You know that David Foster Wallace speech about fish? Two young fish swimming along, older fish passes and says "Morning boys, how's the water?" The young fish swim on, then one turns to the other: "What the hell is water?" That's the point. We don't notice what we're swimming in. The Furniture We Sit In … Continue reading Why Fish Don’t Know They’re Wet
Tag: stories
The Gene Shepherd Show
Jerry Seinfeld says he learned storytelling from Gene Shepherd. Some recordings are on YouTube.
Deadtime Stories for Big Folk: Deadsy by David Anderson
Lludd and Llefelys
"Lludd and Llefelys, one of the medieval Welsh tales collected in the Mabinogion, is a vision of the internet. In fact, it describes the internet twice. Here, a terrible plague has settled on Britain: the arrival of the Coraniaid, an invincible supernatural enemy. What makes the Coraniaid so dangerous is their incredibly sharp hearing. They can … Continue reading Lludd and Llefelys
The Good Guy/Bad Guy Myth
"Less discussed is the historic shift that altered the nature of so many of our modern retellings of folklore, to wit: the idea that people on opposite sides of conflicts have different moral qualities, and fight over their values. That shift lies in the good guy/bad guy dichotomy, where people no longer fight over who … Continue reading The Good Guy/Bad Guy Myth
Criticism as Other People’s Stories
Stories are explanations of the world we tell ourselves. They are filled with unnecessary detail, and by extension, falsehoods. Getting involved with stories is how we give meaning to our lives, reenforce our ego, and project that ego - our brand if you will - out in the wider world. If the above is true, … Continue reading Criticism as Other People’s Stories
Twine
"Twine is an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories."-https://twinery.org/
Sadhu’s Sugar
"A woman in India was upset that her son was eating too much sugar. No matter how much she chided him, he continued to satisfy his sweet tooth. Totally frustrated, she decided to take her son to see the local sahdu (holy man).She approached the sadhu respectfully and said, “Sir, my son eats too much … Continue reading Sadhu’s Sugar
Charisma
"The truth is that charisma is a learned behavior, a skill to be developed in much the same way that we learned to walk or practice vocabulary when studying a new language."-Bryan Clark, "What Makes People Charismatic, and How You Can Be, Too" The New York Times. August 15, 2019. Argues that charisma is presence, … Continue reading Charisma
The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Piano Tales No. 3 – Full Performance
How to Write a Short Story — Kurt Vonnegut
O! Small-Bany! —Elisa Albert
Elisa Albert writes about her adopted hometown, Albany, NY. Disaffected stream-of-consciousness reflections that are funny, if you like your commentary a little dark. Not for everyone, but what is? Part 1: Spring Part 2: Winter Part 3: Summer Don't feel the need to be chronological; start with Summer.
Bushman Money Magic
"Jackal [the Bushman trickster god] had been riding his donkey and grew tired. He decided to stop and cook some meat. When the meat was stewing in his pot, he saw some [cattle ranchers] coming toward him. Quickly he covered the fire with sand so they could not see it. When the [cattle ranchers] arrived … Continue reading Bushman Money Magic
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