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: story
Parable of Teaching Horses to Sing
"A thief was captured and hauled before the local ruler. 'Give me one good reason I shouldn't have you put to death,' the monarch said. The thief replied, 'Your majesty, I can teach your finest horse to sing – if you give me a year to do it!' The court burst out in laughter at … Continue reading Parable of Teaching Horses to Sing
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
Directive
"Beginning of a six-part fiction series about a man working completely alone aboard a spaceship bound for a new planet. His fellow passengers will remain cryogenically frozen for the 20 years it will take for the ship to reach its destination; Frank’s work is to maintain the environment and make sure all is proceeding as … Continue reading Directive
Why Fiction Trumps Truth
"When it comes to uniting people around a common story, fiction actually enjoys three inherent advantages over the truth. First, whereas the truth is universal, fictions tend to be local. Consequently if we want to distinguish our tribe from foreigners, a fictional story will serve as a far better identity marker than a true story... … Continue reading Why Fiction Trumps Truth
Gratuities at Your Discretion
"Opera is, in fact, a quite close cousin to video gaming or porn, in that the storytelling really is not much more than an excuse for a bunch of insanely gifted singers to belt out a succession of heart-rending crowd-pleaser torch songs. Ditto, to some extent, Shakespeare – let’s face it, you’re not at a … Continue reading Gratuities at Your Discretion
The Minto Pyramid Principle for Writing
Barbara Minto's "The Minto Pyramid Principle" is a how-to guide for writing concise reports in a management consulting firm that has been around for years. I wrote a one sheet summary of her book over a decade ago that I still sometimes find to be a useful aid for writing. While it might be overkill … Continue reading The Minto Pyramid Principle for Writing
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