What is she thinking?

Songwriters have to squeeze a story/idea in a small amount of words. That is why it is so easy, at least for me, to fall into a "song outline" trap. I finish a verse or two and think I am on the verge of something great. I have begun to tell a cool story. So excited, feel good. Then, I see that I have nothing but an outline. I have

told you the moon is shinning rather than shown you the glint of light on the broken window pane. Pairing emotion with pictures in a very limited word count is extremely hard to do. I constantly have to remind myself to show 'em don't tell 'em. The fun is getting that job done. When your song connects with you every time you sing it to thousands or just yourself or your dogs, you are enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Unusual inventive structure. Great feel good song.

Hand In My Pocket

Alanis Morissette, Glen Ballard 

I'm broke but I'm happy

 I'm poor but I'm kind

 I'm short but I'm healthy, yeah

 I'm high but I'm grounded

 I'm sane but I'm overwhelmed

 I'm lost but I'm hopeful baby

 What it all comes down to

 Is that everything's gonna be fine fine fine

 'cause I've got one hand in my pocket

 And the other one is giving a high five

 I feel drunk but I'm sober

 I'm young and I'm underpaid

 I'm tired but I'm working, yeah

 I care but I'm restless

 I'm here but I'm really gone

 I'm wrong and I'm sorry baby

 What it all comes down to

 Is that everything's gonna be quite alright

 'cause I've got one hand in my pocket

 And the other one is flicking a cigarette

 And what it all comes down to

 Is that I haven't got it all figured out just yet

 'cause I've got one hand in my pocket

 And the other one is giving the peace sign

 I'm free but I'm focused

 I'm green but I'm wise

 I'm hard but I'm friendly baby

 I'm sad but I'm laughing

 I'm brave but I'm chickenshit

 I'm sick but I'm pretty baby

 And what it all boils down to

 Is that no one's really got it figured out just yet

 'cause I've got one hand in my pocket

 And the other one is playing the piano

 And what it all comes down to my friends

 Is that everything's just fine fine fine

 'cause I've got one hand in my pocket

 And the other one is hailing a taxi cab

Stumbled on this article in the BMI site and thought it was worth sharing.

Three Reasons To Be Thankful You Are A songwriter

By Cliff Goldmacher

On the heels of this Thanksgiving, I thought I would take a moment to tell you (and myself, while I’m at it) a few of the things we have to be thankful for as songwriters. Songwriting is the kind of pursuit that often takes place in a vacuum with little or no encouragement and is, by its very nature, solitary. Also, given that only the tiniest percentage of the songs we write ever get to see the light of day by getting cut, it’s easy to get frustrated. The risk is that we tend to forget what a gift being a songwriter actually is.  Here are a few reminders.

1. You’ve got a way to express yourself. In the course of living our day-to-day lives, we are subjected to an unpredictable mixture of elation and sadness. No matter what, this is a lot to handle, but having the ability to write about it is a huge advantage. Putting your thoughts in a song that will not only help you but also those who hear it is a wonderful, constructive way of processing life.  Without the ability to write songs, you might never have the luxury of this kind of perspective.

2. You’ve got something you’re passionate about. Many people go through their entire lives without finding something that truly moves them. You’ve got a passion. While your passion for songwriting will make you crazy and plunge you into the depths of despair, it will also bring you great joy and drive you to efforts that you never imagined yourself capable of. This kind of growth can only come from true, heartfelt dedication. Never take this for granted.  Being passionate about your songwriting is its own reward. This is not to say that you shouldn’t strive for any and all successes that are out there. However, it’s important to remember every once in a while that you’re lucky to have found something in this world that is so important to you.

3. You’re on a journey. Whether it’s the first time you write a whole song or winning a Grammy, every step of your journey as a songwriter should be appreciated. You will only have one first time to see someone listen to something you’ve written and cry. Don’t forget to stop and enjoy each event no matter how small. The danger in putting too much significance on the end game of financial success is that you’ll miss all the incredible moments along the way.

We all know how difficult, frustrating and even scary songwriting can be. Being thankful for all of the good it brings us can help keep things in perspective.  Personally, I’m thankful for my high-school piano teacher who nonchalantly asked for the impossible at the end of one of our lessons: “For next week, I’d like you to write a song.”

Stairway To Heaven

Dorianne Laux

We’re deep into the seventh hour of the trip,
 the car

 packed with electric guitars and pint-sized


speakers, skateboards and fishing rods,


crumpled copies of Thrasher and Mad.


Ray is riding shotgun—he and Dan switched


at the last stop as agreed. One minute


they’re yelling every cuss word they know


out the open windows, the forbidden syllables


swept beneath the tires of trucks, the next,


they’re asleep and dreaming, bare toes

 twitching, their shaved heads lolling


on the torn upholstery. But now,

 Dan’s reading by flashlight, 
and Ray’s

 looking out at the river, skipping 
through

 stations on the radio when he hears


 “Stairway to Heaven”

and freezes,
 snaps his head around

 to each of us, his mouth
 open

 in the absolute O of exquisite luck.


We listen to the guitar bend out its solo


and everyone’s still. The train

 straining 
up the tracks beside us. The moon


hauling its solitude into the sky.


Ray turns up the volume and closes his eyes, says,


 “Doesn’t this part give you the chills?”


We nod in agreement, then settle again


into our separate worlds. In mine,


I’m beholden to any boy brave enough


to be stunned, to sit still and hushed

 while the grievous tones wash through him

 like dusk.  Stars flicker in the ether—headlights

 fog-mired—cornfields buried in mist.

 The Siskiyou Mountains divide up ahead,

 waiting to swallow us whole.  

Writing prompt for a snowy January Monday.

Dig in.

I always think of the Queen song Winters Tail while hiking snowy winter woods.

Here is the third verse;

So quiet and peaceful

Tranquil and blissful

There's a kind of magic in the air

What a truly magnificent view

A breathtaking scene

With the dreams of the world

In the palm of your hand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjWQZBmJf6M

Weather forecast; slight chance of light dusting on the ridges.

Light drizzle at bedtime.

 No sod bustin' today.

 Guess I'll shovel the driveway.

 Waiting for the sun to show up.

 Wet seat.

 Oh yeah!

Kids are playin'.

Twenty eight warm degrees this morning. Last year today the temperature was minus 6! Five weeks till March. I need some green.

Diamond grazing while I fish.

Mr. Cogito and the Imagination

Zbigniew Herbert 

Mr. Cogito never trusted 

tricks of the imagination 

the piano at the top of the Alps 

played false concerts for him 

he didn't appreciate labyrinths 

the Sphinx filled him with loathing 

he lived in a house with no basement 

without mirrors of dialectics 

jungles of tangled images 

were not his home 

he would rarely soar 

on the wings of metaphor 

and then he fell like Icarus 

into the embrace of the Great Mother 

he adored tautologies 

explanations 

idem per idem 

that a bird is a bird 

slavery means slavery 

a knife is a knife 

death remains death 

he loved 

the flat horizon 

a straight line 

the gravity of the earth 

Moving work by Kerry "Doc" Pardue from his book,

Poems In The Key Of Life: Reflections Of A Combat Medic.

Answer the Door

 I was just 19 years old

 When I answered my nation’s call

 It was time to put my life on the line

 For a thing called liberty and justice for all

 Went off to Basic then Medic training

 But was not prepared for what was in store

 Besides who really knows the difference

 Between a conflict and a war

 Youthful eyes turned very old

 When I saw the horror on battlefield

 I became indifferent to the trauma

 That was before me at 20 years old

 I returned home wanting to forget it all

But I was a different man

 My mind and heart had aged an eternity

 War had taken its toll

 Life is now filled with sleepless nights

 War still raging on in my head

 And though I fear no one

 I am afraid to go to bed

There are others just like me

 Still fighting to stay alive

 I certainly am not one of those

 Who made widows of our wives

 When our country called me

 I went above and beyond and more

 But when I called on the VA

 They refused to answer the door

This song came form the 52 Club prompt "suicide note".

My Life Is In Your Hands

Walt Sample

Pull me up into your life boat

Or ghostwrite my suicide note

My life is in your hands

I don’t know where to begin

But it’s up to you how it ends

My life is in your hands

Bleeding in a river of barbed wire knots

Didn’t know the price till I paid the cost

Lost a game of truth or dare

Saddled up my nightmare

My life is in your hands

Rode from heaven into hell

Oh I really need your help

My life is in your hands

Bleeding in a river of barbed wire knots

Didn’t know the price till I paid the cost

Pull me up into your life boat

Or ghostwrite my suicide note

My life is in your hands

 I am doing some research for a project and read Poems In The Key Of Life: Reflections Of A Combat Medic, written by Kerry "Doc" Pardue, last night.

Very emotional stuff. Here is an example.

The Last Breath

Kerry “Doc” Pardue

I was your nurse

You were my patient

Thrown together half-way across the earth

I am not sure you can hear me

You haven’t got much time

I will do my best to keep you out of pain

I will stay with you holding your hand

Until the last breath

It is my job to help you on your final journey

Your hands seem so strong for one so young

Your hair so soft and easy to touch

Your breathing is more labored

Close your eyes breathe deep and slow

That’s it let it all out…the last breath

Your face relaxes, your hands go limp

I was with you at the end of your life

I touched you, I held you, I loved you

I didn’t even know your name

All I have is the memory of your last breath

Not Easy These Days

Matt West

I've been brooding over pages,

talking with the dead,

words of the sages

are living in my head.

So much is different,

so much is the same.

There are many conflicts

over symbol and name.

I've been trying to make my way

down these many streets,

through the black and white and gray,

but it's not easy...

not easy these days.

Why not have a little fun.

The Song That Didn't Rhyme

Alice Cooper

Wrote a song it was wrong from it's very first conception

 Seemed I struggled on every line

 It wasn't fast wasn't pretty wasn't serious or witty

 The song that didn't rhyme

 The band couldn't wing it the singer couldn't sing it

 The Drummer's always out of time

 The dj's were offended my union card suspended

 Billboard declared it a crime

 The melody blows in a key that no one can find

 The lyrics don't flow but I can't get it out of my mind

 A three minute waste of your time

 On a song that didn't rhyme

 It was bland, it was boring, all the groupies there were snoring

 The first time we played it live

 All the record guys got fired the president retired

 But somehow the song survived

 The melody blows in a key that no one can find

 The lyrics don't flow but I can't get it out of my mind

 The melody blows in a key that no one can find

 The lyrics don't flow but I can't get it out of my mind

 A three minute waste of your time

 No redeeming value of any kind

 But thanks for the $12.99

 On a song that didn't rhyme

Great article form BMI MusicWorld magazine article by Jason Blume. 

My highlight & cartoon.

5 Tips to Turn Good Songs into HIT Songs

by Jason Blume

I recently hosted one of my monthly BMI Nashville Songwriter Workshops where each of the fifty attendees had an opportunity to pitch one song to a successful publisher. As is typically the case at these workshops, with few exceptions, every song played was perfectly crafted. The writers have mastered the use of current song structures; the lyrics made sense and were well written; rhymes were where my ear expected them to be; and the melodies worked well with the chords—avoiding any dissonance. Yet the publisher took copies of only five songs—ten percent of those that were pitched.

It was a good reminder that “perfectly crafted” is a starting point—but it isn’t enough. In order to rise above the competition our songs need to go beyond the expected, pushing the creative envelope, and differentiating themselves from the hundreds—if not thousands—of other well-written songs that are all vying for a coveted slot on a major label artist’s recording.

I once had a publisher tell me that when he plays songs at meetings with record label executives, he needs his songs to “slap them out of their A&R trance.” The same holds true when pitching songs to record producers and recording artists. The publisher went on to explain that these industry pros are bombarded with songs—most of which were written by published songwriters with track records—so all of the songs under consideration are “good.” But only those songs that have that “extra” something jump out of the pile and demand attention.

Similarly, writers who play their songs for publishers, in the hopes of securing a publishing deal, need to take into account that the publisher probably already has an extensive catalog of songs, and possibly staff writers, for which he or she is responsible. There have to be compelling reasons for a publisher to choose your song over the competition—elements that instantly announce that this song is unique and exceptional; that it is destined to become the smash hit that will elevate an artist’s career to a next level.

Imagine that every song needs to score a minimum of 100 points to become a hit. Some of those points will typically be earned by the lyric; some will be awarded because of the melody; while others might come from the musical backing track.

So … what elements can you add to your songs to provide those “extra” points that compel artists, publishers, and record label executives to choose your songs over the competition—and then carry them to the top of the charts? The more components we include, the more “points” we rack up—and the better chance for success. Let’s look at some ways to separate songs from the pack—and transform them from “good” to “WOW!”

Include Unique Melodic Elements 

and Unexpected Melodic Intervals

A memorable melody is essential—but only those melodies that feel fresh and original will rise above the competition. There are several ways to ensure your melodies grab attention. The tools described below can take a song to the next level.

Listen to the intervals used in Kris Kristofferson’s classic, “Help Me Make it Through the Night.” The note choices in the first line are anything but predictable. Similarly, listen to Neil’s Young’s “The Needle and the Damage Done,” and note the unexpected note and chord choices. More recently, Pink’s hit “Try” (written by Busbee and Ben West) incorporated unexpected melodic intervals that allowed the artist to soar vocally while matching the intense emotion of the lyric.

Stock melodies won’t contribute to a listener choosing your song over the competition.

Add Instrumental Hooks

By adding instrumental hooks—catchy instrumental melodic phrases—you give your listeners another reason to latch onto—and connect to—your song. For example, the distinctive tenor saxophone line sampled from Balkan Beat Box’s "Hermetico" provides some of the most memorable moments in Jason DeRulo’s smash hit, “Talk Dirty.”

It accomplishes this both by incorporating an instantly recognizable lick—and introducing a sound that’s fresh, attention grabbing, and not typically heard in hip-hop. The baritone sax part heard in the verses contributes yet another special element. Similarly, the catchy tenor sax line woven through Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop” was one of the most distinctive elements of that #1 hit.

I’m not implying that using saxophones is the magic answer. Hit songs have included instrumental melodic hooks that were played on keyboards, banjos, electric and acoustic guitars, accordions, fiddle, bass guitar, harmonica, and countless other instruments. It’s interesting to note that in Phillip Phillips’ “Home,” the added melodic hook that helped propel this song to the top of the charts was performed by a combination of instruments and vocals—without lyrics.

Including unique, memorable instrumental motifs, and instruments and/or sounds that go beyond the expected can take your songs to the next level.

Incorporate Fresh Rhythms

There’s been a recent trend of infusing hip-hop rhythms into contemporary country songs. This can be found in hits such as Blake Shelton’s “Boys Round Here” (featuring Pistol Annies), Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise,” and Luke Bryan’s “That’s My Kinda Night.”

But regardless of musical genre, one of the most effective ways to separate your songs from the pack is to craft melodies that give the vocalists interesting rhythms to sing. This is often accomplished by incorporating syncopation.

There are countless examples of hits that use this technique. Some exceptional ones to study include Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Getting Back Together,” Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dreams,” Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart,” Eli Young Band’s “Drunk Last Night,” and Lorde’s “Royals.”

Melodies that go beyond stock, predictable rhythms differentiate themselves from the competition.

A Fresh Lyric Concept & Title

It’s obvious that building your song on a foundation of a strong lyric concept—an idea that millions of listeners can relate to—is important. But to elevate your song from “good” to “exceptional,” explore a new angle in your lyric; a fresh approach; a novel way to express your concept. This can be done in both the title and the individual lines of lyric.

Notice how intriguing the titles and corresponding concepts are in classic songs such as “Billy Jean,” “Hotel California,” “Georgia On My Mind,” “Stairway to Heaven,” “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “Take This Job and Shove It,” and “Proud Mary.”

There are also countless examples of contemporary hits that have unique titles and lyric angles, such as “Royals,” “Roar,” “I Hope You Dance,” “(What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You) Stronger,” “From a Distance,” “Alien,” “I Kissed a Girl,” “The House That Built Me,” and “I Drive Your Truck.”

At the time I wrote this article, seven of the top 10 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart had one-word titles, demonstrating their popularity. Hits with one-word titles have included: “Problem,” “Rude,” “Fancy,” “Cruise,” “Crazy,” “Wanted,” Stay,” and “Domino.”

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ Grammy-nominated hit “Same Love” blazed new territory with a lyric that tackled the topic of same-sex love and marriage—a concept that had not previously been heard in a mainstream hit. It’s interesting to note that the chorus of that song is sung from the first-person perspective. By avoiding “preaching” to the listeners, and not telling them what they “should” think or feel, the song evoked emotion by allowing its audience to empathize with the singer.

If you were a recording artist seeking material, would you choose a title and concept as interesting as one of those listed above—or a more mundane idea such as “Oh, Baby I Love You,” “You’re the One I Need,” “I Miss You.” A great title—and an equally strong concept can be the ticket to take your song to the top of the charts.

Incorporating Nonsense Syllables/Non-Lyric Vocal Hooks

A publisher at one of my workshops told the attendees, “When you add a ‘Na-Na-Na,” an ‘Oh, Oh, Oh,” “Hey, Hey, Hey,” or some other sounds the audience can sing along with, you increase your song’s chances of being recorded ten-thousand-fold. I’m guessing it might not help quite to that extent, but his point is an important one.

One of the catchiest and most memorable elements of the Carrie Underwood/Miranda Lambert #1 duet “Somethin’ Bad,” is the “Oh-Oh-Oh” sung during the intro and included throughout the song. Similarly, Bruno Mars featured a hook sung on the syllables “oh, yeah, yeah – oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah” during the intro of his Grammy-nominated “Locked Out of Heaven.”

The use of non-lyric vocal hooks is not limited to any specific genres, and exceptional examples of these can be heard in Lady Antebellum’s “Compass,” Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It),” Britney’s “Till the World Ends,” Feist’s “1-2-3-4,” and Keith Urban’s “Long Hot Summer.” While it won’t be right for every song, this tool is an important one that can help sear your song into listeners’ brains.

In summation, if you don’t give an artist, an A&R executive, record producer, music publisher—or your listeners—a compelling reason choose your song over the competition—they won’t. Think outside the box and give your songs those extra “points” that can turn them from “good” songs to “HIT” songs!

Just started reading Wiley Cash's, A Land More kind Than Home last night.

The opening two sentences painted two very detailed pictures. Good stuff indeed,

I could see the candy, smell the oil lamps, feel the ice water.

I SAT THERE IN THE CAR WITH THE GRAVEL DUST BLOWING ACROSS the parking lot and saw the place for what it was, not what it was right at that moment in the hot sunlight, but for what it had been maybe twelve or fifteen years before: a real general store with folks gathered around the lunch counter, a line of people at the soda fountain, little children ordering ice cream of just about every flavor you could think of, hard candy by the quarter pound, moon pies and crackerjack and other things I hadn't thought about tasting in years. And if I’d closed my eyes I could’ve seen what the building had been forty or fifty years before that, back when I was a young woman: a screen door slamming shut, oil lamps lit and sputtering black smoke, dusty horses hitched to the posts out front where the iceman unloaded every Wednesday afternoon, the last stop on his route before he headed up out of the holler, the bed of his truck an inch deep with cold water.

Mr. Van Zandt has blessed us with many masterpieces. This song is among his top five. Well worth a long study.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMgm-Goqn94

The Rake 

Townes Van Zandt

I used to wake and run with the moon
I lived like a rake and a young man
I covered my lovers with flowers and wounds
My laughter the devil would frighten
The sun she would come and beat me back down
But every cruel day had its nightfall
I'd welcome the stars with wine and guitars
Full of fire and forgetful

My body was sharp the dark air clean
And outrage my joyful companion
Whisperin' women how sweet did they seem
Kneelin' for me to command them
And time was like water but I was the sea
I'd have never noticed it passin'
Except for the turnin' of night into day
And the turnin' of day into cursin'

You look at me now and don't think I don't know
What all your eyes are a sayin'
Does he want us to believe these ravings and lies
They're just tricks that his brains been a playin'
A lover of women he can't hardly stand
He trembles he's bent and he's broken
I've fallen it's true but I say unto you
Hold your tongues until after I've spoken

I was takin' my pride in the pleasures I'd known
I laughed and thought I'd be forgiven
But my laughter turned 'round eyes blazing and
Said my friend, we're holdin' a wedding
I buried my face but it spoke once again
The night to the day we're a bindin'
And now the dark air is like fire on my skin
And even the moonlight is blinding

Two different approaches to guitar playing.

"I know about 4 chords and they've always worked for me: 

C, F, G7, and A minor."

Johnny Cash

"I've deliberately left certain things vague about the guitar, because I like the primitive aspect of the way I play and think about the guitar. I never think about what key I'm in. I just start to play and hope for the best."

Elvis Costello

PIANO LESSON

Faith Shearin

My eyes open before the sun drops its yolk into the sky

and a girl upstairs is practicing scales. I imagine the arch

of her hand, the way her skirt might pause above the knee.

In the street I hear a victim, a paper cup, a man who talks

physics with a pigeon; a pair of girls blow bubblegum bubbles

at the sky. Perhaps an old woman dreams her childhood

on a park bench while the man beside her decides to leave

his wife. The world is complicated: an open window,

my head pressed to a pillow where I find a tidal action:

so many bodies rolling onto the planet, so many others

turning back. In a café I may someday light a cigarette,

remember the last person who did not love me, open my

mouth to see if it speaks smoke or words. But these days

I wake up wondering: how will I fit all this life in one life?

I need a map, a vocabulary list; I can’t learn the world

fast enough. I want to be like the girl upstairs who has braced

herself before a grand piano and taught her own blind fingers to sing

I was reading about rhyme schemes the other day and came across one I had never heard of. A A A X, three lines that rhyme followed by one that doesn't.

Interesting scheme. The article went on to say how popular it was especially in ballads. Why hadn't I ever ran across this? Then I was listing to one of my favorite Avett Brothers songs.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pre7bINBps

The Ballad Of Love And Hate

Scott Avett, Seth Avett, Robert Crawford

Love writes a letter and sends it to hate

My vacations ending. I'm coming home late

The weather was fine and the ocean was great

and I can't wait to see you again

Hate reads the letter and throws it away

No one here cares if you go or you stay

I barely even noticed that you were away

I'll see you or I won't whatever

Love sings a song as she sails through the sky

The water looks bluer through her pretty eyes

And everyone knows it whenever she flies

and also when she comes down

Hate keeps his head up and walks through the street

Every stranger and drifter he greets

And shakes hands with every loner he meets

with a serious look on his face

Love arrives safely with suitcase in tow

Carrying with her the good things we know

A reason to live and a reason to grow

To trust to hope to care

Hate sits alone on the hood of his car

Without much regard to the moon or the stars

Lazily killing the last of a jar

of the strongest stuff you can drink

Love takes a taxi a young man drives

As soon as he sees her, hope fills his eyes

But tears follow after, at the end of the ride

cause he might never see her again.

Hate gets home lucky to still be alive

He screams o'er the sidewalk and into the drive

The clock in the kitchen says 2:55

And the clock in the kitchen is slow

Love has been waiting, patient and kind

Just wanting a phone call or some kind of sign

That the one that she cares for, who's out of his mind

Will make it back safe to her arms

Hate stumbles forward and leans in the door

Weary head hung, eyes to the floor

He says Love I'm sorry and she says What for

I'm your and that's it whatever

I should not have been gone for so long

I'm your's and that's it forever

You're mine and that's it forever

Robert Stone died yesterday at the age of 77. His books are must reads.

NEW YORK (AP) — Robert Stone, the award-winning novelist who spun out tales worldwide of seekers, frauds and other misbegotten American dreamers in such works as "A Flag for Sunrise" and "Dog Soldiers," died Saturday at age 77.

Stone died at his home in Key West, Florida, his literary agent, Neil Olson, told The Associated Press. The cause was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

A lifelong adventurer who in his 20s befriended Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady and what he called "all those crazies" of the counterculture, Stone had a fateful affinity for outsiders, especially those who brought hard times on themselves. Starting with the 1966 novel "A Hall of Mirrors," Stone set his stories everywhere from the American South to the Far East and was a master of making art out of his character's follies, whether the adulterous teacher in "Death of the Black-Haired Girl," the fraudulent seafarer in "Outerbridge Reach," or the besieged journalist in "Dog Soldiers," winner of the National Book Award in 1975. "A Flag for Sunrise," published in 1981, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and PEN/Faulkner award and had the unusual honor of being nominated twice for a National Book Award, as a hardcover and paperback. In 1992, "Outerbridge Reach" was a National Book Award finalist.

Stone's face — well-lined, framed by a sharp stare and weathered beard — was a testament to a life fully and painfully lived. He was a neglected and traumatized child who learned early not to trust reality, a lapsed Catholic consumed by questions of sin and redemption. Inspired to write novels after re-reading "The Great Gatsby" in his 20s, he identified so strongly with his characters he once broke down sobbing, at a college library, while working on "Dog Soldiers."

"Writing means you and the computer or you and the typewriter, and sometimes there's an enormous weight of emotion which you have nowhere to take," Stone told The Associated Press in 1992. "I think it's a reason writers drink; you can get so incredibly wound up you're weeping and laughing. Writing is how I justify my existence. This is a basic hunger for most people; they want their suffering to mean something. You go through all these things and the idea it's utterly of no consequence is very difficult to work with."

Stone's books also included the novel "Damascus Gate," another story of a wayward journalist, this time in the Middle East; "Children of Light," the fictional saga of a drunken screenwriter in Mexico; and a memoir about his years with Kesey and friends, "Prime Green: Remembering the Sixties." He helped write screenplays for adaptations of "Hall of Mirrors" (retitled "WUSA" and starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward) and "Dog Soldiers" (released as "Who'll Stop the Rain" starring Nick Nolte and Tuesday Weld).

A native of New York City, he was abandoned at birth by his father and ended up in a Catholic orphanage after his mother, who suffered from schizophrenia, was institutionalized. He remembered himself as a loner and fantasizer, ambling through Central Park as a boy and pretending he was detective Sam Spade. Desperate to break away, he left high school and joined the Navy at 17. By his mid-20s, he was living in New Orleans, dropping acid when he should have been working on a book and selling Collier's Encyclopedias.

"I was selling them in Pearl River County, Mississippi, and other areas not far from New Orleans," he told The Associated Press in 2013. "And every time we hit a town with our encyclopedias, we always got busted by the cops, because they always thought we were in town agitating. We were locked up about seven times. We had to get the Collier's lawyers to come spring us. And sometimes we didn't know if they were going to beat us to death, or if they were going to buy us coffee."

After New Orleans, he moved to the Bay Area, met Kesey and friends and, like so many of his peers in the '60s, went out to "discover America." Stone would begin sharing what he had seen and done with "A Hall of Mirrors," a surreal tale of corruption, decadence and breakdown in New Orleans.

"'A Hall of Mirrors' was something I shattered my youth against," he told The Paris Review in 1985. "It was written through years of dramatic change, not only for me, but for the country. It covers the sixties from the Kennedy assassination through the civil rights movement to the beginning of acid, the hippies, the war."

Stone is survived by his wife, Janice, with whom he had two children. Olson said he had been working on a novel at the time of his death, but had no immediate comment on whether the book would be published.

Orangutans given iPads, start Skyping each other

I have this saved away in my song idea folder. Wonder if they can sing? Looking for a video I found many on You Tube. Good stuff. Wonder what is next?

Six months ago, orangutans at the Milwaukee Zoo were given iPads to play around with, and the gadgets proved just as addictive for them as it does for most humans. Now, orangutans are ready to start video chatting.

The orangutans in the zoo have reportedly enjoyed playing games like Doodle Buddy and Flick Flick Football, and one of the apes has even developed a fondness for the nature documentaries of David Attenborough. The iPads were provided by a charity called Orangutan Outreach, which would like to stress that no public money was spent on something that, yes, is more than a little frivolous. Charity spokesperson Richard Zimmerman explains why they are adding video chat apps like Skype and FaceTime into the mix:

"The orangutans loved seeing videos of themselves – so there is a little vanity going on – and they like seeing videos of the orangutans who are in the other end of the enclosure. So if we incorporate cameras, they can watch each other."

The hope is that the orangutans, when presented with another of their species on the iPad screen, will recognize this other ape as a potential conversation partner and start communicating. After chimps and gorillas, orangutans are our next closest relatives, and it's an intriguing question whether they're intelligent enough to work out that video chat is a form of communication. (Of course, judging by the brief success of Chatroulette, I'm not sure all humans managed to work that one out.) Orangutan Outreach is also hoping that the sight of orangutans playing with iPads in such a human-like way will engender some public support for the conservation of the highly endangered species. You can check out the video up top for more.

Via Extreme Tech.

 Smokey images drift threw this song. Keeps me thinking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpAqo1MvL3U

Colors Of The Sun

Jackson Browne

Colors of the sun
Flashing on the water top
Echo on the land

Picking for a coin
Many other tiny worlds
Singing past my hand

Awake to understand
You are not dreaming
It is not seaming
Just to be this way

Dying men draw numbers in the air
Dream to conquer little bits of time
Scuffle with the crowd to get their share
And fall behind their little bits of time

Voices in the air
Sympathetic harmony
Coming from the trees

Hanging at my door
Many shiny surfaces
Clinging in the breeze

Oh, leave me where I am
I am not losing
If I am choosing
Not to plan my life

Disillusioned savior search the sky
Wanting just to show someone the way
Asking all the people passing by
Doesn't anybody want the way

I say goodbye to Joseph and Maria
They think, they see another sky
From my fallen window I still see them
I'll never free them from the sky

Started reading Never Coming Back by Tim Weaver last night. I haven't read any of his stuff before but on line reviews were all 5 star. I figured a good mystery would warm on a winters night. Here is Tim's opening three sentence paragraph.

"When the night came, it came fast. The sky yellowed, like a week-old bruise, and then the sun began its descent into the desert floor, dropping out of the clouds as if it were falling. The further it fell, the quicker the sky changed, until the sun was gone from view and all that remained was a smear of red cloud, like a bloodstain above the Mojave."

Needless to say, I was happy with my choice. 

One third of the way in and I am still very pleased.

Opening lines set the table and should tempt hungry appetites.

Great example of show me don't tell me.......

From Kent Nerburn's 

The Girl Who Sang To The Buffalo: A Child, an Elder, and the Light from a Ancient Sky

"The sun was going down in a blaze of orange by the time we set out for Odell’s. It outlined the distant hills in the color of fire, then slowly spent itself as we proceeded down the lonely reservation highway. By the time we had been on the road for half an hour , the first tiny diamonds of starlight were beginning to pierce the twilight sky."

Stumbled across this article by Bryan Mattimore. Very clever idea.

The Creative Secret Sting Uses To Write New Songs

Semantic intuition is responsible for any number of creative works—including much of Sting's repertoire, the movie "The Princess Bride," and "The Odd Couple." Use this brainstorming technique to improve your creativity and power innovation.

By Bryan Mattimore 

Does Sting have a creative secret for writing a hit new song? Is there a trick Neil Simon uses to get ideas for plays? How about a creative strategy screenwriter William Goldman (of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid fame) might use to find inspiration for a new novel or movie? Turns out they have all used a version of a group brainstorming technique known as "semantic intuition," the creative technique we use to help our Fortune 500 clients create their next breakthrough product or award-winning promotion.

The oddly named, but extraordinarily powerful technique was invented by Helmut Schlicksupp, an employee of the Battelle Corporation’s office in Germany. Semantic intuition is a word-combination technique where brainstormers name an idea first, and then try to figure out what the new idea might be, given its name. As counterintuitive or even as impossible as this group idea-generating strategy might sound, there’s actually a precedent for it in the creative arts.

It was in an interview with Larry King many years ago that Sting revealed that he will often get a title for a song first, and then he will go ahead and write the song. Neil Simon, in his second autobiography, revealed that he came up with the name for the play The Odd Couple first, and then wrote the play. And legendary screenwriter William Goldman adopted a similar name-it-first creative strategy when he asked his younger daughter what she wanted him to write a story about. She said "a Princess." Then he asked his older daughter what she would like him to write a story about. She said, "a bride." He put them together, and we got his novel—and then the movie—The Princess Bride.

Inventing Breakthrough New Products 

 So if you want to use this strategy to create a new product, or a promotional concept, or even a new social media idea, how might you do it? How might you name something when you have no idea what that thing is you’re naming?

It’s actually very simple. You generate lists of words—usually three lists of words (never more)—and then randomly combine words from these lists to create your "name." Let’s say, for instance, you are trying to invent a new pen or "writing instrument." The three categories of words (or even phrases) you might generate are:

1) Features, functions or parts of a writing instrument

 2) Verbs or actions associated with a writing instrument 

 3) Benefits of a writing instrument

So some of the writing instrument "features, functions, or parts" could be: a plastic shaft, an ink tube, retractable head, steerable, hold-able, sharable, promotional tool, brand-able, etc. 

The "verbs or actions" could be: draw, record, sketch, trace, erase, colorize, outline, document, etc.

And finally, the "benefits of a writing instrument" could be: immediately capture thoughts, share a message, express things colorfully, show your style, doodle/keep your mind occupied, compose an essay, personalize a garment, etc.

Once you have these lists of words, then the fun starts. You randomly combine words from each of the three categories of words to create your new product "names" or "thought-starters." Here are a few examples:

"Retractable head, colorize, doodle/keep your mind occupied"

"Ink tube, outline, personalize a garment"

"Sharable, trace, immediately capture thoughts"

These thoughts-starters are designed to get you and your fellow brainstormers thinking differently. What they won’t do is provide you with the answer.

If we take the thought starter: "sharable, trace, and immediately capture thoughts" and add some creativity and imagination, it might prompt an idea for "an electronic tracing pen." Huh?

The "electronic tracing pen" is a pen combined with a mini-camera, and a mini light projector. The way the electronic tracing pen might work is that you first take a picture of something you would like to draw. Then an electronic replica of this picture is transferred to a mini-projector on the pen. The mini-projector is detached from the pen, and placed on the surface of drawing paper. The mini-projector then projects the electronic replica image across the paper so it can be traced.

How did the "electronic tracing pen" idea emerge from the thought starting words "sharable, trace and immediately capture thoughts?" The word "trace" became the key thought starter of course, but the term "immediately capture thoughts" was important as well because it prompted the idea of a mini-camera on the pen. You could also make the case that "sharable" helped inspire the idea, because the traced image would certainly be sharable.

It’s important to understand however, that the goal of this technique is NOT necessarily to use all three words to inspire a new idea. If you use only two words, or even just one word, that is fine. The ultimate goal is to get a great new idea, not be constrained by the words.

So that’s the semantic intuition technique. Simple, right?

Creating Game-Changing Promotions

 We have found that besides being a great technique for inventing new products, semantic intuition also works for creating new promotions. Let’s say you want to create in-store/retail display ideas to promote a new suntan lotion. The three lists of words you might use to generate your thought starting "names" could be: 1) places in a store, 2) kinds of promotional appeals and 3) benefits of the product.

Places in the store might include: customer service, pharmacy, aisles, parking lot, flower shop, the photo department, etc.

Kinds of promotional appeals could be: shelf talkers, Buy-one/Get One, instantly redeemable coupons, gift with purchase, floor graphics or displays, etc.

Product benefits could be: look healthy, prevent skin cancer, avoid redness, moisturize the skin, non-greasy, easy-to-apply, etc.

One random combination of these words would be: "photo department, gift with purchase, and look healthy." 

This thought-starter combination might inspire you to create "before and after" point of sale materials/posters for both the sun-care aisle and the photo-department of the retail store. The "before" pictures would show rather pale family members. The "after" pictures this same family with great, healthy-looking tans. This "before and after" promotion could then accomplish two goals: promoting sales of the manufacturer’s sun tan lotion in the sun-care aisle; while at the same time advertising the retailer’s high-margin photo-processing business—especially for families with multiple rolls of film they need processed when they return from their beach vacation.

Why is the Semantic Intuition technique one of our all-time favorite creative techniques? Well, for one, it’s a lot of fun. More importantly though, it works! Just ask new-idea mentors Sting, Simon, and Goldman!