Language

Sep
26

Our Brave Last Days of Giving a Damn About Anyone Else

Justin on September 26th, 2011

One day, when I was a child, it occurred to me that there’s no way to know, without a doubt, that anyone else in my life was actually real.  What if they were all robots?  What if they were all aliens?  What if this was all just some sort of a game, or a dream, [...]

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Armchair Sociology 22 Comments »
Sep
23

Better Storytelling Through Structure

Justin on September 23rd, 2011

I talk a lot about ways to tell better stories, but one of the aspects I rarely discuss is story structure.  That’s because structure is one of those underlying mechanisms that works best when it doesn’t stand out, so it can be hard to find an obviously good example that’s also a compelling tale. Luckily, [...]

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Storytelling 3 Comments »
Aug
10

Are We the Generation That Destroyed the Concept of Communication?

Justin on August 10th, 2011

I’m guilty. I don’t really read for pleasure anymore, and rarely for insight. Instead, I skim, in the vain hope that I’ll stumble across a piece of information that’s worth paraphrasing and sharing with my followers.  This makes me less of an audience member and more like a member of a relay team, who’s more [...]

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Armchair Sociology, My Social Media POV, Storytelling 16 Comments »
Aug
8

The Two Ways to Stop Hating Your Job

Justin on August 8th, 2011

“So, what do you do?” Man, do I hate that question. Granted, I ask it all the time, but that’s because I’m genuinely interested in what other people do for a living.  But when someone else asks me that same question, I have to fight the urge to change the subject immediately in order to [...]

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Freelance Tips 14 Comments »
Aug
4

The Power of Small Talk

Justin on August 4th, 2011

Today, I had to make a copy of a key, so I walked to my local hardware store. “How much does it cost to copy a key?” “It depends on the key,” said the woman at the counter.  “One dollar, two dollars or three dollars.  Usually, it’s a dollar.” I gave her the key. “And [...]

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Armchair Sociology, My Social Media POV, Storytelling 4 Comments »