each place first. As the writer descended into the fiery pits, she saw row upon row of writers chained to their desks in a steaming sweatshop. As they worked, they were repeatedly whipped with thorny lashes.<o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;">"Oh my," said the writer. "Let me see heaven now."<o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;">A few moments later, as she ascended into heaven, she saw rows of writers, chained to their desks in a steaming sweatshop. As they worked, they, too, were whipped with thorny lashes.<o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;">"Wait a minute," said the writer. "This is just as bad as hell!"<o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;">"Oh no, it's not," replied an unseen voice. "Here, your work gets published."<o:p> </o:p> </p> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; font-family: courier new;" align="center"> <hr align="center" size="2" width="100%"> </div> <p style="font-family: courier new;" class="MsoNormal">There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire to become a great writer. <o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;">When asked to define great, he said, "I want to write stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!"<o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;">He now works for Microsoft writing error messages.<o:p> </o:p> </p> <div style="border-style: none none solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color windowtext; border-width: medium medium 1pt; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; font-family: courier new;"> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;">A screenwriter comes home to a burned down house. His sobbing and slightly-singed wife is standing outside. “What happened, honey?” the man asks.<br /><br />“Oh, John, it was terrible,” she weeps. “I was cooking, the phone rang. It was your agent. Because I was on the phone, I didn’t notice the stove was on fire. It went up in second. Everything is gone. I nearly didn’t make it out of the house. Poor Fluffy is--”<br /><br />“Wait, wait. Back up a minute,” The man says. “My agent called?”<o:p> </o:p> </p> </div> <p style="font-family: courier new;"><i>How many science fiction writers does it take to change a light bulb? </i><o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;">Two, but it's actually the same person doing it. He went back in time and met himself in the doorway and then the first one sat on the other one's shoulder so that they were able to reach it. Then a major time paradox occurred and the entire room, light bulb, changer and all was blown out of existence. They co-existed in a parallel universe, though.<o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;"><i>How many publishers does it take to screw in a light bulb? </i><o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;">Three. One to screw it in. Two to hold down the author.<o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;"><i>How many mystery writers does it take to screw in a light bulb? </i><o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;">Two. One to screw it almost all the way in, and the other to give it a surprising twist at the end.<o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;"><i>How many screenwriters does it take to screw in a light bulb?</i><o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;">Why does it *have* to be changed?<o:p> </o:p> </p> <p style="font-family: courier new;"><i>How many cover blurb writers does it take to screw in a light bulb? </i><o:p> </o:p> </p> <div style="border-style: none none solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color windowtext; border-width: medium medium 1pt; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; font-family: courier new;"> <p style="border: medium none ; padding: 0in;">A VAST AND TEEMING HORDE STRETCHING FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA!!!!<o:p> </o:p> </p> </div> <span style="font-family:courier new;">How many screenwriters does it take to change a light bulb?<br />Answer: Ten.<br />1st draft. Hero changes light bulb.<br />2nd draft. Villain changes light bulb.<br />3rd draft. Hero stops villain from changing light bulb. Villain falls to death.<br />4th draft. Lose the light bulb.<br />5th draft. Light bulb back in. Fluorescent instead of tungsten.<br />6th draft. Villain breaks bulb, uses it to kill hero's mentor.<br />7th draft. Fluorescent not working. Back to tungsten.<br />8th draft. Hero forces villain to eat light bulb.<br />9th draft. Hero laments loss of light bulb. Doesn't change it.<br />10th draft. Hero changes light bulb.<br />_________________<br />Scooped from <a href="http://www19.homepage.villanova.edu/karyn.hollis/prof_academic/Courses/common_files/jokes_about_writing.htm">here</a>.<br /></span>Nienke Hintonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17006405722858209012noreply@blogger.com5