I know there are a billion other more popular songs of his, but this one will forever be the only one I listen to on weekend mornings.
Kurt Vonnegut's 16 Rules For Writing Fiction
I just came across this list and thought it might be helpful if you're trying to write fiction.
"1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things — reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them — in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
9. Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about.
10. Do not ramble.
11. Keep it simple. Simplicity of language is not only reputable, but perhaps even sacred.
12. Have guts to cut. Your rule might be this: If a sentence, no matter how excellent, does not illuminate your subject in some new and useful way, scratch it out.
13. Sound like yourself. The writing style which is most natural for you is bound to echo the speech you heard when a child.
14. Say what you mean. You should avoid Picasso-style or jazz-style writing, if you have something worth saying and wish to be understood.
15. Pity the readers. Our stylistic options as writers are neither numerous nor glamorous, since our readers are bound to be such imperfect artists.
16. You choose. The most meaningful aspect of our styles, which is what we choose to write about, is utterly unlimited."
Yes.
Broom Groomer
As SOON as this becomes available for purchase again, Imma be all over this. SO SMART/SO CLEAN.
“Make your bed each morning. If every other part of your day goes wrong, at least at the end of it all you can take comfort in that one task fulfilled.”
Pasta Measuring Tool
Leftover pasta is usually always (but sometimes not) gross, can we agree on that? And I'm always making too much or too little of it since, well, I'll never fully understand things like ounces, grams and "serving sizes." I'm sorry, but they didn't any of this stuff in school like they should have.
Solution? This guy.
Photo Credit: Joseph Joseph
Why the hell am I only learning NOW that these exist? It's $10 and handy as hell to have in a kitchen.
Friends Furever
If you're like me and one of your top YouTube searches incorporates the words "animals who are friends," then you'll probably like this commercial as much as I do.
Mom Says
“If you pee in the road you will get a sty in your eye.”
Spooky Behaviour
I'll never not love this clip.
“My grandfather always said that living is like licking honey off a thorn.”