The Real Hero's Journey

"Intention and Obstacle. Just the basics of somebody wants something, something is standing in their way of getting it.” 

Alexander Sorkin

Kurt Vonnegut, “Make a character want something on the first page, even if it’s only a glass of water.”

It can be internal or external.

External: Skywalker, Frodo, Dorothy

Internal:  Good Will Huning

External intentions can be:

Overcoming Fear Seeking Acceptance Realizing Self-Worth

Sandpiles

 Everything works until suddenly it doesn’t. As Minsky said, stability breeds instability. Then one additional grain of sand triggers a collapse.

Complex systems are inherently fragile. The optimization that makes them cost-effective also removes the redundancies that make them resilient. Things can fall apart quickly when some unforeseen event occurs. Or an unforeseen sequence of events, which is what’s happened.

Stop Procrastinating

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<a href="https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/how-to-stop-procrastinating/"><img src="https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/how to stop procrastinating infographic.jpg" width="720" alt="How to Stop Procrastinating"></a>

<p><strong>How to Stop Procrastinating</strong>, courtesy of <a href="https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/how-to-stop-procrastinating/">Henneke at Enchanting Marketing</a></p>

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Bob Farrell’s Rules for Trading

Bob Farrell’s Rules for Trading

Bob Farrell was a widely followed genius at Merrill Lynch. Wall Street people still speak of him reverently. Some of the greatest traders and investors I know referred to his rules on a frequent basis, and I suggest you do the same. Here are his rules with commentary from MarketWatch’s Jonathan Burton.

Recopied from Mauldin Economics Advice Worth Taking

1. Markets tend to return to the mean over time
   
   By "return to the mean," Farrell means that when stocks go too far in one direction, they come back. If that sounds elementary, then remember that both euphoric and pessimistic markets can cloud people's heads.
   "It's so easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment and not have perspective," says Bob Doll, global chief investment officer for equities at money manager BlackRock Inc. "Those that have a plan and stick to it tend to be more successful."

2. Excesses in one direction will lead to an opposite excess in the other direction
   
   
   Think of the market as a constant dieter who struggles to stay within the desired weight range but can't always hit the mark.
   "In the 1990s when we were advancing by 20% per year, we were heading for disappointment," says Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at Standard & Poor's Inc. "Sooner or later, you pay it back."

3. There are no new eras -- excesses are never permanent
   
   
   This harkens to the first two rules. Many investors try to find the latest hot sector, and soon a fever builds that "this time it's different." Of course, it never really is. When that sector cools, individual shareholders are usually among the last to know and are forced to sell at lower prices.
   "It's so hard to switch and time the changes from one sector to another," says John Buckingham, editor of The Prudent Speculator newsletter. "Find a strategy that you believe in and stay put."

4. Exponential rapidly rising or falling markets usually go further than you think, but they do not correct by going sideways
   
   
   This is Farrell's way of saying that a popular sector can stay hot for a long while, but will fall hard when a correction comes. Chinese stocks not long ago were market darlings posting parabolic gains, but investors who came late to this party have been sorry.

5. The public buys the most at the top and the least at the bottom
   
   
   Sure, and if they didn't, contrarian-minded investors would have nothing to crow about. Accordingly, many market technicians use sentiment indicators to gauge investor pessimism or optimism, then recommend that investors head in the opposite direction.

6. Fear and greed are stronger than long-term resolve
   
   
   Investors can be their own worst enemy, particularly when emotions take hold.
   Stock market gains "make us exuberant; they enhance well-being and promote optimism," says Meir Statman, a finance professor at Santa Clara University in California who studies investor behavior. "Losses bring sadness, disgust, fear, regret. Fear increases the sense of risk and some react by shunning stocks."
   After grim trading days, it's easy to think you're the patsy at this card table. To counter those insecure feelings, practice self-control and keep long-range portfolio goals in perspective. That will help you to be proactive instead of reactive.
   "It's critical for investors to understand how they're cut," says the Prudent Speculator's Buckingham. "If you can't handle a 15% or 20% downturn, you need to rethink how you invest."

7. Markets are strongest when they are broad and weakest when they narrow to a handful of blue-chip names
   
   Markets and individual sectors can move in powerful waves that take all boats up or down in their wake. There's strength in numbers, and such broad momentum is hard to stop, Farrell observes. In these conditions, you either lead, follow or get out of the way.
   When momentum channels into a small number of stocks, it means that many worthy companies are being overlooked and investors essentially are crowding one side of the boat. That's what happened with the "Nifty 50" stocks of the early 1970s when much of the U.S. market's gains came from the 50 biggest companies on the New York Stock Exchange. As their price-to-earnings ratios climbed to unsustainable levels, these "one-decision" stocks eventually sunk.

8. Bear markets have three stages -- sharp down, reflexive rebound and a drawn-out fundamental downtrend

9. When all the experts and forecasts agree -- something else is going to happen
   
   
   As Stovall, the S&P investment strategist, puts it: "If everybody's optimistic, who is left to buy? If everybody's pessimistic, who's left to sell?"
   Going against the herd as Farrell repeatedly suggests can be very profitable, especially for patient buyers who raise cash from frothy markets and reinvest it when sentiment is darkest.
10. Bull markets are more fun than bear markets
    No Kidding

Gartman Trading Rules

The Gartman Rules

Several different versions of Gartman’s rules are floating around the internet. This one is my favorite. Note that Dennis is first and foremost a trader, so these are rules for traders but also offer insight to investors.

Recopied from Mauldin Economics Advice Worth Taking

1. NEVER, EVER, EVER ADD TO A LOSING POSITION: EVER!: Adding to a losing position eventually leads to ruin, remembering Enron, Long Term Capital Management, Nick Leeson and myriad others.
2. TRADE LIKE A MERCENARY SOLDIER: As traders/investors we are to fight on the winning side of the trade, not on the side of the trade we may believe to be economically correct. We are pragmatists first, foremost and always.
3. MENTAL CAPITAL TRUMPS REAL CAPITAL: Capital comes in two forms... mental and real... and defending losing positions diminishes one’s finite and measurable real capital and one’s infinite and immeasurable mental capital accordingly and always.
4. WE ARE NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF BUYING LOW AND SELLING HIGH: We are in the business of buying high and selling higher, or of selling low and buying lower. Strength begets strength; weakness more weakness.
5. IN BULL MARKETS ONE MUST TRY ALWAYS TO BE LONG OR NEUTRAL: The corollary, obviously, is that in bear markets one must try always to be short or neutral. There are exceptions, but they are very, very rare.
6. "MARKETS CAN REMAIN ILLOGICAL FAR LONGER THAN YOU OR I CAN REMAIN SOLVENT:" So said Lord Keynes many years ago and he was... and is... right, for illogic does often reign, despite what the academics would have us believe.
7. BUY THAT WHICH SHOWS THE GREATEST STRENGTH; SELL THAT WHICH SHOWS THE GREATEST WEAKNESS: Metaphorically, the wettest paper sacks break most easily and the strongest winds carry ships the farthest, fastest.
8. THINK LIKE A FUNDAMENTALIST; TRADE LIKE A TECHNICIAN: Be bullish... or bearish... only when the technicals and the fundamentals, as you understand them, run in tandem.
9. TRADING RUNS IN CYCLES; SOME GOOD, MOST BAD: In the “Good Times” even one’s errors are profitable; in the inevitable “Bad Times” even the most well-researched trade shall go awry. This is the nature of trading; accept it and move on.
10. KEEP YOUR SYSTEMS SIMPLE: Complication breeds confusion; simplicity breeds elegance and profitability.
11. UNDERSTANDING MASS PSYCHOLOGY IS ALMOST ALWAYS MORE IMPORTANT THAN UNDERSTANDING ECONOMICS: Or more simply put, "When they’re cryin’ you should be buyin’ and when they’re yellin’ you should be sellin’!"
12. REMEMBER, THERE IS NEVER JUST ONE COCKROACH: The lesson of bad news is that more shall follow... usually hard upon and always with worsening impact.
13. BE PATIENT WITH WINNING TRADES; BE ENORMOUSLY IMPATIENT WITH LOSERS: Need we really say more?
14. DO MORE OF THAT WHICH IS WORKING AND LESS OF THAT WHICH IS NOT: This works well in life as well as trading. If there is a “secret” to trading... and to life... this is it.
15. CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF: Need we really say more? Errors only get worse.
16. SOMEONE’S ALWAYS GOT A BIGGER JUNKYARD DOG: No matter how much “work” we do on a trade, someone knows more and is more prepared than are we... and has more capital!
17. PAY ATTENTION: The market sends signals more often than not missed and/or disregarded... so pay attention!
18. WHEN THE FACTS CHANGE, CHANGE! Lord Keynes... again... once said that “ When the facts change, I change; what do you do, Sir?” When the technicals or the fundamentals of a position change, change your position, or at least reduce your exposure and perhaps exit entirely.
19. ALL RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN: But they are to be broken only rarely and true genius comes with knowing when, where and why!

Improving Writing Skills

This is from Enchanting Marketing, Go there for details.


29 Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills and Escape Content Mediocrity, courtesy of Henneke at Enchanting Marketing

Reid technique: Nine Steps of Interrogation

Edit

The Reid technique's nine steps of interrogation are:^[5]

1. Direct confrontation. Advise the suspect that the evidence has led the police to the individual as a suspect. Offer the person an early opportunity to explain why the offense took place.
2. Try to shift the blame away from the suspect to some other person or set of circumstances that prompted the suspect to commit the crime. That is, develop themes containing reasons that will psychologically justify or excuse the crime. Themes may be developed or changed to find one to which the accused is most responsive.
3. Try to minimize the frequency of suspect denials.
4. At this point, the accused will often give a reason why he or she did not or could not commit the crime. Try to use this to move towards the acknowledgement of what they did.
5. Reinforce sincerity to ensure that the suspect is receptive.
6. The suspect will become quieter and listen. Move the theme of the discussion towards offering alternatives. If the suspect cries at this point, infer guilt.
7. Pose the "alternative question", giving two choices for what happened; one more socially acceptable than the other. The suspect is expected to choose the easier option but whichever alternative the suspect chooses, guilt is admitted. As stated above, there is always a third option which is to maintain that they did not commit the crime.
8. Lead the suspect to repeat the admission of guilt in front of witnesses and develop corroborating information to establish the validity of the confession.
9. Document the suspect's admission or confession and have him or her prepare a recorded statement (audio, video or written).

Cognitive Bias

Buster Benson wrote a great article with a Cognitive Bias Cheat Sheet. You can find it here.

Then  John Manoogian III diagrammed it.

Here is the standard editing system, from larger to smaller scale, which means from to the first to the last step, as shown in RideThePen.

1. Developmental Editing:  This step refers to storytelling. If you think anything is wrong with your plot, characters, motivations… those are the first things you have to take care of. They will often require a lot of re-writing. I’m a big fan of coming in prepared and only starting to write once you know your story and your characters very well. This will almost completely spare you any developmental editing. Yay! The best checklist for developmental editing you can find anywhere (in my opinion) was created by yours truly, and you can download the PDF here for free.
2. Line Editing: The second step zooms in a bit more, and deals with paragraph structure, sentence flow, choice of words, etc… How does your language sound and flow? Editing gets really interesting here. Don’t be afraid to re-write entire paragraphs, especially if you are new to writing. You will be so much happier with your story in the end, and you will learn a lot during the process.
3. Copy Editing: We are moving closer to simple mechanics here. This is about grammar and punctuation, and in most cases, you can objectively tell what’s right or wrong. Don’t hesitate to outsource this step, and also the following final one, if you can afford it. It won’t take anything away from your creative work, and you will save yourself much of the boredom of editing.
4. Proofreading: As the last step, check for typos. It needs to be done in order to look professional. No excuse – yes, I’m talking to you! As a reader, you probably know that too many typos in a text are annoying as hell and can throw you out of the illusion fast. So just do it.

Augutines Doctrine of Grace

"Sinful man depends, for his recovery to good and to God, entirely on the free grace of God; this grace is therefore indispensable, prevenient, irresistible, indefectible; and, being thus the free grace of God, must have lain, in all the details of its conference and working, in the intention of God from all eternity.”
 — Warfield, Studies in Tertullian and Augustine, p. 130; Warfield, Calvin and Augustine, p. 322.

Machowicz’s Training Pyramid

Richard "Mack" Machowicz’s Training Pyramid goes 
Correct Fundamentals,
Concentration,
Consistency,
Accuracy, 
Speed
--In that order.

Don't work on any step until you have mastered the prior step.

How to Streamline Your Writing Process

How to Streamline Your Writing Process, courtesy of Henneke at Enchanting Marketing

Looking for great content?

Sally Hogshead, of Fascinate fame, has published a great blog post entitled 21 Juicy Ideas for Fascinating Content.

Here are a couple of her points. Then go look at her article.

1. Start with information, then add insight

Information is good, but it’s not enough to establish your thought leadership. If you and I can both search for the same information, that “content” isn’t content — it’s a commodity. Step it up a notch by adding insight to your message.

2. Show us the implications of a trend

Enlighten us. Connect the dots. For example, “Here’s something on the horizon: ___, and here’s what it means for you and your business: ___.” Give us your interpretation. Point us toward what we need to pay attention to.

3. Go on a rant

Show us a point of view that you feel strongly about. Make a fuss about a problem. A passionate voice vividly communicates what you believe and why we should care.

She has a whole lot more. Go check it out.

Mountaineering

"A climb is no fun unless there has been one moment at which you have sworn that if once you get down alive you will never go up a mountain again."
-- Anonymous

Grinding for the Man

"And I'll tell you one more thing. If all you're doing is grinding for the man, it's going to burden you. Once you say, 'Hey, I'm grinding for the man but I'm putting money away, and this is part of my exit strategy', you're working for you." 

-- Jocko Willink

As quoted in an interview with James Altucher.

Negotiate, Fight, or Flight

It has been observed that one of the differences between the "street-wise" and the rest of us is that we often negotiate our way out of difficult circumstances while the street-wise rarely negotiate and will choose to either fight or flee.

Robert Mnookin has written a book, Bargaining with the Devil, that gives a formal framework for the negotiate or else decision. He is the chair of the Program on Negotiations at the Harvard Law School, so he is a pretty good source.

His basic framework is that you need to dispassionately (emotions always get in the way of logic) think about five points:

1. What are my interests and what are my adversaries interests?
2. What are my alternatives to negotiation and what are my adversaries alternatives? [Understand your, and his, BATNA's.]
3. Is there a potential deal that is better than the BATNA for each of us?
4. What will it cost me to negotiate? Not all costs are in dollars. Time, emotion, reputation, and self-image are also factors.
5. If we reach a deal, is there a reasonable prospect that it will be carried out? You can always put penalties for nonperformance from third parties in the deal.

Think about these before you make a fight or flight decision.

Outline for business stories

From Enchanting Marketing.

Define the four key moments of your business story:

• Which problem do you solve?
• Which insight sparked the start (or pivoting) of your business?
• What are you doing now to fix the problem?
• What’s your mission?

Then add details to bring your story to life.
Skip everything that's irrelevant to understand ing the plot.

The Order of Modifiers

In English we generally order modifiers in the following order: opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose Noun. 

This is not a formal rule, but most generally follow it, even if they don't know it.

Ignore it at your own peril.
See http://www.metafilter.com/162206/Opinion-Size-Age-Shape-Colour-Origin-Material-purpose-Noun

Purpose of Church Services

 From Mike Cosper in The Gospel Coalition blog:

We must ask what’s at the center of our gatherings. Is it an emotional ride, led by a hip, handsome, and passionate rock star, followed by (to borrow a phrase from James K. A. Smith) “a 45-minute lecture from the smartest guy in the room,” or is the gathering focused on the Word of God, a Spirit-filled congregation singing “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” together, and the Lord’s Supper? Is the church a gathering and sending of saints, or a rally for a fan club?

The 20 Habits of Eventual Millionaires

by James Altucher 

This is the wrong question. It’s upside down.

This is a tacky question. This is sort of a rude question.

But this was a question on Quora. Actually, the question was a bit worse. It was “I’m in my 20s – can someone in their 40s tell me what I need to do to become a financial success?”

Maybe don’t look for shortcuts. Too many shortcuts is “death by a thousand cuts”.

Here’s a question: I’m in my 40s, can someone in their 20s tell me how to restore that feeling of lightness, no obligations and the feeling that “Enough” is a Feast?
Answer me that.

Here’s a question: I’m in my 20s, can someone tell me what success is?

Here’s another question: I’m lonely, can someone tell me how a ray of sunlight can remember that by itself it is nothing, but together it’s the Sun?

But ok. Another friend of mine wrote a good post on this topic. But I know him and how he made his millions and although his answer was good, it wasn’t how he made his money.

Money is not everything. It’s a side effect. It’s a byproduct. It’s nuclear waste after all the energy has already powered the Earth.

Focus just on the habits. Only the first half of the question.

Everyone needs different habits. If someone has an arm amputated he needs a new arm. Another person might need a new eye.

Another person needs to listen better.

20 Habits

I’m sorry. I was about to answer. But I need to define “habit”.

When I was lying in the gutter at 3 in the morning, drunk, and cars swerving around me, I needed first to be pulled to the sidewalk.

That was a habit. I couldn’t just wake up and be sober. I needed to be pulled to the side first. I needed consequences first. I needed one day at a time first. I needed to surrender control of the outcome first.

I needed to improve 1% a day and that never ends. I needed to remember I had two little girls to be a better person for.

And so on. “And so on” is a habit. It’s not a done thing. It’s never done.

20 Habits
– Every day, be around people who are kind to you and love you.

This is a difficult habit. So don’t sweat it. Just improve a little bit each day.

A bonsai tree grows every day. But the bonsai master knows where to prune to create a work of art over years.

– Every day, avoid death.

Which means: avoid things you know are bad for you. Be a little healthier each day. You can’t get rich from a hospital bed. Or a grave.

People think metabolism changes as we get older. This is not really true. What changes is we sit more. So move more.

– Solve difficult gratitude problems.

This is a practice. When angry, or stressed, find one thing to be grateful for. Where is the practice? Is this really so hard.

The hard part is noticing that you are angry and stressed. It’s the difference between being scared in a movie and saying, “wait, it’s just a movie”.

– Write down ten ideas a day.

I’ve written this a million times. Watch the movie “Limitless”. Bradley Cooper takes a pill that turns him into a superman of brain power. Writing down 10 ideas a day is that pill. Try it for six months and you will see.

– Plant seeds.

Many people have ONE GOAL in life. And they aim their lives for that one goal. Good luck with that.
The real key is to plant many seeds. 1% of the seeds planted will turn into 50% of the flowers.

That’s Garden Math.

What are some seeds?

Send a thank you letter. Send an intro letter. Send ideas to people. Exercise. Eat well. Surprise your spouse. Make a website. Come up with an idea. Write an article. Read a book. Think of 100 more seeds.

Every day plant some seeds.

– No excuses.

Blaming is draining. Complaining is draining. Explaining is draining.
People say, I don’t have enough time. I get that. For instance, I don’t have enough time to become a professional astronaut.

But even that excuse, which two seconds ago I thought was a truism, is false.

One day Virgin Galactic and SpaceX will send tourists into space for cheap. So one day I’ll be an astronaut.

I have enough time again. No excuses.

– Warren Buffett’s 5/25 rule.

Make a list of the 25 things you want to do in life. Now do the top 5. And NEVER THINK ABOUT THE OTHER 20 EVERY AGAIN.

Else they will take time away from the 5 that are most important to you.

– Follow up.

I’m really bad at this. Which is why I have to build a habit instead of “do this!”

The other day I had dinner with a bunch of interesting people. I have a perfect idea how to follow up with them.

But I havn’t done it yet. I don’t know why. It’s hard for me to follow up.

So it’s a practice. But I’ll do it. I want to get better at this habit.
Following up might be a “nice to meet you” email. Or maybe it’s buying them a first edition of their favorite book. Or maybe it’s one of the 10,000 things in between that.

– Stand next to the smartest person in the room.

Harold Ramis did it (Bill Murray). Steve Jobs did it (Steve Wozniak). Craig Silverstein did it. (who? Larry Page.) Kanye West did it (Jay-Z).

I’ve done it repeatedly. (Yoda). I have a motto: “I am the dumbest person in the room”. Then it helps me to find the smartest person in each room.

The smartest person in the room is going to do something. Watch what they do. Something special. Just follow them without asking questions.

– Do one thing every day you loved as a kid.

I loved to write. So I write every day. I loved being nice to girls. So I’m nice to women every day.
Other people loved sports. I didn’t.

– Ask questions.

Brian Grazer, the world famous movie produce or Apollo 13, Arrested Development, and about 100 other movies, would have “curiousity conversations”.
He’s simply call up anyone he wanted (the Dalai Lama, Steve Jobs, etc), explain who he was, and asked them questions.

That’s how he met Ron Howard (the smartest person in his room). That’s how they together started Imagine Entertainment. That’s how he’s now got the top show on TV (“Empire”).

– Make Mistakes.

I was teaching my daughter to serve harder. She had a good consistent serve. She never missed. But it was too soft. Easy to return.
So I said, “hit it so hard you have to grunt”.

She started missing. She was getting depressed. Every shot came in about 6 inches to the left of the box.

But then she adjusted. The shots started to hit in the box. And they were harder.

I asked her, “what was going on in your head?”

She said, “I saw I was hitting too much to the left so I moved it over.”

If she kept hitting her safe easy shot, she never would have improved.

Only mistakes made her improve. ONLY MISTAKES.

– Sleep.

Everyone has a different opinion on this. I sleep nine hours a night. Then I try to take a nap during the day.

Your brain is most active 2-5 hours after you wake up. Do your productive passion work then.

Stay away from people who claim they only need 3-5 hours a sleep a night. They are evil.

– Say “NO”

I used to travel a lot for meetings. None of them made money. Not a single one.

I remember one time sitting by the pool at a hotel in LA. That was fun. I drank and swam and drank and swam.

In between, I had meetings that went nowhere. Then I went back to my company.

How was LA.

Great.

One week wasted.

– A little every day

I want to write a novel.

I write a few paragraphs a day. I maybe tweak the outline every day. Guess what. If you write three paragraphs a day you’ll write four novels a year.

Three of them might be bad. Maybe ten of them will be bad. Maybe the first twenty will be bad.
That’s ok. That means in five years you will be a success. Because of “a little every day”.

– Don’t be in a rush.

I’ve interviewed about 150 successful people so far for my podcast. I don’t mean “financial success”. Again, money is a byproduct.

One thing in common: 10 – 20 years for an overnight success.
BUT…
Celebrate small successes.

Along the way to overnight success (20 years) you will have many many small successes.

You can only give yourself permission for the next one if you celebrate the small success. It gives reinforcement to all of these habits.

Plus, it’s fun. You know what I mean.

– Love

I don’t have to teach you what love is. But here’s what I try to do:

a. if it’s someone I don’t know, I pretend like they are going to die tomorrow. So I treat them with the love we treat someone who will not exist anymore.

b. if it’s someone I don’t like, I treat them the way a mother treats her child. I wish for their best, no matter what my personal feelings are.

c. if it’s someone I love but is not making me happy, I sincerely wish them the best for the future.

d. if it’s someone I love, I listen. I help. I surprise.

Often we pray to things that don’t exist. Often we meditate with invisible goals in mind. Often we believe in science fiction.
But right this second you can feel love, and that’s the only religion.

– Right now.

Every time I’ve had a problem in the future, it never came true.

Every time I’ve had a regret in the past, the regret kept me glued to the mud.

Right now you are dealt cards. No other hand before or after will help you right now.

So this is the only moment to focus on. Right now is best predictor of Right Life.

—
I said I had 20 habits. I can’t count that high. So I don’t know if this is true. I give myself permission to not be exact all the time.

Oh! That’s another habit: Give yourself permission to not always be right. Give yourself permission to not always be liked. Give yourself permission to not always be at peace. Give yourself permission to not be a success.
Then you will gradually have whatever you gave yourself permission “to not”.

—
Will these habits make you a millionaire? Yes. Definitely.

Will these habits make you a success? Yes.

But more important:
These habits will make you the sort of person who has these habits.

No longer will you be a single ray of light. You will be the sun.

Read More: The 100 Rules for Being an Entrepreneur

Oral story outline

Robert McKee, renowned screenwriting lecturer, refers to this structure as the Purpose-Told Story design. It includes 

• the development of a core character, 
• an event that causes imbalance,
• The desire to restore balance, 
• a plan of action, 
• turning points, 
• crisis decisions, and 
• eventual resolution.

Winning Short Story Guide

Here is a guide to Anne R. Allen's Blog post on how to write a winning short story.

It has 31 steps, so it's a comprehensive guide. That means that some of the steps are tried and true obvious steps, but you need to follow them anyhow.

This is just a list of the steps, lest her post disappear. I recommend reading her post to get the excellent details.

PLANNING STAGE:

1. Keep the story tight.

2. Create a main character who is complex and charismatic, one readers will care about.

3. Give your protagonist a burning desire.

4. Decide what your character is most afraid of.

5. Devise a critical story problem or conflict.

6. Develop a unique "voice" for this story.

7. Create a worthy antagonist.

8. Add in a few interesting, even quirky supporting characters.

9. To enter and win contests, make your character and story unique and memorable.

10. Experiment – take a chance.

WRITING STAGE:

11. Start with a compelling scene.

12. Start right out in the head of your main character.

13. Put your character in motion right away.

14. Use close point of view.

15. Situate the reader early on.

16. Jump right in with some tension in the first paragraphs.

17. Show, don’t tell.

18. Your character needs to react!

19. Every page needs tension of some sort.

20. Withhold key information.

21. Dialogue in fiction is like real conversation on steroids.

22. Each character should speak differently, and not like the author.

23. Build the conflict to a riveting climax.

24. Go out with a bang.

25. Provide some reader satisfaction at the end.

REVISION STAGE:

26. Hook 'em in right away.

27. Cut to the chase!

28. Make every element and every image count.

29. Make descriptions do double duty.

30. Stay in character for all descriptions.

31. Pay attention to word count and other guidelines!

Courage

Quote from Dan Allender in "Leading with a Limp";

"What is courage? G. K. Chesterton wrote, Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. “

He that will lose his life, the same shall save it,” is not a piece of mysticism for saints and heroes.… A soldier surrounded by enemies, if he is to cut his way out, needs to combine a strong desire for living with a strange carelessness about dying. He must not merely cling to life, for then he will be a coward, and will not escape. He must not merely wait for death, for then he will be a suicide, and will not escape. He must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life like water, and yet drink death like wine."

Become an idea machine

From James Altucher
FAQ on How to Become an Idea Machine
"Inspiration is not like lightning. It doesn't strike. It's always there, like a deep well. Only by digging every day, do we get to tap into that well."

1. Write down 10 ideas every day.
2. Use a theme.
3. Some themes can be "Steps to execute yesterday's best idea."

Skilled learning

25 Things Skilled Learners Do Differently by Saga Briggs

Since most IQ scores fall into a very narrow range, why does learning vary so much by student? It is because of differences in learning process, which, kin itself, is a learned process.

It sounds circular and, to some extent, it is. You must learn in order to learn. It might be better to say that the learning process can be taught.

The implication is that the educational system should be teaching these skills early, so as to improve learning later on.

First Draft Rules

From copyblogger


Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

Agent Reader Checklist

From the Writers In The Storm blog, found here.

This is a good checklist for evaluating a book, yours or others.

Here is the list:

Here are the items that I included in the reports I prepared and then in the report I prepared on my own manuscript:

Overview: What’s the story about. Who are the main characters, what do they want, what do they do.

Editorial assessment: How was the writing? Does it grab the reader’s attention? Was it an enjoyable read? Was the manuscript clean of mistakes?

Plot and Storyline: What’s the main plot? Do the storylines support the main theme of the book? Are all storylines plausible and realistically tied up at the end?

Conflict: Do the characters face both internal and external conflicts? Are the external conflicts realistic or contrived? Are the internal conflicts realistic or overdone?

Character development: Are the characters unique? Interesting? Do they have growth arcs?

Emotional connection: Is there an emotional connection with the characters? Do we care what happens?

Dialogue: Is it natural? Does it move the story forward? Do the characters have distinct voices?

Setting: Where does the story take place? Do the descriptions transport you there?

Recommendation: It’s hard to be objective about our own writing. Chances are, if you’re doing this for your own manuscript, your recommendation would be to take it on.

Read the link for more details.

5 Strategy Questions for Nonprofits

Glenn Tecker and colleages have written in The Will to Govern Well about four primary questions (and one “wrap around”) that help Boards govern with knowledge.  Those questions help provide a framework for data gathering and analysis to be used in planning.  In general, they are:

1. What do we know about the needs, wants, and preferences of our members and/or stakeholders that is relevant to this issue?
2. What do we know about the evolving external context that is relevant to this issue, and how that might impact planning?
3. What do we know about the strategic capacity (and position) of our organization that is relevant to this issue?
4. What are the ethical implications of our choices?
5. Then there is a fifth question:  What do we wish we knew, but don’t?

These questions are designed to move an organization from “information and data” to “knowledge.”  They are quite effective in moving Boards from operations to strategy as well.  The issue then becomes, what to do with what you know in terms of action?  And further, what do we do when there are 20 good ideas on the table, but we can really do only two or three of them?

Character Development

This is a summary of an article at terribleminds by Chuck Wendig.

Set the Character Logline.

Describe the character in 140 characters or 23 words or less. What do I really need to know about him?

Identify the Character's Problem.

Shorter is better. You may have included the problem in the logline. This is why this character is here. This drives the plot.

Identify the Character's Solution to the Problem.

This is his solution, not yours. The character will try to use the solution to solve his problem.

Establish the Conflict.

This is the inherent conflict between the Character's Problem and the Character's Solution. Obstacles abound.

This is the difference between what the character wants and what he cannot have.

Identify the Limitations.

Limitations are generally internal. They get in the way. They are part of the conflict. Limitations help define the character's traits. They might be flaws or frailties.

Identify the Complications.

Complications are usually external. They are entanglements outside the character that make things difficult.

Identify his Greatest Fear.

This is useful to torment the character later on.

Write a Character Description

This is a lot like a logline and all of the above are description. Keep it short. 140 characters or less. Focus on the unique or odd characteristics.

Take a 1000 word test drive.

Write a piece of flash fiction to see how he acts. Have him talk to people. Give him a new problem. Get inside his head.

Now, Rewrite the Logline.

You idea of him may have changed.

Interview Questions - Nonprofit and For Profit

This is from Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com. Written by Kivi Leroux Miller.

"Here are my 25 favorite interview questions. I've never used all 25 at once, because the profiles I write are usually only 500-700 words and the people I'm interviewing often really busy. On average, I pick ten questions. Adjust the wording to meet your needs -- insert real names, places, topics, etc. that relate directly to your subject.

1. Tell me how you first got involved in with (the Nonprofit or the Cause) . . .
2. What was your first impression of (the Nonprofit)?
3. What's your first memory of (something related to the Cause)?
4. What has surprised you most about working with (Nonprofit or Cause)?
5. What do you find most challenging about (the Cause)?
6. What's the best/worst thing to happen since you started working with (the Nonprofit)?
7. When you last (volunteered, made a donation, etc.), how did that make you feel?
8. If you could change one thing about (the Cause or Nonprofit), what would it be?
9. What do you wish other people knew about (the Cause or the Nonprofit)?
10. Why are you supporting (the Nonprofit) as opposed to other groups working on (the Cause)?
11. Tell me about some of the people you've met while working on (the Cause)?
12. What would you say are some of your strongest beliefs about (the Cause)?
13. What's your personal philosophy on what should be done about (the Cause)?
14. When your friends/family find out that you (volunteer, donate, etc.), what do they say or ask?
15. Tell me about someone who has influenced your decision to work with (the Nonprofit)?
16. What might (someone) be surprised to know about you?
17. The interest in (the Cause) seems to be growing/waning. Why do you think that is?
18. What would you tell someone who is thinking about (donating, volunteering, etc.)?
19. What do you think will change about (the Cause or the Nonprofit) over the next five years?
20. What's it like to be a (volunteer, client, donor) or (the Nonprofit)?
21. If you weren't (volunteering, using their services, etc.), what would you be doing instead, or what would your life be like?
22. As a (client, volunteer, donor), what sorts of trends do you see?
23. How would (someone) describe you?
24. What do you do when you aren't (working, volunteering)?
25. What else can you tell me about (the Nonprofit or the Cause)?

And don't forget to follow-up on interesting answers! Here are some good follow-up questions:

1. What makes you say that?
2. How do you know that?
3. Why do you feel that way?
4. Can you give me an example?
5. Has that ever happened before (or since)?
6. How would you respond to someone who disagrees with you about that?"

- See more at: http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/resources/case-studies/interview-questions-to-help-you-write-great-donor-volunteer-and-client-profiles-for-your-newsletters/#sthash.GBjIc39X.dpuf

Another Story Sturcture

This one comes from Write to Done by K.M.Weiland. It uses Star Wars: A New Hope as the example.

The classic approach to structure divides story into three acts, which we can further divide into distinct categories:

1. First Act - In which characters, settings and stakes are introduced to the reader. (e.g., in Star Wars: A New Hope, viewers meet the droids, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Luke, and Obi-Wan, and learn what is at stake for the characters on a personal level and the galaxy as a whole.)

 2. First Major Plot Point - In which the First Act ends with a definitive event that forces the character to react. (The murders of Luke’s aunt and uncle make him decide to go with Obi-Wan to Alderaan.)

3. First Half of the Second Act – In which the character reacts to his plight and tries to regain his bearings. (Obi-Wan hires a ship to Alderaan; Luke starts learning about the Force.)

4. Second Major Plot Point or Midpoint - In which another definitive event occurs, this time forcing the character out of his period of reaction and back into action. (The Death Star captures the Millennium Falcon.)

5. Second Half of the Second Act - In which the characters begin to come into their own and take definitive action against the antagonistic force. (Obi-Wan goes off to shut down the tractor beam, while Luke, Han, and Chewie decide to rescue Princess Leia.)

6. Third Major Plot Point - In which the character’s actions seemingly lead him to a place of defeat. (Obi-Wan dies and the Empire places a tracking beacon aboard the escaping Falcon.)

7. Third Act - In which the character must rally for a final assault against the antagonistic force. (Luke and the Rebels use R2-D2′s schematics of the Death Star to plan a last-ditch assault.)

8. Climax - In which the conflict between protagonist and antagonistic force reaches a deciding moment. (Luke blows up the Death Star.)

9. Resolution - In which loose ends are tied up, and the characters react to the events of the climax. (Princess Leia passes out medals.)

List of Potential Risks

From NFP Consulting Resources:
The following are a few of the more common areas of risk which can be assessed and addressed:

1. Availability of Information for Decision Making
2. Billing and Collections
3. Business Expenses
4. Business interruption
5. Cash Management
6. Continuity/Disaster
7. Contract compliance
8. Copyright infringement
9. Corporate Governance
10. Data Security
11. Donor/member records
12. Donor/member recognition and benefits
13. Emergency preparedness
14. Facility Management
15. Financial Reporting
16. Fraud & Ethical Behavior
17. Fund Raising
18. Gift Acceptance
19. Harm to clients
20. Human Resources
21. Insurance/Risk
22. Investment policies
23. IT Infrastructure
24. Litigation Risk
25. Misfeasance/Malfeasance
26. Malpractice
27. Operational Quality Performance
28. Personnel/Volunteer Behavior
29. Regulatory Compliance
30. Related Party Transactions
31. Special Events
32. Storm damage
33. Subcontractor Utilization
34. Succession Planning
35. Tax Exempt Status
36. Transportation
37. Unrelated Business Income
38. Use of intellectual property

Dan Wells on Story Structure

7 Elements of Story Structure. See the video Here.

(In Story order. Consider them in Number order.)

2. Hook

Starting state Harry is orphan under the stairs

4. Plot Turn 1 – Conflict is introduced. Sets the story in motion.

      Harry learns he is a wizard

      There is a problem to be solved. Call to adventure.

6. Pinch 1 – Apply pressure to force the characters action

      Troll attack in Harry Potter

3. Midpoint – moving from reaction (running away) to action (do something about it)

      Harry learns of Voldemort and decides to fight against him

7. Pinch 2 – Applies more pressure, things really get bad. the jaws of defeat.

      Mentor is lost. Gandalf is gone.

      Loss of everything.

      Loss of companions. Ron and Hermione are lost to traps in the dungeion

5. Plot turn 2 – Get the last piece you need. The Clue that we need.

      Luke. Use the force.

      The power is in the shoes.

      Grasping victory from the jaws of defeat.

           The shark has the tank in his mouth.

      I am your father and I have human emotion and I care about you.

      The mirror puts the stone in Harry's pocket.

1. Resolution

Start at the end.

     Where is the story going Harry defeats Voldemart

Plot (External conflict)

Character (Internal conflict)

Simple Growth Arc- Starts with weakness, Ends with strength

Complex Shift Arc – One kind of strength to another kind of strength

Other items

- Round characters

- Enrich environments

- Ice Monster prologue

- Try / Fail cycles

- Subplots

The Hero's Journey

• Hook. Hero has a sad boring life.
• Plot Turn 1. Hero becomes a role.
• Pinch 1. A bad guy attacks.
• Midpoint. Here learns the truth about something and swears to defeat the villain.
• Pinch 2. Companions fall to the villain, and hero is left alone.
• Plot Turn 2. Facing villain, hero discovers the power is in him.
• Resolution. Hero defeats villain.

Romance Plots

Ends well

Tragedy Plot

Ends bad.

• Hook. Happy
• Plot turn 1. Iago swears destruction
• Pinch Point 1. Creates rumor of unfaithfulness
• Midpoint. Suspicion
• Plot turn 2. Othello Kills her
• Pinch Point 2.Othello finds she was innocent
• Resolution. Everyone Dies

Horror

• Hook. Narrator is sane
• Plot turn 1. Narrator decides to murder.
• Pinch Point 1. Narrator tries, but cannot do it.
• Midpoint. Narrator kills.
• Plot turn 2. Police come to house.
• Pinch Point 2. Hears heart still beating.
• Resolution. Narrator is insane

Ice Monster Prologue.

Action fighting ice monster in prologue. Avoids boredom during the hook. Grabs them early.

Starts with space battle. Then lay the foundation.

Try / Fail Cycles.

Victory must be earned. First time success is too easy. Hero must try and fail multiple times.

Demonstrate consequences

Sometimes the cycles look like victories. They are just en route obstacles

Plots and Subplots

More than one plot.

Each has the journey.

Each can follow the Action, Character, Romance, or Betrayal plot form.

Important things in various plots happen at the same time, but may be at different point of structure.

How to Critique an Essay

From http://dfdinsauce.tripod.com/ProcessEssay/id2.html
1. Read the thesis. Stop reading and write what you EXPECT will be the topic and purpose of the essay. Write your response after first paragraph. Who is the audience and were there needs met? (you may need to ask the author who the reader is supposed to be-remember you need to know what THEY would know before you will be able to judge whether their needs are met in the intro and throughout the essay.)

2. Now, finish reading to the paper. Were your expectations met? If not, what do you now think the topic, purpose and audience are now?

3. Is the thesis sentence itself a strong statement (not a quote from someone else, not a question, etc)? does it give a purpose for the essay/topic? Does it address the process that will be discussed? Make sure there is a very specific statement at the beginning of the essay that will be supported through the essay.

4. Mark the examples you find(could be whole paragraphs or just single sentences). At the end of each example, evaluate its usefulness or strength in supporting the essay by adding a comment.

5. Mark the helpful hints and first aids you find. How many are there? Are they appropriate for the audience's needs? Are they detailed enough for the audience to follow and use? If this is a "how it was done" paper rather than a "how to," there should still be helpful hints and first aids describing the problems that occurred when the process was completed.

6. What did you like best about the essay? Add a comment about what you liked about it

7. What did you like the least about the essay? Add a comment about what could be improved about it.

8. Did anything in the essay surprise you? Be specific!

9. What TWO features of the essay most need improvement? Mark them and add a comment/suggestion about what/how they could be improved. Remember that just marking a problem area without explanation won't help the author fix the problem.

Why Do People Hate Their Jobs

Great Article by  James Altucher. Click Here
It's kind of a downer, but really true.

I limped out of the meeting and said, “excuse me”, and took the elevator down 67 stories, went to Grand Central, limped home, and never went back to work at that job.

Every day I try to practice reversing that. I do that by listening to the body, the mind, being grateful, being around positive people, sleeping a lot, eating well.
But having a job and being controlled by Masters ruins the practice. 

 Jobs are modern-day slavery. We are paid just enough to live and not more. You are punished if you ask for more. 

- We are often verbally abused on the job and we take it because we think it’s normal that people would yell at us. 

- The government gets up to 50% of your paycheck and then 10-20% of that goes to kill people on other parts of the planet, including our own children. 

- We are deluded into thinking our job-friends are our real-friends. With our job friends we talk about pens, genitals, and cubicles. We stop having real-friends. 

- There’s a glass ceiling. It doesn’t matter if you are a woman or minority or a white man. The glass ceiling is that you aren’t allowed to make more than your Master, even if he’s an idiot.

- You realize that all the dollars you spent on degrees to get you a job that will make you happy were completely wasted. You were scammed but you can’t let the next generation know how stupid you were so now you become part of perpetuating the scam. 

- A trillion dollar marketing campaign forced you to buy a house you didn’t really want and now you will “lose a house” you never really owned if you don’t bow down to the Masters every day. The words “The American Dream” were coined by Fannie Mae in a marketing campaign 40 years ago to sell mortgages to slaves. 

- Your spouse is tired of hearing about your job after six months. And you couldn’t care less about hers. Ten years later you wake up next to a total stranger. 40 years later you die next to one 

- Your IRA was not intended to provide for your retirement. It was intended to take money from you every month so you remain chained to your cubicle. Inflation then takes 90% of your IRA. 

- Over time everyone is getting fired and being replaced by younger, cheaper, more temporary, more robotic, versions of you. You see this but are afraid to do anything about it. 

Cross-posted here.

The Power of the Author Interview

by Sherrie Wilkolaski

A marketing tool all authors need to utilize to market and promote their books is the author interview. It’s quite simple to create and the investment of 30 minutes or less will go a long way to produce a tool that can be used time and again, both on and offline.  If you’re interested in treating yourself to one of the most valuable 30 minute book marketing exercises…please read on.

What is an author interview?

An author interview is a series of questions and answers that is prepared by the author.  Questions are typically pulled together by the book publicist and coordinated with the overall goals of the author’s marketing and PR campaign. The questions are developed and put into a Word document and then the author types (writes) out their answers. That final interview Q&A is then ready to be used and re-purposed in a variety of ways.

What kinds of questions should an author be asking themselves?

Authors should be asking basic questions (see list of examples below) about how the book came to life as well as questions that provide a deeper insight and teasers about their new book release.  Once the book basics have been covered, then the questions can get more personal and the author can talk about everything from their writing style and what books are on their own bedside table.  This is an opportunity for authors to share more about who they are. Authors should have fun with their questions and answers.  Asking questions about things outside of writing, like favorite foods, or types of music make for an interesting interview.

7 tips to capitalize on an author interview:

1. Use the author interview on their website.  Authors can use their online Q&A and publish it in their “about the author” section of their site.  It is more than just an author bio.
2. Incorporate the Q&A into the book media kit.  Every successful author media kit has prepared questions and answers for the media to use.  An author’s book publicist will use the author’s media kit to pitch the author to the media for interviews, both on and offline. Radio interviewers will always require this of every author before putting them on the air, so why not be ready for the invitation.
3. Online author interview is ready for instant guest blog appearances. There are thousands of book sites looking for online author interviews. Once the Q&A has been pulled together, it can be submitted along with the author’s bio and book summary to any website looking for this type of content. Makes for quick and easy book marketing.
4. Elevator-pitch preparation. Amazingly, authors learn a lot about themselves doing this exercise and it helps to prepare them their elevator pitch and for any typical questions they are likely to encounter while marketing their title.
5. Book signings and events. Bookstores and other venues that may be interested in considering an author for a signing will see how professional an author is because they have their Q&A pulled together.
6. Social media. Authors can use their online author interviews to promote their books in an interesting way. Send out a Tweet to your online interview, post random questions to your Facebook fan page or pin it. So many possibilities!

Get creative! There are so many ways for an author to use their author interview to present themselves to their audience and the media, think outside of the box.

Embrace the author interview.

The author interview opens so many doors for authors and is a marketing cheat sheet that will be used more than an author could ever anticipate. It will showcase the author as a professional while creating interest from readers looking or an insider’s peak at what the author is all about. Questions for fiction and non-fiction authors will be different.

As an example, see how the authors of the Salem Witch Trilogy included Q&A in their online media kit, as well as on the individual “about the author” pages for co-authors Jack Heath and John Thompson.

Here are a few interview questions you may want to consider using for your own Q&A.

• Tell us a little bit about yourself. (Short author bio)
• Can you tell us where people can find you? Website, social media, blog, etc.

Fiction:

Here’s your chance to market your book.  Describe it.  And why readers should pick it up?

• How did your book come to life?
• Who is you favorite character in your book and why?
• How did you name your characters?
• Are the characters in your books based on people you know?
• Why do you think your readers are going to enjoy your book?
• Are your characters’ experiences taken from someone you know, or events in your own life?

Non-fiction:

Here’s your chance to market your book.  Describe it.  And why readers should pick it up?

• How did your book come to life?
• What other books are most similar to yours?
• Why do you think your readers are going to enjoy your book?
• How long did it take you to write your book?
• Who designed the cover?
• What are you doing to market the book?  Are you using social media?
• In two sentences or less can you tell readers something unique about your book.

Don’t forget personalize your questions and answers so that they best position your book. If you’re looking for a customized author interview and need help with building your personal media kit, please email services@authorsboutique.com.

Best of luck!

About the Author

Sherrie Wilkolaski is a public relations and book marketing expert for independent authors and traditional publishers, specializing in small to mid-sized publishers.  She is the former Director of Publishing Services at Lulu.  She is a columnist for Press Pass.  In 2011 she co-founded Pressque Publishing, a traditional publishing house.  She is a bestselling author, radio talk show host of Pub Smart, and IFWTWA board member and treasurer.  To learn more go to www.authorpublishingservices.com.