for thinking people
September 12, 2018
Some months ago I wrote an article about the value of public healthcare. I mentioned how “it’s the taxes, stupid” that pay for it. That is, for things you – yes, you! – could need one day. It’s too “socialist” to do that, though, yes! And so, since states don’t take care of their people, we have crowdfunding. People feel much better about crowdfunding vs paying taxes, which is baffling, as we will see in this article.
September 6, 2018
Note: for an updated, much improved, and platform-independent version, check Narrative Nods v2!
Please note that none of my Android apps is any longer maintained – and they’re not even available on Google Play anymore – for reasons you can read about here. If you still have any of the Home for Fiction Android apps installed on your phone, you’re advised to uninstall them. The post below should be seen purely as a snapshot of history.
After GhostWriter, I’ve come back with another app. Narrative Nods is a free writing app for Android, which helps authors with narrative development. It works so that the writer supplies the app with information about characters, structure, narrative decisions, etc. and then it calculates the possible divergence points (“nods”) and offers a report with problem areas and other tips.
Much of what you have read about in my fiction writing tips has found its way into Narrative Nods. In other words, all my writing experience and academic background has helped me formulate a narrative theory that should, hopefully, be of use to you. Narrative Nods assesses character dynamics, story goal and narrative journeys, and calculates whether the narrative has led to a logical conclusion. In more detail, it calculates which of the four main narrative endings your novel belongs to.
Each tab contains a very detailed Help page, with instructions as well as information on theory. Even if you don’t know anything about narrative theory, you can still use the app without problems.
(more…)September 5, 2018
Remember those commercials that talk about “only natural flavors” in a certain product? Caramels with natural flavors must be better than those with artificial ones, right? Well, not exactly. In actual fact, this designation only refers to the way a certain chemical is extracted. But it sure sounds better if you write “natural” on the package! Welcome to the Appeal to Nature Fallacy.
The Appeal to Nature Fallacy is… not really a fallacy, strictly speaking. It’s more of rhetorical trickery, rather, as the speaker tries to validate his or her argument by appealing to nature. One of the most notorious Appeal to Nature examples you might have seen is when someone homophobic attacks gay people claiming it’s “against nature”.
There are several different problems with this, so let’s see them one by one.
