How to Tell Better Stories in a Conversation
When it comes to conversation, good storytelling follows a slightly different set of rules than novels and movies do. Here are six steps to telling better stories for your next chat.
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The Only 3 Dating Dealbreakers You Truly Need
People have all sorts of dating dealbreakers they like to lay out on the table. From country music to religion, to policial alignment, there are millions of places to draw the line. But, at least in my book, there are only three dating dealbreakers that are written in stone.
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Is Hollywood out of touch with Missouri?
From A Streetcar Named Desire to HBO’s True Decective, we all know America loves a good Southern Gothic. But with the recent rise of big-budget productions shooting in the mid-west, shows like Sharp Objects and a handful of others are missing the Missouri mark.
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A Quick Start Guide to Kansas City’s Speakeasy Scene
A thriving town during the Prohibition era, Kansas City is home to a number of low-key watering holes we like to call Speakeasies. Thanks to the hoppin’ jazz scene and probably Mr. Pendergast himself, Kansas City bars know how to create that ambiance of exclusivity pretty dang well. Kansas City Speakeasies This is by no…
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On the difference between heritage and culture
I don’t denounce my heritage or my culture. I need both to make me, me. But I want people to understand the line between the two. I want my heritage to be my part of my background, not center stage. I want to be seen as an American as much as anything else.
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Why Cosmic Horror is The Most Relevant Genre of Our Time
Cosmic horror (also known as Lovecraftian horror), is a horror of a different breed. While basic forms of horror center around external fears like monsters or the supernatural, cosmic horror fixates on the one most crippling, inescapable, and unexplainable fear we all try to ignore: the fear of the unknown. The universe and everything beyond it is too vast for us to understand, and completely indifferent of our existence. Now, that’s scary.
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How to Compliment a Woman (or anyone, really)
“Why can’t I just give a woman a compliment?” This is the common response I hear from men who don’t understand why unwarranted feedback on our appearance tends to be ill-received. Aside from an eye-roll, I really have nothing to offer these knuckle-draggers. However, I do have a bit of advice for those well-meaning folks who just don’t understand the mechanics of a good compliment.
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How to Use Up the Perishable BS You bought at Costco
Its a novice mistake all Costco cardholders make at least once in their membership lifetime: buying too many perishable items. That shiny new Costco card feels like a dream, and so does buying a year’s worth of two-ply toilet tissue for a penny per square foot. But you let it get out of hand.
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9 of the Best Breakfast Joints in KC
With a blooming foodie culture and an unwavering commitment to local love, Kansas City’s breakfast and brunch spots are booming. Here’s a list of nine breakfast hotspots with mouth-watering menus to keep your brunch munchies satisfied.
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12 Actions That Ruin a Relationship Before it Starts
Spoiler alert: You’re going to have to be yourself.
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How to Wrap Filipino Egg Rolls (Lumpia) According to My Mom
Lumpia has been a longtime favorite among Filipinos and Westerners alike. My mom makes her own version and is surprisingly more particular about the technique of rolling than she is about what goes inside the lumpia. During my last visit home, she decided to teach me how to properly roll lumpia.
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I tried the new Bird Scooters in KC for the first time and here’s what happened
I grabbed an early dinner this week with some friends and caught wind of the new dockless electric scooters sweeping through Kansas City. If you haven’t heard, Bird is an electric scooter rental service. It’s like a bike-share system, but with electric scooters. And you don’t have to return them to a station. You can…
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10 of My Favorite Artists Served up By Spotify
About a month ago I had a total meltdown over how much I love Spotify. It’s one of the few things I pay for on a monthly basis that doesn’t piss me off to the core, (like buying gas). So here’s an exhaustive list of my favorite artists I wouldn’t have discovered without the help of Spotify.
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Why Screenwriting can make you better at prose (and vice versa)
A good writer is a versatile one. This is a phrase I come back to again and again. As a writer, it’s my mantra. Writers ought to practice all types of writing under the sun, as each style presents its own challenges. Poetry asks for brevity and concision, the short story asks for focus, novels…
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Forget the Incredibles 2 – Bao is the film you need to see.
Bao successfully illustrates the delicate balance between distance and rejection that exists between immigrant parents and their children. Shi dances on our heartstrings, bringing the mother-child relationship to center stage. As the first female short film director in Pixar history, Shi stole the show.
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11 Types of Guys You Only Need to Date Once
Because the only good thing to do in retrospect is learn.
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Why We Should Let Pop Poetry Have its Moment
Short, snappy poetry posts have become increasingly popular on Instagram, as they fit perfectly into a square frame and generally require less than .08 seconds of rumination from the reader. Reposting with proper credit to @iwrotethisforyou.me 💜 A post shared by Button Poetry (@buttonpoetry) on Jun 12, 2018 at 1:33pm PDT On one hand, this…
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Don’t Be a Dud: Here’s What to Talk About on a Date
Why can’t you find someone interesting to talk to? You’ve gone on a handful of dates and found each of them stunningly boring. “What’s the matter with people these days?” You wonder. It only takes another handful of dates to realize that perhaps it’s not them. The common denominator here is you. How can this be?…
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Dear Writers, Quit Letting Genre Define You
To stop ourselves from writing a serious piece because we’re supposed to be working on comedic skits is a damn-near tragedy.
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8 Unique Date Spots in KC (for when you actually want to get to know someone)
Hint: It’s not the Green Lady Lounge. Sorry folks, as much as I love that place, it’s not built for talking. It’s a jazz bar. And a good one, at that. But if you expect to have a decent conversation, you’ll fare much better in a spot with more light and less sound. 1. The Central…
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What is Flash Fiction?
Brevity is the soul of wit. Flash fiction is a fictional work of extreme brevity.
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I’m Writing My Vows to Spotify’s Discover Weekly Algorithm
Tears well in my eyes and I think, “Goddammit, Spotify. I love you.”
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5 Reasons Frida Kahlo’s Face is not a trend piece.
There was Frida before the Fridamania magnets.
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Helium by Rudy Francisco: A Review
Published in 2017, Helium is Rudy Francisco’s debut poetry collection. His poems are a medley of powerful, personal, political, and relatable.
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How to Find The Perfect Pen
Every writer has their medium of choice, the keyboard, typewriter, pen, or even sharpies for the bold ones. However, I stand firmly against the pencil. As a chronic notetaker, I like to write in pen. Later, I’ll move to the keyboard when I’m ready to refine my thoughts. Starting in pen allows me to…
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Three types of editing (and what you should be asking for)
Tip 1: Don’t ask for free services.
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HOCs and LOCs: How to prioritize the writing process
Want to write quality work faster? Get your HOCs and LOCs in order.
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5 classic brainstorming techniques to help you get an idea off the ground
Five classic brainstorming techniques to add to your arsenal against writer’s block.
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