> Do you want me to strike this?Ron Albertson, Waiting for Guffman I took a few stage-directing classes in school, but I didn’t learn much in the way of formal technique. (The theater department of my liberal arts college abhorred all things “pre-professional.”) When directing a play, I’

In response to last week’s essay [https://mavengame.com/2020/01/guy-wash-your-glasses/] —about revising your work without getting bogged down in the details—Maven Game reader Nick Matiasz writes: > Your advice reminds me of Dr. Betty S. Flowers’s four-step approach to writing — madman, architect, carpenter, judge. Nick

Any random lifestyle influencer can tell you to wash your face (and become spectacularly successful with that important, if somewhat obvious, piece of advice [https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/lauraturner/rachel-hollis-girl-wash-your-face-self-help-book] ). But how many will remind you to wash your glasses? Two? Three? I’m going to own this niche.

In Norse mythology—I enjoyed Neil Gaiman’s collection in particular—Thor and his brother, Loki, confront the troll Útgarða-Loki. In one of a series of humiliating defeats, Thor engages in a drinking contest with the troll. Útgarða-Loki empties his horn with a single gulp. Thor, however, despite quaffing three

Back in college, I took a video course. (My heart’s desire had been to go pro with the weekly newsletter thing, but it was the late 90s and I was ahead of my time. Now that there’s big money in newsletters, you can probably major in it.) For

A friend texted me the recent New York Times article about dopamine fasting. [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/style/dopamine-fasting.html] “This was made for you,” he added unnecessarily. (Naturally, my wife had already shared it with me. Plus, I’d seen it first. Because I’m constantly

Writer and woodworker Jim Dillon [https://thousanddollarshop.blogspot.com/] wrote to me after last week’s essay [https://mavengame.com/2019/11/robot-mode/]: > GOOD ONE! Jim has been reading the Maven Game long enough to know how to capture my attention: emphatic compliments in ALL CAPS. > My work

> I just want to be loved. Is that so wrong?Jon Lovitz (as Harvey Fierstein), Saturday Night Live Writing would be so much easier if we could only see it as a job to do: Go mop the floor. Go empty the trash can. Go polish the silverware. People

First of all, yes, I wrote “your” instead of “you’re” in last week’s essay [https://mavengame.com/2019/10/save-it-for-the-stage/]. (I’ve since corrected it on the site, of course.) Sue me, nitpicker. Second of all, I’m back to using Grammarly, which now offers “tone detection.” As

> Give ’em the old razzle-dazzle Razzle-dazzle ’em Give ’em an act with lots of flash in it And the reaction will be passionate Give ’em the old hocus-pocus Bead and feather ’em How can they see with sequins in their eyes? –Billy Flynn, Chicago People put so much thought