Author Archives: David O'Boyle

Monday morning chocolate chip cookie-backing- 1

Looked up a recipe for chocolate chip cookies to make on a Sunday night to start a ritual. Brought them into the office on Monday. Feedback was a little inconsistent. Some said that they were just right and others said they were doughy and others said that they were a little crispy. You’ll see fromContinue reading “Monday morning chocolate chip cookie-backing- 1”

Musings on Mindfulness 1- presence as a precondition

One of the ways to be more mindful in daily living is to tune in to your senses- sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. With respect to sight, that means looking at the world and paying attention to things like color, texture, shape, size, luminosity (how much it gives off light or reflects light). IContinue reading “Musings on Mindfulness 1- presence as a precondition”

Writing group notes from the field: first-person narrator consistency 2/20/2023

Talked about the trap of writing sophisticated descriptions in stories with a first-person narrator who is unsophisticated. Dialogue and stream of consciousness style and tone should match more general descriptions such as setting. To do otherwise runs the risk of internal inconsistency and as a result, compromises believability. That is to say, the reader justContinue reading “Writing group notes from the field: first-person narrator consistency 2/20/2023”

Writing group notes from the field: Fragment writing

We discussed the power of writing fragments in a narrative to create rhythm and balance to a work. Once you know the rules you can break them without fear of criticism for doing something ‘wrong.’ There is no wrong in fiction. Regardless of whether Microsoft word gives you the terrifying colored line under your words,Continue reading “Writing group notes from the field: Fragment writing”

Using and Understanding Legislative History in Interpreting Ambiguous Statutes

Courts use a lot of different methods to interpret ambiguous statutes in a given case. One method that can be particularly difficult to navigate, and one I really struggled with until I went back and read the below-cited casebook long after law school, is proper use of legislative history. To really understand legislative history, andContinue reading “Using and Understanding Legislative History in Interpreting Ambiguous Statutes”

Avoiding ethos in a short story (or trying to)

Aristotle’s pillars of argument include ethos, pathos and logos. Ethos has to do with the credibility of the narrator. Basically if you trust what the narrator is saying, if you think the narrator matches certain ideals like honest and integrity, the narrator has a better chance of persuading you. I thought it would be funContinue reading “Avoiding ethos in a short story (or trying to)”

Reaching for increased readability in fiction writing.

I wrote this month’s Transient Visitor’s teaser tale with an eye on the science behind readability. Based on the research by Shane Snow, many great fiction writers have great scores. In my short story, Chute the Virus, I sought similar scores. My results: very good grade-level readability – about sixth grade. Note that according toContinue reading “Reaching for increased readability in fiction writing.”