Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with stories

History blogs

Bleusman — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:02:49 -0800

What are your favorite blogs about history? I've recently had a love affair with history. I love learning about the reasons why people have gone off and done things unfathomable by the modern standpoint. I like to hear about the underdog stories of history, even the times where the underdog was hopelessly crushed. So I'm looking for blogs about history - preferably ones that aren't military-centric - that are written by someone who truly has enthusiasm for history. Interesting stories, reinterpretations of commonly accepted events, and any other history related thing you can think of: I'd like to see some blogs about it.

Previously. But that was two years ago, and we all know the pace of the internet.

Burn after reading

wolfr — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:48:11 -0800

What are some of the best articles or stories you have read about Burning Man? I went to Burning Man this year and am doing a presentation about it soon. I'm worried about not being able to communicate what Burning Man is. The event is engineered to make you feel awesome for a week, so naturally one leaves with a very positive feeling about it. I know I did.

However, I want to know how to explain Burning Man to a group of people without having them miss the point. If you never went there it's too easy to write it off as a cheerful hippie event. The Burning Man "rules" such as radical self-reliance sound incredibly cheesy until you went there and understood.

So I'm looking for articles and stories like this one from the Huffington Post - or Viva Las Xmas by Larry Harvey.

The Nine Billion Stories About God?

jefficator — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:01:20 -0800

Please link me to Sci-Fi or Fantasy stories involving God--especially "surprise" God. I'm curious about Sci-Fi or Fantasy stories like the Nine Billion Names of God. Basically any stories in which God is a character--especially those in which God is a "surprise" character.

If you think a story might be relevant, please pass it along!

Thanks Everyone!

Orpheus/Eurydice Trope

stray — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:01:18 -0800

Are there other examples of stories in which a lover travels to the underworld/heaven/hell to rescue their dead love? I'm idly working on a play based on Orpheus and Eurydice, and would like to collect more versions of that storyline.

The Greatest Story Ever Told

jasondigitized — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:21:05 -0800

I want to be a better storyteller. What qualities do good storytellers universally exhibit? How much does embellishment play a role? Lyndon Johnson was a great storyteller who was also known to pepper his stories with a lot of bullsh*t. Most importantly, where do storytellers get their stories? Have they led lives of extraordinary experience, or have they read a book full of awesome anecdotes? Help me spin some yarn at a party or at the water-cooler.

Junior High isn't easy if you're an Adolf

jepler — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:16:05 -0800

I'm looking for writings about experiences that arise from having a name similar to a famous individual. Online sources preferred, but a trip to the library would be OK.

What are some great joke books?

surenoproblem — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:03:27 -0800

What are some great joke books, written with attention to the craft of how a joke or story is told? Most joke books I see in bookshops look like someone has just found a huge amount of jokes online, then cut, pasted and paginated--many don't even bother to credit an author.

When I was young, I owned a joke book called Leo Rosten's Book of Laughter. It was obvious that Rosten was the sort of person you meet at parties who captivates an entire room with his stories.

Even though the book included some old jokes we've all heard, it was fantastic to see how a great storyteller approached the structure, tensions, peaks and troughs of a joke.

Can you recommend any similar resources? I suppose I'm less interested in just a bunch of jokes, but more in a collection of well-crafted jokes.

I already like listening to the Moth podcast.

Share your confidence game stories

Wink Ricketts — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:03:01 -0800

Have you been conned? Would you share your story? I'm working on a small book proposal, more of an art book (working on an MFA), around the theme of hustlers and con artists. It is sort of a combo cautionary "Here's how you can be scammed" and exploration of the romantic image we seem to have for conartists.

Part of what I'm hoping to explore how we're fooled and why. What is the psychology / theatrics of the moment. Its all very easy to say "well you should know better" but it seems to me that having a couple of people putting the hard core hustle on you, could easily befuddle even people aware of the scams.

And, of course, on the off chance someone actually IS a confidence man or a hustler, I'd like to talk to you too.

So, if you've a story to share, I'd love to hear it. If you'd rather just share your story by email: thimblerigged@gmail.com

The Accidental Docent

The Whelk — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 09:08:37 -0800

On Tuesday I'll be showing a new arrival to New York City around for an hour or so in the late afternoon. He's interested in the city's history, particularly the Bowery/Lower East Side. He has seen all the major tourist stops and I'm completely ignorant of the latest cool/interesting/weird spots downtown and most places have the lifespan of mayflies. Any ideas on how to prepare an awesome, emergency walking tour? A) I'm pretty well versed in the city's history, but not on a "and at this house in Blankity Blank so and so" level. Awesome stories needed so I don't end up waving at Webster Hall and going "And this is where The Masses spoke and -uh- it was important."

B) Cool and/ore interesting buildings, odd public art, and kick-ass murals?

C) Dinner in Soho after this, so staying within walking distance a plus.

From Awful to Awesome

divabat — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:25:50 -0800

Are there any stories of people notable/talented/successful in their field who started out being completely crap? Most of the "roads to success" stories I've read involve the person having some form of latent talent at the beginning, or actually having talent but not being appreciated for it. But has there been anyone who was or is currently successful at something that started out being really really bad?

A sportsperson who was a total couch potato and could hardly run, or a painter that couldn't grasp technique, or a dancer that kept stumbling. But through effort and persistence they broke through and became a star.

Any stories along those lines?

Children's lit again...

anonymous78 — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:06:11 -0800

I'm looking for the title of an action/adventure short story collection that I read in middle school (early 90s). It included The Most Dangerous Game and Leningen Versus the Ants. There were a number of other stories, but I can only remember the plots of two of them:

The first was about two men trapped under a tree in the woods. The come from rival families but as they wait for help to arrive, they grow friendly and each assures the other that if his family comes first, he will help the other. It ends with them seeing movement in the woods but to their dismay, it's a pack of wolves.

The second was about a man who falls into a pit of some kind and can't get out. He's stuck in it for several days and every night, it fills up with large, furry spiders. It ends with a rainstorm that kills the spiders and allows him to escape.

Blogs with the same feeling as This American Life?

salvia — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:20:20 -0800

I'm looking for blogs about psychology, storytelling, emotions, why people do the things they do, the human condition, or just good blogs with people's stories. I've been finding some good stuff in this past AskMe. (For example, this blog would be great, if it were still active.) Is there more out there? They can be funny, curious and thoughtful, analytical, whatever, so long as what they're really about is what makes people tick. (In case this question is too vague, my past book questions are asking for similar stuff.)

Basically, I'd like to spend the bus ride home from work every day shifting out of "to do" list mode and remembering what it's like to be a human being.

Looking for some good sf pulp fiction

Ritchie — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:41:34 -0800

Looking for suggestions for stories, novels, or comics in the vein of Mervyn Peake and China Mieville. I read Peake's Gormenghast novels years ago, and loved them. I've also read Perdido Street Station, and am aiming to pick up The Scar and Iron Council by Mieville.

I guess I'm looking for stories which have that unique crossover of fantasy, technology, and maybe elements of grand guignol body horror.

I'm open to stories in any format, including graphic novels and comic books. I'm even interested in non-English stories.

Who has the stories in folklaw?

emperor.seamus — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:38:25 -0800

I'm trying to remember a folktale (Possibly of native American origin) about how someone (I'm pretty sure it was a trickster figure) got to be keeper of the worlds stories. I think I first read this in "Trickster makes this world" by Lewis Hyde, and I think it was about Raven, but I honestly don't remember and I'm struggling to find the story anywhere. I know this isn't a lot to go on, but does anyone know the story I'm talking about, or a similar folktale about a character being given domain over (or stealing/tricking their way into domain over) the worlds stories?

Can literary journals ask for a reading fee?

uans — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:32:52 -0800

There is a literary journal currently asking for a $1 "handling fee" to fast-track submitted stories. Is this okay? What really, is the point of asking for a dollar?

Leaving Out the Gory Details

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:43:45 -0800

DatingFilter: Should I leave ex-boyfriends out of the story of my life when dating new people, even if the exes figure prominently? Most people have a standard story about how they got to be where they are, and I'm no exception. I live in a big city, and on nearly every first date I go on, I'm asked, "So, how did you end up in the city?" and I tell this story. A significant (but not overwhelming) aspect of the story is that I had already made the mistake of moving someplace to follow a guy, and how it became obvious within a few days of that move that I'd made A Really Bad Decision, and after that Really Bad Decision, I resolved to move to the city I'd wanted to live in for a long time. I don't tell it quite so directly as I did just there; while the ex-boyfriend doesn't dominate the story, he shows up a few times.

It's occurred to me that talking about ex-boyfriends on first dates might be off-putting, no matter the context. I don't always have a great sense of what's appropriate first date conversation and what isn't. Should I modify my story (sort of glossing over the episodes that involve the ex), or, as long as I'm not going on and on about it, is it fine to leave it in?

Anonymous email: phoebe.meryll@gmail.com

Let's do this right, shall we?

orville sash — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:29:18 -0800

I want to get a story on This American Life. I would like some help. You may remember that about a year ago, I asked how to get a job at NPR. I recently had the idea for a story that I thought would be a good fir on This American Life. Without bothering to contact them, I started compiling the necessary interviews, and the subjects for the story responded positively. I am already ankle deep in producing the story on my own, and I have the audio equipment and technical know how to finish it myself, but I have a couple of questions for the hive mind.

1.) Should I just finish and submit the completed story to This American Life, or should I use the form on their website to pitch the story to them to see if they're interested?
2.) I don't have much experience with writing pitches, so if you think I should write a pitch, can you point me in the direction of good sample pitches?

Thanks, everyone

Looking for an old children's Bible story book

katillathehun — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:33:48 -0800

It's probably a long shot, but I'm looking for an old (1980s or older) children's Bible story book I had when I was a kid. I can't quite recall the name, but it might have been called something like "The Children's Bible Story Book." What I remember most about it were the awesome illustrations. Can anyone help? Here's what I remember about it:

* I had it in the '80s.

* It was hardbound

* The cover was sort of sky blue in color - I think there was a picture of Noah's ark on it with animals trailing out of it. This cover illustration wrapped around the spine and back cover.

* This wasn't an actual children's Bible - it was a collection of Bible stories.

* The illustrations were full of bright, vibrant colors and had a painted look to them. They were fairly realistic - not silly or cartoony in any way.

*It wasn't any of the books mentioned in this previous thread.

* The title was something like "The Children's Bible Story Book" but it was not the one by David C. Cook or Anne DeGraaf (I don't think so, anyway. The publishing dates and cover art shown on Amazon don't match). That might not have even been the title, but it sounds close, and my dad seemed to think it was something similar, too.

*Some images that particularly stuck out to me: Mary in purple weeping in a graveyard full of white lilies, Esther reclining while Haman begs for his life, a wealthy Ethiopian (with a goatee?) being baptized, Samson just before he was crushed to death.

It would be just awesome if I could find this again. The illustrations in that book taught me a lot about art and color. I used to spend hours studying the pictures and coming up with my own stories for them. I miss it!

There's absolutely no way to Google this.

downing street memo — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:12:42 -0800

Looking for a story someone wrote about "falling through the cracks" while working at a large company. I think what happened is he was to be reassigned to a new team, but the assignment never actually happened; he just kept showing up to work, kept getting paid, and got into all sorts of stuff trying to stay under the radar. It was posted on the SomethingAwful forums a few years ago, but I don't know if it was originally posted there or not. Can you help me find it?

Short stories like this are the only stories here.

zoomorphic — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:42:08 -0800

I demand to know your favorite short story anthologies. I recently realized that my brain isn't cut out to read novels on the subway, so I've made a left turn to short stories. Single author collections of short stories are great, but I'm looking for anthologies that include various authors to keep things lively. I love the Best American Non-Required Reading series, as well as My Mistress' Sparrow Is Dead. I've also got Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules on my list.

My favorite short story authors are Lorrie Moore, Amy Bloom, Chekov and Flannery O'Connor, but I'm looking to expand.

What else should I pick up?

"Based on a story by my pal Shecky"

TheSecretDecoderRing — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:02:38 -0800

How often are the stories of a comic, novel, play, TV series, movie, or song conceived by the writer's friend, relative, acquaintance, neighbor, mailman, dog, etc? Writers get all the credit for their works (except in movies, where the director often ends up with a lot; and TV is often collaborative), but just how often is a given story entirely their own idea?

I remember some old anecdote about how Charles Schulz refused to accept story ideas from fans. And for legal reasons it's probably a smart choice for professional writers. But like a lot of people, IANAPW, but still harbor ambitions of coming up with the concept for the Great American Movie. (A lot of people in America, anyway.)

Not that I plan on hounding my friendly neighborhood screenwriter, but out of sheer curiosity, do you know of any instances where the premise behind a well-known show, movie, book, etc was conceived of in detail by someone other than the credited writer/creator... just an ordinary "civilian"?

A close example would be "Lost," which was roughly conceived by a then-exec at ABC, before being fleshed out by JJ Abrams and company. Now, if the general story arc of the entire series had originally been pitched to JJ by, say, his optician... that'd be even better.

Who was this greatest man?

Zaire — Wed, 13 May 2009 02:20:18 -0800

I had a book (not a picture book) as a kid that was titled something like 'The Greatest Man in the World' or 'The Greatest Man that Ever Lived', and it was a collection of stories that were like fairy tales, or fables. I remember little about it except for one story where the characters were trying to ride their horses up a glass mountain, and for some reason the 'greatest man's' horse was the only horse able to climb the mountain.

There was a magical nature to the stories. I lost the book in a fire and have never been able to forget it. I would be so grateful if someone knew this book and I could track it down.

Cheers!

Why do different news media have similar stories?

Hanuman1960 — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:46:54 -0800

How do different news media (radio vs. television) end up doing the same news stories? I'm not talking about the big news stories (i.e., the economy, politics) or even celebrity gossip. I'm talking about seemingly minor, human interest stories.

Case in point, this past Monday (5/4/09) both the Today Show on NBC and NPR (National Public Radio) did stories on children getting hurt by heavy furniture falling on them, and ways to prevent it from happening. As far as I can remember, this wasn't the result of a major study that had just been published. It was just one of those "keeping our kids safe" type of stories. Is it just a coincidence?

I'm not asking you to do my research for me buuuuut....

The Whelk — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:51:40 -0800

Emergency Research Materials Needed: Due to not being an adult about things I now have to write a quick story set during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. And I have to finish it by Sunday. Yes, I've already read Wikipedia. I've got some knowledge of Indian/British politics and daily life of the time period, but I'd like more. Cause of the time limit, I'm leaning more towards shorter or more digestible accounts of the period. What are some good websites focused on the 1850s in India? What articles should I read? Where do I even find them?

Anything about daily life or habits would be greatly appreciated