​Dr. Desmond Patton is a professor studying story to understand the pain and grief experienced by gang members. Social media is giving him the opportunity to gather data rendered by language. Armed with that data, he hopes to create change. Algorithms may lead to being able to identify the next victim or shooter. Emojis to math to empathy and intervention. The social worker takes his heart and mind to the streets. 

In an interview on NPR Patton said,

We really try to take in the full picture. So we look at the conversation. We look at the events. We look at the tone of tweets. We look at the actual letters. We look at capitalization. We look at the ways in which punctuation is used. So we take a really in-depth, kind of anthropological, approach to understanding what's happening.

What do you think about his work? How do you think the minutiae within stories (tone, punctuation, spelling, etc.) makes a difference in our world? Leave a comment, please and thank you! 

Put away all political leanings before you read this post. We’re talkin’ words here, not platforms.
 
I’m pedaling around on two wheels the other day and spot this bumper sticker:
Billionaires Can’t Buy Bernie.
 
My editor brain starts to play around with the words.
 
Wait, shouldn’t the message lead with Bernie? Bernie can’t be bought by billionaires. Nah. Longer and feels passive and doesn’t have the punch.
 
Bernie Can’t Be Bought. Shorter, but doesn’t answer by whom the way the sticker does.
 
The sticker is short and sweet. Alliterative. And slyly sets up a comparison: Billionaires can’t buy Bernie, but they can buy someone else.
 
My legs and brain were getting workouts. Win. Win.
 
How about you? Have you seen messaging that struck a harmonious chord? Played with a phrase to create the biggest impact? Post your comments here, please and thank you. (Reminder: we’re only talking about literary planks.) 

So I'm at this gathering of writers last night. What we do to fulfill our creative streaks and what we do for money comes up in conversation. 

"When you need a copy editor, contact me," I said to a vibrant poet. 
"I can't wait until I need an editor!" she said.

Sums up the teamwork process. 

Here's to all the people who make our work better and give us homes. Tell me about your latest encounter with teamwork and validation. 

So I was bouncing around on the Red Bird Chapbooks site and look what I found. "Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Poetry Manuscript: Some Ideas on Creation and Order," by Jeffrey Levine, editor in chief of Tupelo Press. 

All of these creative, beautiful words and ideas about how to create a manuscript. Check it out. See what rings true and let me know. Thanks for all of your creative work! 

Recently, when I arrived at the lab after a doctor’s appointment, I took my paper number from the dispenser and waited to be called.

“Number five?”

I sat down at the desk across from a young professional wearing a lab coat. She greeted me and then studied her computer screen. 

“Your name and birth date?” she asked. I told her.

“Awesome,” she said.

Well, to me, maybe. My folks may have thought my birth and their choice of names were awesome. I’m pretty sure they did. But you?

Then I flashed to some lines about the word “awesome” in Guante’s piece, “REACH.”  I’ve watched him perform that piece tens of times, once live and the rest thanks to YouTube. It makes me cry. Every. Time.

That fills me with awe.

And Guante’s choice of words and the meticulousness with which he strings them together. That I want to listen to him over and over.  Thanks, Guante. 

Check out what he says about “awesome”—and a lot of other stuff— in “REACH.” And visit Guante's website.

And please leave a comment here including your favorite lines from Guante’s work. Thank you.

Wishing you an awe-filled, awe-inspired, awe-driven new year. Be well. 

We were tasked in “Sculpture 101” with creating a piece out of plaster of Paris and being able to talk about its message with the class.

I made two window frames, each measuring three by four feet. I planned to hang them from the ceiling so people could walk in and through and around the pair. They were meant to be a semi-barrier. The concepts that keep up apart, but don’t have to. We could reach through them and communicate. See the other. Talk easily. Touch, if we like.

I didn’t consider myself an artist. I was simply an avid liberal arts student who ended up in the fine arts building. The pressure was on. So when one window frame broke, so did I. I think I managed not to cry, but I was close. Our professor, Stan Shetka, is an artist and inventor extraordinaire.

“Go with it,” he said.

That’s what I needed.

Well, yeah, partial barrier. Now it’s broken. Ta. Da.

I conjure Stan’s encouragement as often as possible. Roll forward. Seldom do I reverse while knitting. I try to use the seam ripper as little as possible when I sew. I keep writing. I encourage other people to do the same.

When do you give yourself permission to “Go with it”? How often do you intone forward motion? Is it ever a bad idea? Tell your story, please and thank you. Leave a comment. 

by Jay Prince

Since August 2012, I’ve been writing the manuscript for my first book. And here it is, two years later, and I’m still scribing. The project began as a journal to document my day-to-day life struggles, but after the first year, my writing took on new meaning—a greater purpose beyond just recording events. It became a platform upon which lives could be changed.

But along the way I found myself less than motivated to write. Frequently. And at first I thought something was wrong. Here I am, working on probably one of the most meaningful tasks of my life, and there are times when I’m just not feelin’ it. I just don’t want to write at all.

I felt bad about it during that first year, horrible even. And the disappointment in myself continued well into my second year of writing. Until I started connecting with experienced authors via social media and reading online articles about the entity called writing. What a beast it is! And what initial excitement a writer may feel—especially if it’s his first opus—to tackle it! But it’s what lies on the other side of excitement that one must be prepared for and expect—those instances when you need to step away and do something else. Anything other than writing. And what I’ve learned is that it is totally normal and, in fact, healthy to do so.

Call it writer’s block or just plain lack of fresh material, but whatever it is, be not dismayed. You are just fine if you reach a point where you have no desire to put pen to paper or finger to keyboard. It’s beneficial to step away for a while, whether it’s for a day, a week or even three, which I’ve done on several occasions. Here’s how:

1. While you’re away from writing, you have more time to fill the basket of your mind with new data. That could be in the form of new encounters, new ideas, or a fresh perspective on an old idea, which can translate into more meaningful content for your book. And we definitely want that, right?

2. Stepping away gives your mind time to rest. As with any other task that involves a considerable amount of thinking, writing can tax our little brains until smoke is shooting from our ears and nostrils. As such, we need to take regular respites from this task to allow our grey matter sufficient time to prepare itself for the next session. And sometimes that may require more than a night’s sleep. So go ahead, feel free to take a weekend or so to enjoy yourself. Many successful authors believe you should write every day. I say. . .your brain will thank you if sometimes you don’t.

3. Time away from your writing can benefit your editing. I’ve learned there are two schools of thought concerning the topic: edit as you go, or do it after you’re finished writing. I believe each writer should choose the method that works best for him. So, for example, if you’re writing a memoir, like I am, and you prefer to edit as you write, then longer and more frequent breaks can provide greater opportunities to review the events you’ve documented so far and ensure that you’ve accurately represented them. Which will only enhance your finished product.

So what I initially viewed as bumps in the road have turned out to be periods of refreshment and renewal. And during those times, I’ve been able to continue with the other areas of my life and not even worry about the writing sitting on hold.

Remember, your manuscript is yours. You are the boss. You set the rules, and you establish the timeline.

It was difficult to grasp that at first because my plan was to maybe write for a year, complete all editing, and then publish. Well, as life is, so goes writing, because the project that began with a one-year deadline has received multiple extensions, since the story I’ve been journaling hasn’t ended yet. And for the longest time I felt like I was late. Then I had to be reminded that this is my project, and if it takes two years or longer, it’s totally okay. . . because I say so.

Please let me know what you think. As a writer, have you ever taken a break from your manuscript? If so, what was your experience when you resumed?


Jay is a retired U.S. Army veteran and owner of I42 Travel Agency. He is currently writing the manuscript for his first book - a memoir about his return to civilian life since retiring from the Army in 2013—and he's working on a travel blog, which will launch early next year. Jay loves reading, exercise, riding motorcycles, tennis, downhill skiing and, of course, traveling. Jay lives in the Twin Cities and has one daughter named Anterra.





Connect with Jay! 
Company: I42 Travel Agency
Phone: 612-567-7020 mobile
E-mail: jaystravelandcars@gmail.com
Website: http://www.ytbTravel.com/i42Travel
@TravelAgentJay 
        

Now I don't feel bad about stepping away from poetry on occasion! Thanks, Jay. Your turn, dear reader. Leave your comments! --Dara

"The artist is not a man who describes, but a man who feels." 
~E. E. Cummings 

Yes? No? Do tell. 

I gravitate toward feelers, probably because I am one. Often, people let you in on their natures. "I feel like that's a good decision" or "I think that's a great move." 

Are you a thinker or feeler? How do you relate to each in daily life? Do you portray yourself differently depending on enviroment? 

Or write a flash piece about the image of the man in front of the young woman, seen here. Whatever floats your creativity boat. 

Go for it. And thanks. 

Debbie Ridpath Ohi created this tomato doodle. What sparks her imagination? How does she see what she sees? Look how easily she transforms a fruit into a creature.  

I chalk the doodle up to perspective and being open to What if? and running with the spark. 

When have you been an alchemist? Where does the inspiration come from? Leave a comment here! 

And go find some other stuff by Debbie at her site and follow her on Twitter @inkyelbows. 

The doodle is here with the artist's permission. Thanks, Debbie! 

I’m not fast on my feet. The perfect retort usually dawns on me a day or two late. So I greatly admire people who can wend their way through conversations in fast and furious fashion.

Case in point. Call to the Produce Exchange in the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis went like this:



Produce Guru: Good afternoon. The Produce Exchange . . . 
Dara: Hello. Do you have organic lemons on your shelves at the moment?
PG: We don’t, but I can order a case for you.
D: Hmm. That might be a bit more volume than I can handle.
PG: And we have organic lemon juice in a bottle.
D: Excellent. I hadn’t thought of that. Thank you very much.
PG: Thank you for the call. See you next time.

Two yeses to one no. That’s a pretty good ratio. I respect his rapid-fire synapses and ace customer service. And I’ll remember my options for next time.

Tell me about the creativity you’ve witnessed in customer service. Or talk about some rapidly firing brainiacs you know. How do you get to Yes?