six word story every day

Six Word Story Every Day is 'a daily storytelling exploration through language and typography' by a collaboration of artists and designers. When I first saw the concept, it reminded me of Hint Fiction, with a design component. I was delighted to read in the About section that the inspiration was indeed the story which Ernest Hemingway regarded as his best: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." The hint fiction genre was inspired by this story, challenging writers to compile a story in 25 words or less.

The stories compiled in SWSED utilize only six words, with plenty of support from visual elements. One of the requirements of hint fiction is that the story is complete in itself. It should ignite the imagination, but need no further explanation. Although many of the stories in SWSED are more of a phrase or slogan ('Say something that is worth saying'), the level of creativity makes it a joy to browse through the entries.

Weekend Links #21

Well, it's Thursday, not quite the weekend anymore, but I wanted to send out the weekend links I put together for my faithful readers. New and exciting projects at work have scrambled my familiar schedule and I'm still figuring out how to stay on top of my personal projects. Hope those of you in the northern hemisphere are also enjoying the first signs of spring!

Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. The weekly post is my chance to share with you a few things from the week, in a list compiled during the weekend. I hope you enjoy them as well.

A few things I enjoyed last week: 1. Listening to an evening of The Decemberists at Paradiso. Just the bit of Pacific NW that I needed (pictured above via) 2. Stretching my writing muscles in a weekend workshop 3. Watching La Flâneur, a time-lapse video by Luke Shepard made up of 2000 photos of Paris 4. Reading the article The power of lonely (via something changed) 5. Reading The Elements of Content Strategy from A Book Apart. Nerdy work stuff that I can't wait to dive into 6. Receiving a note from a friend that reminded me of the importance of public broadcasting. To support NPR and PBS, sign this petition 7. Viewing amazing productions during a new multimedia contest (Blanco by Stefano De Luigi pictured below)

A Taste of Hint Fiction

Inspired by the NPR broadcast 'Hint Fiction Celebrates the (Extremely) Short Story', my father challenged my family to a competition over the holidays. The genre hint fiction is defined by a story of 25 words or less, which stimulates the imagination through its brevity. Take Ernest Hemingway's six-word story for example. "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." In the end, five of us participated, anonymously presented our stories, and voted on the favorites.

I imagined a scene taking place on the roads through the mountain pass between the Willamette Valley and the Cascade Mountain Range. Marcus' story described his morning view on an Amsterdam weekday. My father wrote a mystical tale about time past. My mother wrote about her favorite summer activity, water skiing. My brother found inspiration in murder mystery tales. Below, the stories:

My story: The mountain pass She turned onto the all but abandoned logging road, the entrance graced with a worn-down cross staked into the earth. Her fingers drummed to the beat of the music, turned just a little louder.

Marcus' winning story: 9:12 am Dense fog covering the river makes it difficult to see over to the other side. The start of the week.

My mother's entry: An Afternoon of Surface Tension Strong breeze creates a tangled mane Nostrils filled with sunshine Cool mists in rhythmic sprays Mechanical roar That quiets the smiling soul.

My father's entry: Ringing Below lake waters, Tossed long ago Lay ring shining. Fish fin by, sunlight reflects back To her hand empty unhealed It's giver lay below earthen cover of European war.

My brother's entry: Christmas Cheer Walks on the beach and candlelight dinners and the ad read, but the light kicking in her stomach made her body shake with rage as her fingers tightened around the pistol.

Language in Flux

"Not until the 17th century did people begin thinking that the language needed to be codified, and the details of who would do that and how have yet to be resolved. Should it be accomplished through a government-sponsored academy, an officially sanctioned dictionary, or what? These and other means were attempted, but meanwhile ordinary folks, dang them, kept right on talking and writing however they wanted, inventing words, using contractions and so on." — NY Times article reviewing 'The Lexicographer's Dilemma' by Jack Lynch

A Woman's Wit

[vimeo vimeo.com/7329523 w=500&h=400]

“If you said you were going off for the weekend and you were doing nothing except re-reading Emma or taking Mansfield Park to bed, that image for me would be one of pure happiness. I mean, you could bring maybe a person to bed, and that might be nicer in some way, but it wouldn’t be as fully satisfying.” — Colm Toíbín

Authors, scholars, and philosophers discuss the writing of Jane Austen in conversation around the exhibition A Woman's Wit: Jane Austen's Life and Legacy at The Morgan Library and Museum in New York. A video to watch for those who love the work of Austen, and for those who don't yet know they do. (via karigee)

The Angst of Creative Dreams

creative angst

"It's time to accept that there's never going to be a perfect sea of endless days when i can write. I will always have other stuff to do. So if that's the case, then i may as well just get on with it. I don't want to be one of those people who talks about the book and never actually writes it. It's time to face up to what's really going on here - blatant fear of failure. Why do our creative dreams cause us so much angst? - and just start somewhere. Even if i do feel like my days are already full-to-bursting, I can still eek out some time. No more talk; it's time to put my pen where my mouth is."

(via inkonmyfingers)

Despite the fact that I actually write a lot — for work, research projects, on my blog, World Pulse, and a dozen other places — sometimes it never feels like it amounts to anything substantial. I have never published a book, although printing my MA thesis did feel like quite the accomplishment. All the research I do for clients is 'protected' under NDAs, never to see the light beyond internal boardrooms. Yet, as much as I relate to this observation, I can't help but think perhaps we're too hard on ourselves.

A recent article in Seed Magazine describes The Writing Revolution in which we all are now authors. Although their definition of an 'author' (someone who has written anything, whether a blog post or Tweet, that has been read by more than 100 people) needs some reworking, the point is that technological changes have enabled us to move from Consumers to Creators. The Seed article is reminiscent of the article We Are All Writers Now. With so many writers and authors running around these days, it's hard for those of us who consider it our profession to not feel a rising possibility of failure. The quote is spot on with its conclusion. What other solution is there than confronting the creative angst and just getting on with writing?

A Collaborative Year

one year the3six5 project. 365 days. 365 individual voices writing a collaborative diary to chronicle the year of 2010.

I just received word that I am on board for the project initiated by Len Kendall and Daniel Honigman. On May 28, I will write a 250 word entry about my experiences throughout the day. One day. One person. There are a few famous writers, comedians, TED speakers, etc. in the mix, but for the most part the journal will be crowdsourced by people who just want to write and participate.

A published book is planned, depending on the amount of funding raised. Make a donation at Kickstarter.

The Case for Content Strategy

About a year ago, I was on a team tasked with redesigning a website for a luxury fitness brand. Abandoning the typical sweaty images for a more spa-like experience, we reworked the content to include testimonials about reaching lifestyle goals, and to feature the gym’s breadth of yoga classes, rather than just their range of free weights. At first glance, the paid ad copy and keyword-rich meta content fit the common search terms: “gym,” “workouts,” and “private trainers.” However, our client didn’t want the typical “gym rat” audience. That’s where a partnership between content strategy and search engine marketing paid off. We revised the site content and search terms to fit the brand of a premium fitness experience. As a result, our client attracted more traffic from an audience eager for their style of gym. The leads were good, but the conversions were even better.

— Margot Bloomstein, The Case for Content Strategy—Motown Style in A List Apart.

Old Jewish Cemetery

dia de los muertosLast week, a colleague lost all of the data on his phone, including a journal from his holiday in Curaçao, and it made me want to feel my non-digital journals in my hands. As I was flipping through, I came across this drawing, done on the train to Krakow, thinking of the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague. Two girls, one camera, and over 12,000 tombstones.

To Write a Letter

Stationery A recent New York Times article by Penelope Green looked at the continuing art of letter writing. On customized stationery, to be precise. The effort of writing a sincere letter of gratitude and sending it punctually conjures a bit of nostalgia. Like any one-sided act, this could be quite demoralizing when unrequited. Nevertheless, the beauty of the gesture remains.

"...what are still called 'social papers' are thriving, in spite of, or perhaps because of, the prevailing digital culture...Stationery aficionados say the cost is worth it: for the feel of the artisan's hand — cutting the die, sliding the tissue into the envelope, feeding the printing press — married to the effort of one's own hand"