So apparently: Wherever you set your novel, you'd better hope to hell that by publication date (usually about a year after you turned it in) that place isn't up to bad things, or you are personally complicit in them. To be safe, obviously do NOT set any books in the US, or imply that anyone in the US has a soul, because the US is definitely not morally pure on the world stage. Remember Hiroshima? Right, so no books set in the US.

Okay, here's the story: What you can't see is who's in the Ford driver's seat, pointing the gun at him. It's his ex-wife. Her name is Mallory, and she's been lying in wait at this lake, knowing he'd bring his new girlfriend and her kids here. 🧵

https://twitter.com/nealjclark1/status/1667203704271904771

Mallory is not actually a MAGA person, per se. She got this truck off her brother, and it always embarrassed Brent (that's Brent) to have it in the driveway--one of the more minor points of contention in their marriage, but one that kept coming up in therapy.

Target could have decided to stay out of the culture wars. Instead it decided to wage war on a large share of its customer base, displaying Christmas merchandise as early as November, including in children's sections, w the clear intention of grooming children into Christianity. Young, impressionable children are not old enough to make their own decisions about religion, a decision that affects the rest of their lives.

"Religion-affirming" merchandise such as Santa t-shirts, nutcrackers, even NATIVITY SCENES are on display, normalizing this behavior.

I've been very slowly publishing the gigantic handout I've assembled over the years on writing endings, and today I get to share the absolute easiest, cheapest, they-don't-want-you-to-know-this trick I've found for saving (some endings)... 🧵 I'm not going to be obnoxious and withhold it because I think it's really useful: When you have an ending that isn't working, go into the last paragraphs and press Return a few times (with purpose, of course), to break things up and slow things down.

A thread about writing funny, and why this ain't it. 🧵 First of all, before we get to craft: Punching up = usually okay. Punching up at someone funnier and smarter than you who can clap back REAL hard if he wants = unwise. Punching down regarding mental illness and neurodivergence = out of bounds, and wasn't even funny in 5th grade.

Hey, would you like a bunch of absolutely FREE online writing classes next weekend from my brilliant @nugradwriting students?

This is the culmination of the pedagogy course I've been teaching.

15 (!) free Zoom classes this Saturday and Sunday on fiction, poetry, & nonfiction You can sign up for 5-class sessions (one, or all!) on Saturday morning, Sunday morning, or Sunday afternoon.

eventbrite.com/e/northwestern…

Hi @TuckerCarlson here are some ways to ACTUALLY stop sexualizing children:

1) If you have a TV show, maybe stop talking about children + sex constantly

2) Campaign against child beauty pageants

3) Stop asking young girls if some boy is their "boyfriend" and vice versa

🧵

https://twitter.com/abughazalehkat/status/1594862683060314112

4) Campaign against school dress codes that imply that girls' shoulders are endlessly distracting to other students and adult teachers

5) Don't promote laws that would force raped children to carry and give birth to their rapist's baby

This is a thread about a) how the word "nacho" and the word "Nazi" come from the same source, and what it has to do with this guy; and b) one of my biggest historical accuracy pet peeves. 🧵 First of all, the guy in the picture is St. Ignatius of Loyola, who helped popularize the name Iganatius and its various forms (Ignaz, Ignacz, I guess eventually Iggy) around Europe.

Okay so it's been a very long time, but are we up for a murder mystery tonight? 1/ Okay so no spoilers in the thread please (altho (spoiler) this is a cold case). You're looking at William Desmond Taylor, who was found dead on 2/2/1922. He was, at the time, one of the most famous directors in Hollywood.