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Data Mining Novels Reveals the Six Basic Emotional Arcs of Storytelling

Data Mining Novels Reveals the Six Basic Emotional Arcs of Storytelling
Back in 1995, Kurt Vonnegut gave a lecture in which he described his theory about the shapes of stories. In the process, he plotted several examples on a blackboard. “There is no reason why the simple shapes of stories can’t be fed into computers,” he said. “They are beautiful shapes.” Vonnegut was representing in graphical form an idea that writers have explored for centuries—that stories follow emotional arcs, that these arcs can have different shapes, and that some shapes are better suited to storytelling than others. Vonnegut mapped out several arcs in his lecture. Vonnegut is not alone in attempting to categorize stories into types, although he was probably the first to do it in graphical form. However, there is little agreement on the number of different emotional arcs that arise in stories or their shape. Today, that changes thanks to the work of Andrew Reagan at the Computational Story Lab at the University of Vermont in Burlington and a few pals. Related:  writing stuff

Kurt Vonnegut: A Complete Rundown on Style | College News Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is a staple when discussing American literature in the previous century. His subversive humor redefined the field of literature in immutable ways. His two greatest works (based on readership, not merit) Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five, speak volumes on some common themes, but use interesting stylistic differences to tell what seem like opposing stories. His lesser known works, such as the riotous Breakfast of Champions, the controversial Mother Night, and one his final novels Hocus Pocus help show some of his more subversive and distant stylistic qualities. Using these novels as a lens, we can see that, while Vonnegut’s oeuvre is vast and varied, he stays true to some syntax snips and an overall tone of indifference, while all relying on a structured canon of his own doing that build into a strongly unreliable narrator that skews his entire collection. From the overview of all of his novels, it seems as though they are from different authors. “You can?”

Covertext » Is the artist necessary for making art today? (Pt.1) Answers by Jono Podmore, Mi You, Max Stolkin, Nick Montfort, Antonia Low, Hannes Bajohr, Lina Viste Grønli, Anthony Moore, Christoph Westermeier, Birgit Kempker and Jemma Cullen YES Once, twice and thrice YES YES YES I despair of the dorks, the dopes, the Enose and Beanos in my business who claim, while hiding behind their flappy lappy topses, that an algorithm has created the deeply uninspiring, abstracted and acoustically challenged drivel we are expected to allow to fall oft uninvited into our shell-likes. Not themselves, of course – god forbid any human responsibility in this supercollided brave new interwebscape. THE TRUTH A musical score is an algorithm – a structure and a set of instructions. Inescapable. Case closed. Post script – exhibit A All those lovely 70’s home organs. Jono P Proposition: “The artist is necessary for making art today” is not true (given the conditions above). Axiom 1: The individualist artist produces works for value. Definition 2: #! so

Kids explain how banned and challenged books helped them and even saved their lives / Boing Boing By Joan Bertin and Millie Davis Banned Books Week has come and gone but we can be sure of one thing: the coming year will be marked by challenges to the same kinds of books that were controversial this year, and in years past. report this ad Controversies over what books are taught in class or shelved in the school library typically start when an adult—usually a parent or community member—feels that a book selected by teachers and librarians is inappropriate, offensive or objectionable. Most often, the objections relate to sexual scenes, offensive language, or depictions of drug and alcohol use. Ironically, some of the most frequently challenged books are the very books that young readers say are especially important and meaningful to them. To explore the significance of controversial books for young readers, we asked authors of frequently challenged books to share messages they’ve received from their readers. ● This book saved my life. ● This book turned me on to reading.

Computer scientists quantify elements of writing style that differentiate successful fiction (Phys.org) —Imagine the challenge publishers face, pouring over thousands of manuscripts to determine if a book will be a hit. Stony Brook Department of Computer Science Assistant Professor Yejin Choi thinks she has a tool to bring some science to that art, and she is co-author of a paper, Success with Style: Using Writing Style to Predict the Success of Novels, which was unveiled at the conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing (EMNLP) 2013. "Predicting the success of literary works poses a massive dilemma for publishers and aspiring writers alike," Choi said. "We examined the quantitative connection between writing style and successful literature. Statistical stylometry is the statistical analysis of variations in literary style between one writer or genre and another. For example, the research indicated that more successful books make more frequent use of discourse connectives (conjunctions such as "and", "but", "or") to join sentences and prepositions. Dr. Dr.

How to Write with Style: Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Keys to the Power of the Written Word Find a Subject You Care About Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, and not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style. I am not urging you to write a novel, by the way — although I would not be sorry if you wrote one, provided you genuinely cared about something. A petition to the mayor about a pothole in front of your house or a love letter to the girl next door will do. Do Not Ramble, Though I won’t ramble on about that. Keep It Simple As for your use of language: Remember that two great masters of language, William Shakespeare and James Joyce, wrote sentences which were almost childlike when their subjects were most profound. Simplicity of language is not only reputable, but perhaps even sacred. Have the Guts to Cut It may be that you, too, are capable of making necklaces for Cleopatra, so to speak. Sound like Yourself Say What You Mean to Say Pity the Readers

English Adjectives for Describing Physical Appearance - Vocabulary for Talking About How People Look attractive - a person who is very good looking. (men and women). Attractive is a word you might use to describe someone who is very nice to look at, but who is not stunningly beautiful or strikingly handsome. Example sentence: - "Princess Diana was a very attractive woman." bald - As soon as possible. A.S.A.P. is an informal expression that is used to indicate when things need to be done really quickly. Example sentence: - "Could you finish that report for me today, please? beautiful - abbreviation for the English preposition 'before'. Online chat abbreviation for the English word 'before', a word we often use to talk about things that happened earlier than other events. We also use the word 'before' to talk about things we expect to happen sooner than other future events that are likely. blonde - textspeak for the expression 'bye for now'. 'Bye for now' is a slang expression that we use when we are saying goodbye to people we expect to see or speak to again in the near future. short - you.

There's a Word for That: 25 Expressions You Should Have in Your Vocabulary Recently I came across this amazing little Tumblr named ‘OtherWordly‘ – itself a play on words. It consists of a collection of strange and lovely words from different languages through different times. What I like most about this selection of consonants and vowels – little meaning-carrying packages of vibration – is that they all try to point to the unspeakable, the transient or the neglected. That which we forget in the busyness of our daily grind. Words have the power to remind us – and therefore we should choose our words carefully so we are reminded of the things that nourish our souls. You can find my favourite words below – pick five that resonate most, write them down, yes seriously – go grab a pen -, make sure to learn them by heart, teach them to your inner voice and share them with others to guide our collective attention to what truly matters. 1 – Sophrosyne 2 – Vorfreude pronunciation | ‘for-froi-duh 3 – Numinous 4 – Nemophilist pronunciation | ne-‘mo-fe-list 5 – Sillage

Michel Foucault: “What is an Author?” What is an Author? (1969) To read Michel Foucault, is to feel the grounds of one’s belief systems shift underneath one’s feet. For Foucault, as for Roland Barthes (1916-1980), the notion of the author must come into question. Although Foucault was not a literary theorist, he, like Barthes, was a theorist of history, and “What is an Author?” echoed many of the thoughts of Barthes on the subject of authorship. Foucault turned the concept of “author” inside out by examining the text points to the author and not, as is assumed, vice versa. Writing unfolds like a game (jeu) that invariably goes beyond its own rules and transgresses its limits. Like Barthes, Foucault used drastic language to get his point across. “Writing” for Foucault was like “Text” for Barthes and thus, writing possesses the “right to kill” the author, to be the author’s murderer. It is not enough, however, to repeat the empty affirmation that the author has disappeared. Dr. info@arthistoryunstuffed.com

10 books that will make you a better writer (and why) Last week, I wrote about 25 habits that will make you a better writer. This week, I thought — let’s dive into books. After twenty-plus years writing, I’ve collected some resources that I absolutely couldn’t do with out. I love borrowing books. But there are some books that a writer really should have in their own personal for-keeps libraries. These are the books that you’ll keep coming back to, over and over, through your career. Here are my top ten writing craft books. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King “You want to draw your readers into the world you’ve created, make them feel a part of it, make them forget where they are. In 2004, when I was eight months pregnant, I won Nanowrimo for the first time. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers is the book that taught me how to be a better writer. Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury “I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas. On Writing by Stephen King Write.

Philosopher's Stone Harry Potter canon: PS | CS | PA | GF | FB | QA | OP | HBP | DH | FW | DP | JKR.COM | TBB | Pm Philosopher's Stone: covers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 A Reader's Guide to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived On this page: Synopsis by William Silvester Notes and links by Steve Vander Ark and Michele L. US hardcover edition: pages 1 - 17 UK paperback edition: pages 7 - 24 Timeframe: 1 November, 1981 (possibly October 31) In which we meet the Dursleys and learn of the peculiar happenings surrounding the arrival of Harry Potter on their doorstep including a conversation between Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. Interesting facts and notes about the text of this chapter: This chapter presents one of the few passages of the books which is not told from Harry's point of view. number four, Privet Drive The word "privet" is a kind of shrub, used to create hedges in suburban neighborhoods. When Mr. and Mrs. Mr.

Iraqi Refugee Empowers Youth To Share Their Stories With 'Narratio' When Ahmed Badr was 8 years old, his family fled Baghdad in the midst of the Iraq War. Writing helped him process his experience, so he started the website Narratio to give other young people the same opportunity. Ariel Edelman hide caption toggle caption Ariel Edelman When Ahmed Badr was 8 years old, his family fled Baghdad in the midst of the Iraq War. When Ahmed Badr was 8 years old, his family's home in Baghdad was bombed in the midst of the Iraq War. Writing helps Badr deal with what he's been through, and he wants to give other young people the same outlet. Badr used writing to figure out what it meant to be an Iraqi-American kid. Overtime, Badr realized that writing on his personal blog helped other people understand who he was and where he came from. Ahmed Badr was 8 years old when a bomb hit his family's home in Baghdad. Courtesy of the Badr family Ahmed Badr was 8 years old when a bomb hit his family's home in Baghdad. "You're telling your story.

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