AwesomeMuse Resource Center Latest Topicshttps://forums.awesomedude.org/forum/65-awesomemuse-resource-center/AwesomeMuse Resource Center Latest TopicsenWhere writers really get their ideashttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/72945-where-writers-really-get-their-ideas/ Cartoon by Tom Gauld at Tumblr.

 

where-writers-really-get-their-ideas.jpg

]]>72945Sat, 11 Oct 2025 22:36:24 +0000Vagaries - or vagueries - of the English languagehttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/72810-vagaries-or-vagueries-of-the-english-language/ I'm occasionally fascinated by the English language and I wondered if I could make a place for musings on the subject somewhere in the forums.

So here's a start: The word SANCTION has two meanings - almost diametrically opposed to each other.

It can be permission from an authority for a course of action.

It can also be punitive action from an entity (such as a national government) with the purpose of dissuading another entity from a course of action.

And here's another start: the words fascia, fascism and fascination are all rooted in the Latin word Fasces, for the bundle of rods bound around an axe and carried as a symbolic weapon by the Roman Praetorian Guard.

The medical term fascia refers to connective tissue in the body. In the construction industry it's a facing surface. 

Fascism in Italy wished to associate itself with the ancient Roman Empire so referenced that Empire's symbol of authority.

Fascination is an emotional tie.

Does anyone else find this sort of thing interesting?

]]>72810Wed, 30 Jul 2025 19:55:13 +0000"Raising Boys" series in Washington Posthttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/10857-raising-boys-series-in-washington-post/ “Raising Boys” Series in Washington Post

‘In light of the past year’s news of rampant sexual misconduct by some powerful and famous men, Washington Post journalists asked the question: How do we raise boys? To find out, we searched the country, talking to boys, parents and experts about what it’s like to be a boy today.’ 

This important three-part series examines three age stages in the development of American boys:  Age 8, Ages 11-12, and Age 17.  It is well worth our attention.  Sadly, this investigation does not so far incorporate the particular issues confronting boys who discover they are gay, bi, or trans, although the Age 8 article includes a short video showing a father raising a young biracial trans boy. However, it is important to recognize the milieu within which GLBT youth must cope and survive, for it is the reality of our culture today.  Although initially I read these articles out-of-order, I think reading them in chronological order is most rewarding.

Age 8      https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/lifestyle/being-a-boy-age-8/?utm_term=.46e6b9aa9510

Ages 11-12    https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/lifestyle/being-a-boy-ages-11-and-12/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.11aa302892ec

Age 17    https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/lifestyle/being-a-boy-age-17/?utm_term=.143bc6812408

]]>10857Fri, 21 Dec 2018 15:21:27 +0000What Is a Time Crystal?https://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/10218-what-is-a-time-crystal/

Physicists have made a new phase of matter called a time crystal—but what does that even mean?

Last month, a team of physicists from UC Berkeley said they'd created a blueprint for a new phase of matter called a time crystal. Their paper, in Physical Review Letters, turned what was once a pretty far out speculation into a practical recipe for cooking up a time crystal in a laboratory.

Here's the link to the article on The Verge: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/ok-wtf-is-a-time-crystal

Colin  :icon_geek:

 

]]>10218Wed, 01 Mar 2017 05:39:47 +0000How to speak Britishhttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/8515-how-to-speak-british/It might not be quite a tutorial on English speaking in Britain, but it is a amusing collection of sayings,

Gawn, have a butcher's...you know you want to.

]]>8515Sat, 05 Jul 2014 14:07:37 +0000Names for Story Charactershttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/7509-names-for-story-characters/No matter how rough the weather gets, we can at last access lists of wild names, for our characters.

Just click on this Link

]]>7509Thu, 16 May 2013 20:52:35 +0000Story Ideahttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/8790-story-idea/Someone should run with this. I read this little item today and thought that this coulod only happen in this information age. Secondly, how would it feel to suddenly have that kind of attention? Thirdly, what would it feel like to be dating someone and have that happen to them?

Check it out.

]]>8790Mon, 03 Nov 2014 14:47:41 +0000Bugger the Wonky Tellyhttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/8516-bugger-the-wonky-telly/My contribution today to the discussion of differences between Britain and America. I have found a web site that translates British Slang into American. It is written by an Englishman who lives in Texas. Actually most Americans could use a site that translates Texan into American, but that's a different subject (especially in politics. There's crazy and then there's Texas Crazy. Texas is a whole different breed of crazy). But I digress (again).

Here it is. British into American:

http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml

]]>8516Sat, 05 Jul 2014 16:41:54 +0000In Defense Of 'Difficult' Bookshttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/8374-in-defense-of-difficult-books/This article from Huff-Post provides food for thought on the difficulties of reading, and by implication, the effect upon writing.

It's a longish report, but worth the effort to abandon any attempt to speed read it. (You'll understand what I mean by that, when you read it.)

The article begins by referencing a speed reading app, Spritz, and then proceeds to discuss the value of slower reading to appreciate the nuances and richness of more complex and denser texts than those which twitter offers.

]]>8374Mon, 28 Apr 2014 04:16:57 +0000John Cleese on Creativityhttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/8240-john-cleese-on-creativity/John Cleese examines being creative.

I found it most helpful and well worth watching.

http://youtu.be/AU5x1Ea7NjQ

]]>8240Tue, 25 Feb 2014 07:19:25 +0000Swimmming Helphttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/8178-swimmming-help/Is there someone frequenting the boards who is familiar with high school swim teams? Or even with school swim programs? I need to ask some general questions - if you have knowledge, please send me a note dabeagle at dabeagle dot com.

]]>8178Sat, 08 Feb 2014 03:07:44 +0000Dictionaries, Thesaurus and Encyclopediashttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/3299-dictionaries-thesaurus-and-encyclopedias/Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Since its creation in 2001, Wikipedia has grown rapidly into one of the largest reference Web sites. Like most references on the Web its articles may be questioned but as a starting point for information it is hard to better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About

]]>3299Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:04:41 +0000List of Interjectionshttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/7927-list-of-interjections/I lucked upon this list of English interjections and thought it might be useful ... to someone.

http://www.vidarholen.net/contents/interjections/

]]>7927Wed, 13 Nov 2013 02:01:14 +0000Interview with DAW's submission's editor.https://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/7817-interview-with-daws-submissions-editor/This is quite an interesting blog interview with Peter Stampfel, Submissions Editor at DAW Books - one of the only publishers in science fiction and fantasy who still accept unsolicited manuscripts.

http://annakashinablog.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/interview-with-peter-stampfel-submissions-editor-daw-books/

]]>7817Mon, 30 Sep 2013 18:51:57 +0000Guide to Publishing a Kindle Bookhttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/7676-guide-to-publishing-a-kindle-book/I found this story that might help writers interested in publishing their books through Amazon. The article is clear, and the process seems easy.

http://michaelhyatt.com/kindle-publishing-success.html

]]>7676Tue, 06 Aug 2013 16:42:22 +0000The New Literacieshttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/7807-the-new-literacies/I found this 21 minute video intriguing. It discusses how we progressed from thinking internally to using writing and other external technologies to examine our thoughts.

In some ways this idea reflects what we do as authors in the solitude of our writing, and also in sharing our stories with others.

]]>7807Wed, 25 Sep 2013 19:51:58 +0000Cool Wordshttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/7062-cool-words/Sometimes I run across words that are just way too cool, and complicated, to use in my writing. But they often inspire thought and are worth remembering:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnotology

Anyone else have some gem of language to contribute?

]]>7062Fri, 09 Nov 2012 12:40:27 +0000Grammar comics and other stuffhttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/6932-grammar-comics-and-other-stuff/This site has literally made attempts to educate us about grammar thingies.

After you look at this page go to the home button.

]]>6932Tue, 18 Sep 2012 02:46:37 +0000Hair Colourhttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/6859-hair-colour/When describing characters, or mentally picturing them, I sometimes have difficutly choosing their specific hair colour. I've found this chart helps. Click on it for the larger version.

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]]>6859Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:56:32 +0000More of the Same Old Ruleshttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/6745-more-of-the-same-old-rules/Rules for Writers

1. Verbs HAS to agree with their subjects.

2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.

4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

5. Avoid clichés like the plague. (They're old hat.)

6. Be more or less specific.

8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.

9. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.

10. No sentence fragments.

11. Don't use no double negatives.

12. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

]]>6745Tue, 17 Jul 2012 04:24:11 +0000Fora.tvhttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/4046-foratv/Is there a resource of human thoughts that might provide authors with ideas and backgrounds for character and story development?

Well there is always life itself. What happens or indeed, has happened to each and everyone of us, forms a basis from which we write.

Our imagination feeds our creative processes built on many of our own experiences and our responses to life in general, but are there any ways that we might extend our recognition and understanding of the world, and of the variations of human experience which would not only help but also inspire our stories and characters?

Not everyone will want to delve deeply into these depths of understandings, yet I cannot help but feel that mention of such resources will be of service for those of us who like to look behind the scenes of the human condition and psyche, so to speak.

Fora.tv seems to be one of those resources with an extremely wide approach to human knowledge through programs, lectures, introductions at book launches, etc., and as such I think it is appropriate to give Fora.tv some prominence as a place to investigate.

Now before someone claims that they don't want to go back to school, let me say that Fora.tv seems to me to be a site that offers the ideas and thoughts of others, in the spirit of sharing knowledge through presentations of rational research and discussion.

The diverse collection of renowned speakers on so many subjects might be foreboding or even boring for some, but I'm thinking that there will be someone, discussing some subjects there, that most of us will find captivating and informative.

Those of you who do find an interesting program at Fora.tv might like to share it with us by mentioning it here with a link.

Please note that the programs at Fora.tv are often quite long, up to an hour in length. It is also possible to download the item of interest and it is free. :hug:

Fora.tv home page.

Edit (May 6th, 2011): It seems that Fora.tv now makes a charge for some lectures. There is still plenty of items available for free.

****************************************************

To start things off here is a link to a program called
Abu Ghraib: The Dark Side of Human Nature
from World Affairs Council: Nor Cal

Presented by professor Philip Zimbardo, who is also the author of
The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil
.

For further detail on the professor see his bio at the above link. (His childhood was spent in the Bronx)

The question on the institutional role of high school, at the end, I found interesting because of discussions we have had on school bullying
.

]]>4046Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:28:42 +0000TED: Do Schools Kill Creativity?https://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/3939-ted-do-schools-kill-creativity/I found a new hero. He's not a gay author, but he does have something marvellous to say about creativity.

Please watch this man give his very entertaining, informative and sometimes funny address. His name is Sir Ken Robinson. Yes he's a Brit, but he has been to California. :icon_tongue:

He gave a very stimulating address entitled,

as part of a TED conference: Technology, Entertainment, Design. The TED website seems well worth investigating as do the many TED talks' excerpts on YouTube.

Maybe you are already aware of this site, but I only just discovered it and I wanted to share it with you because I think it is important.

If you find an address on TED that you think is interesting, please leave a link to it here.

As for this particular talk given By Sir Ken, he has stimulated my thoughts on the freedom that creativity brings, even when that freedom has been born of a denial of acceptance in school systems that places little emphasis on nurturing human talents.

I must thank Trab for drawing my attention to TED by one of these talks by Jill Bolte Taylor, a scientist who had a stroke and lived to tell of how the stroke affected her sentience in her address,

.]]>3939Mon, 25 May 2009 20:05:23 +0000Looking for Quotes?https://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/3684-looking-for-quotes/Need a quote?

Just want to browse through famous people's thoughts?

The BrainyQuote's site seems worth a look.

]]>3684Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:10:34 +0000Copyrighthttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/3638-copyright/The Internet and corporate control of creativity in many endeavors, brings some concern on copyright issues and freedom to create.

The following books discuss those problems. Both books are available to download. Even if you only skim through them as I did, you will gain some idea of how our creativity is being stifled.

The Public Domain: Enclosing the Commons of the Mind, by James Boyle.

Our music, our culture, our science, and our economic welfare all depend on a delicate balance between those ideas that are controlled and those that are free, between intellectual property and the public domain. In The Public Domain: Enclosing the Commons of the Mind (Yale University Press) James Boyle introduces readers to the idea of the public domain and describes how it is being tragically eroded by our current copyright, patent, and trademark laws. In a series of fascinating case studies, Boyle explains why gene sequences, basic business ideas and pairs of musical notes are now owned, why jazz might be illegal if it were invented today, why most of 20th century culture is legally unavailable to us, and why today?s policies would probably have smothered the World Wide Web at its inception. Appropriately given its theme, the book will be sold commercially but also made available online for free under a Creative Commons license.

I haven't read the book yet, but given the above quote, I think it is an interesting subject.

The book can be downloaded for free at this site (Click on Download).

Also Lawrence Lessig's book Free Culture is definitely worth a look. It is also available under the Creative Commons license.

"All creative works?books, movies, records, software, and so on?are a compromise between what can be imagined and what is possible?technologically and legally. For more than two hundred years, laws in America have sought a balance between rewarding creativity and allowing the borrowing from which new creativity springs. The original term of copyright set by the Constitution in 1787 was seventeen years. Now it is closer to two hundred. Thomas Jefferson considered protecting the public against overly long monopolies on creative works an essential government role. What did he know that we?ve forgotten?

"Lawrence Lessig shows us that while new technologies always lead to new laws, never before have the big cultural monopolists used the fear created by new technologies, specifically the Internet, to shrink the public domain of ideas, even as the same corporations use the same technologies to control more and more what we can and can?t do with culture. As more and more culture becomes digitized, more and more becomes controllable, even as laws are being toughened at the behest of the big media groups. What?s at stake is our freedom?freedom to create, freedom to build, and ultimately, freedom to imagine."

See Lawrence Lessig's site for other books. Reviews welcome to be added here.

]]>3638Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:43:05 +0000Grammarhttps://forums.awesomedude.org/topic/3628-grammar/While there are large numbers of references on English grammar available both on the Net and in paper printed form, I found this reference at Monash University, useful to provide a quick idea of tense.

This then made it easier to read the Wiki references on present perfect for example.

:icon_geek:

]]>3628Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:04:07 +0000