Using TVTropes as a base of information, this incredible chart organizes story structure, archetypes, plot devices and more into a structure similar to the periodic table of elements. It's an incredibly cool project that puts the actually really useful storytelling knowledge of TVTropes into a more-teachable form.
The periodic table of storytelling
Rules for Predicting the Future, according to Octavia Butler
Octavia Butler's Parable books are having a bit of a renaissance. Originally published in 1993 but set between 2024 and 2027, Parable of the Sower finally made it onto the New York Times Bestseller List this year—and Butler didn't even live to see it happen, having passed away in 2006. There was also a recent… READ THE REST
Award for Bad Sex in Fiction cancelled due to enough bad things in 2020
The Literary Review has cancelled its Bad Sex in Fiction Award for 2020 because "the public had been subjected to too many bad things this year to justify exposing it to bad sex as well," according to the organizers. From The Guardian: The prize was set up in 1993 by Auberon Waugh, with the intention… READ THE REST
Join Thom Dunn and "Nobody People" author Bob Proehl for an online convo about writing, whiskey, and X-Men
In a parallel universe where our federal leadership didn't utterly botch the handling of a massive pandemic through sheer belligerent inaction, there would still be things like "literary festivals." And one of those events would have been SpringWrites in Ithaca, New York. And if that festival had taken place in person as planned in early… READ THE REST
This tiny, durable drone has stable flight features and a 4K camera, all for under $100
If you only think of drones as silly diversions or big kid toys, you're selling the technology and its overall impact short. In Southern California, police drones and the AI running them are changing how law enforcement is being done. In Australia, companies are using drones to install bird protectors on power lines. And, news… READ THE REST
Lemonade is insuring pets for as little as $10 a month — and it's time get onboard
For most of us, our pets are the center of our universes. They get a Christmas stocking above the fireplace, a birthday celebration most kids would envy, and, of course, we make sure they never miss a meal. So why do we hesitate when it comes to investing in their health and wellness with an… READ THE REST
If you haven't tried compression therapy, the Reathlete can knock out leg and joint pain
No one is immune from the aches and pains of sore, tight muscles. The good news is that that tightness often means those muscles are actually getting stronger. Of course, that doesn't wipe away the bad news that it can occasionally be pretty darn painful. For athletes, or for those who spent a good portion… READ THE REST