The free library concept is simple enough. As the slogan says, "leave a book, take a book." However, the first rule of the free library is constantly violated. ...
The Knight That Leads You Astray
The knight is the most exciting chess piece you take into battle. It jumps spaces rather than moving in straight lines. In the real world, this "knight" leaders...
The Story was Staged, but Fun!
We're used to the staging of social media posts. They're planned, thought out, edited and delivered performatively. We don't know a person's life between the pictures ...
Rebel Pirates for Good
There are good and bad places to say, “I don’t want to be a pirate.” Saying “I don’t want to be a pirate” on a 90’s sitcom is a good place. Saying it on a pirate ship is a bad place. Saying “I don’t want to be a pirate” on the Jolly Roger when...
The Wasted Word
Welcome to the Wasted Word. Your place for all of the words you could not keep at the end of the day. Here at the Wasted Word, our days start when you go to bed. All of those ideas that swirl in your head throughout the day have to go somewhere. Most people would...
Beyond the Plot Points in a Story
A plot gives you the action. The reaction is what moves a story. Plot points like “Once upon a time…” “Until one day…” and “The End” are useful markers. Beyond plot points, it’s important to know how your characters react at each of those moments. When a farmer loses his crop, we need to...
Good Marketing is Fishing with a Line, Not a Net
A lot of marketing advisors will tell you to cast a wide net and see which fish you catch. This is the “you like heavy metal, you’ll love Celine Dion” approach to marketing. Our email inboxes are full of this wide net approach. There’s almost no company I want to hear from more than...
The Big Launch Problem
A grand opening is attractive. Starting big brings prestige and credibility. With a grand opening, you’re announcing to the world that something bold and new is happening. Grand expectations accompany a grand opening – as does scrutiny. The flaws that might be forgiven for a work in progress will be ridiculed at a big...