Finding good story ideas within yourself:

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I came across some typed up notes from a previous session of life universe and everything panel. Here are the notes on writing about Finding good story ideas within yourself.

  • To get ideas out you must first put ideas in. The more things you’ve done, the more things you’ve read, the more ideas you have access to. Until it’s in your head you can’t pull it out.
  • Often times, the characters tell you where the story is going to go. They give you access to the hidden knowledge within yourself.
  • If something is alive to you, your passions will breathe life into your story ideas.
  • Pay attention to what’s going on around you. You have to be living to get ideas that will work.
  • Genius of story ideas:
  • Lois Pohjola: doing dishes, listen to music. A particular piece of music suddenly bridgde several ideas. Given the idea for her novel weather man. Some of those things have been in her head for years. It took the music to connect them.
  • Judith Moffett: historical accounts of cross over children raised by different cultures or even by different species. The child’s reclamation by her culture. On reading the story again years later, Judith realize of the woman in the story was actually her.
  • Shane Bell: physical activity help spur his thinking. Drawing directly from experiences in his life that was simply vignettes, without set up or resolution. He simply extrapolated to fill in.
  • Do science-fiction characters live at the tops of their voices. To break this go back and write an episode of your life, trying for exact recreation. You have to write the story you’re terrified to write. Comment by David Gerald.
  • If things keep reoccurring in your writing, it may be time to concentrate on that as a major theme in a work, essentially getting it out of your system. Because things are sometimes indicative of some aspect in your life that you perhaps haven’t dealt with. Self-censorship usually causes you to shoot yourself in the foot. The unconscious knows more than you do.
  • Personal material will always intrude on your stories. Le Guin’s left hand of darkness.
  • If you’re writing doesn’t move you, you can’t expect it to move your reader (not necessarily during the first draft, but certainly as your editing.” (Lois Bujold)
  • If the words are right, and if they move you, then you got it right. If you think they are dumb or inane, then you haven’t got the words right yet. (Shane Bell).
  • Character development can rise out of a plot concept, a character conflict, a situation.
  • Writers’ block usually occurs because you’re trying to do something wrong. It’s your subconscious trying to warn you off. Sooner or later the right ideas will occur. (Lois Bujold)

Have something to add to the list? Please do so in the comment section of this blog. Thanks.

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Resume advice when job searching: 

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  • Your resume needs to tell how you can help the customer how to succeed.
  • Offer to solve their painful problem in a credible way that appeals to their emotions.
  • If you have a name of HR or hiring manager look they up in linked in, google. See what associations they belong to and hobbies etc.
  • Contact admin. Assistant or operator and acknowledge they know everting and ask kindly if you can get contact info.
  • Color can be good in moderation
  • Adequate white space is good
  • Slightly heavier paper stock says you’re sophisticated.

Have something to add to the list? Please do so in the comment section of this blog.

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Life’s dents: 

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Went to a preparedness conference and took note of these four reminders.

  • Bad news. We have to go through a lot of turmoil to get to the good stuff.
  • Bad things happen to good families all the time.
  • Good news: we win in the end.

Object lesson: old pan

Bring an old pan out of the kitchen that is discolored and stained but still used. Talk about all the different meals that have been cooked with the pan. Talk about how it has to be cleaned up and it gains new stains and dents through frequent use. It is a favorite pot. It preservers and is an aid in preparing wonderful meals.

We will go through a lot in the last days. God, Family and Country are similar to our old pot. Religious people,  family units and the country will undergo a lot of abuse. They can be great sources of comfort. It’s important that we appreciate and take care of our tools.

Have something to add? Please do so in the comment section of this blog.

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Western state land rights by Angus McIntosh

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I attended the Eagles forum and took notes on the various speakers. This is what I learned about the disputes between ranchers and the government. In any inaccuracies or misspellings is the fault of the note taker. Angus is/was? An employee of the government has been involved with public lands of the West United States.

  • We settled under two land settlement laws. The eastern United States on the east side of the (100 meridian. United States splint into a line from north decoda that drops down south to san Antonio Texas. – 32 inch rain line)
  • East of that line Raperian, English law. and one set of laws and in the West United States had other property management laws because they had less than 32 inches of rain per year.
  • Prior propreation: (origin Mexican law) first come has first rights.
  • The BLM manages public property that becomes a split estate. A split estate is where the ground is managed by the government then a city might add utilities such as power lines and citizens/ranchers may add irrigation ditches and other improvments. For those individuals who contribute to the improvement of the land they get to have use of that land in a sense becoming joint owners.
  • The Oregon protesters are doing what they do to bring the interests of the rancher to the public eye. The resentment of the ranchers is that they do all the investment and work of improving land and then the government disqualifies all their improvements by kicking them off the land and not properly compensating them for their investment and work.
  • The ranchers simply want to be properly and honestly compensated.
  • Futher changes at the ranch is due they are given grazing allotments. And prior preperation water rights. There was a law that these ranchers have right of Highway. Which means a place to drive cattle. Congress banded up to two – 5 miles with for the right of ways. Ranchers were also supposed to have access to easements.
  • Ranchers have made arrangements of this over 100 years ago and branches of state within the families.

Here are some useful links. If you find additional links or documentation in response to this topic please feel free to share it in the comment section of this blog. Thanks.

 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-angus-mcintosh-71108655

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltFWfwXcF7A

 

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Spelling bulletin: 2-11-16

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Good: bulletin

Bad:   bulleton

I want to put Information on a bulletIn, so remember the I. A BULLETin must deliver information quick as fast as a BULLET. It should be short and thin, as thin as TIN. A bulletin requires brevity and thus you can’t have a ton of information so avoid the TON.

Have a better suggestion for this spelling? Please feel to share in the comment section of this blog.

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Writing humor into your stories: 

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I came across some typed up notes from a previous session of life universe and everything. Here are the notes on writing humor into your stories.

  • Humor that’s Integral to the character of the story
  • Hannibal Lecter had a sense of humor that added another dimension to this character.
  • Humorous premise as opposed to humorous content.
  • Human should extend naturally from the characters “Dick Van Dyke show, Odd couple).
  • Realism does not equal grimness. Unit can be used to deal with pain. Tragedy plus time equal Schumer.
  • Here it can be a socially acceptable outlet for frustration.
  • “Surprise without threat is humor.” Rick Walton
  • Pacing (higher highs, lower lows) enhances humor.
  • A given social group can humanize itself without threat, but humanizing another group can represent a threat, that’s what usually doesn’t ever go well.
  • One of the biggest pitfalls is to get outside of your own work and look at it critically.
  • You can’t write humor that can be funny to everyone.
  • Keep your humor natural to you.
  • Pay attention to what’s going on around you, what people do. The audience has to identify with it or it would never sell.
  • Know your audience and what they’ll understand.
  • Read what you want to write.
  • One of the keys to writing humor (a joke story, not as too much relief in a larger story) is economy.

Have something to add? Please do so in the comment section of this blog. Thank you.

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To become a delegate:  

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Went to some training once and this is what was recommended.

  • Campaign in advance in your district.
  • Candidates will try getting their own delegates elected.
  • Know you’re stand on issues
  • Practice a 2 min presentation to share why others should vote for you
  • Know dates that delegates must be present and what will happen at those meetings.
  • Those who don’t get chosen are often willing to help you.
  • Become familiar your precinct.
  • Get a map of the precinct.
  • Get a list of officers, fellow delegates.
  • List of attendees of last caucus from precinct chair or county party.
  • List of registered votes in your district from county elections.
  • List of candidates and learn what their opinions are on issues.
  • Contact voters and ask them to vote for you
  • Ask list to come to the caucus and vote for you.
  • Work with other people who also want to be elected. Decide in advance between you who want what office.
  • Combine your efforts with likeminded people.
  • Send flyers the night before the caucus meeting to get people to come and vote for you.
  • Stay to the very end of the voting meetings. Last year one candidate won by 1 vote.
  • Raise your profile with
  1. Deliver flyers on republican issues or reminders of caucus meetings.
  2. Register voters some may want to do absent votes.
  3. Ask them what they want for on issues.
  4. Hold cottage meetings such as on a debate night etc.
  5. Hold a candidate debate party.

Run for every position.

  • You need to know the duties of the office you are elected for.
  • Know the issues and the candidates.
  • Give citizens a good reason to want to vote for you.
  • Have someone nominate you. It looks better.
  • Thanks Adriel Heggy for the training.

Have additional suggestions or experiences to share? Please present them in the comment section of this blog.

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Showing respect to God during prayer: 

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This is an area I need to improve on, to kneel down to show respect to God when I’m praying.

We see all the movies a different people kneeling before Kings and Queens as a sign of respect to their authority and power. Yet sometimes I will stand in one spot and pray when I could show more respect by kneeling down.

The second thing to improve on of course in prayer is given the chance for God to answer. I suspect many of us can pray so fast and say Amen and then move on to our tasks that God or rather the Holy Spirit doesn’t have a chance answer.

Object for lesson little children.

As a little project have dinner with the family as if you are eating at a royal court. Have the family dress up in their nicest clothes. Teach basic table manners. Have the evenings filled with “please” and “thank you”. Have each child address other siblings as “My Lord” and the girls as “My lady”. Have the entire evening completely dedicated to extreme respect and courtesy.

At the end of the evening when you have family prayer you can then have lesson of how we kneel before a father in heaven as a sign of respect to him when we pray.

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Mike Lee at Eagle Forum:

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I attended the Eagles forum and took notes on the various speakers. This is what Mike Lee had to say.

  • When I get back into Utah it’s good to be back United States.
  • We live at a time of great trial and tribulation. It is most evident at the capital.
  • $235 million interest on our national debt each year and this is at a time that we are at below average rate of returns. Whenever we reach the correct interest rate it will be 1 trillion.
  • Here is a receipt for economic growth. It limits Washington when we follow the Constitution. It frees the people
  • Calvin Coolidge wanted to reduce taxes. People objected but he insisted. It worked. Foolish was a great champion of the Constitution.
  • Constitutional convention: he has a great reservation for doing this. When he was raised as a child he was told of its dangers. The last time we had a constitutional convention was in 1787 where they made modest adjustments. While Mike was at a Republican retreat this week George Will said the following. The 1787 constitutional convention held 55 men of such integrity and learning. Today the men and women of Congress do not meet the same qualities. We would have such individuals as Nancy Pelosi, Michael McConnell and Paul Ryan.
  • Mike stands behind the filibuster form. It’s been compared to how a hot cup of tea where T will spill a little liquid into the saucer and that part of the tea will cool. The filibuster represents the spilt tea in the saucer of the Senate.
  • 1783 the tea party occurred not just because of overpriced tea but to protest government. They did not just stop in Boston but moved on to our independence.
  • Don’t settle for president who uses a pan on the phone.
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Spelling Remnants: 

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Good: remnants

Bad:   rements/remennets /remenants / reminets

ANTs for Notorious of eating the remnants of crumbs etx thus N= for Notorious and ANTS.

Have a better suggestion for this spelling? Please feel to share in the comment section of this blog.

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