I heard this short story on audio on a family car trip ~15 years ago, give or take a few years. I'm pretty sure it was a horror story. I don't know if it was targeted towards kids, but I was elementary aged when I heard it. Two kids, a carnival, and a evil being in the clouds. [more inside]
posted by tan_coul at 9:38 PM - 2 answers

I remember reading a short story about a futuristic treatment which causes long-life (1000 years?). In the story, a young couple gets the treatment, and we follow their lives up through old age. The only particular I remember has the couple bored with nothing else to learn or experience, and they sit, playing million piece all-white jigsaw puzzles to pass the time. [more inside]
posted by klausman at 8:46 PM - 4 answers

I need help coming up with a titular character of my book, someone who is sympathetic and sounds like a reasonable person to ask for advice. [more inside]
posted by philosophistry at 12:51 PM - 25 answers

I'm looking for a form letter that I can use to send to managers of shops when I've been provided with good customer service. Ideally, I'm looking for something that I can just edit the small details of, like the individual's name, what they did that warranted the letter, etc. Also, if you were a shop worker's manager, what would you really like to know/read in this kind of letter?
posted by Solomon at 11:38 AM - 10 answers

I'm looking for recommendations for contemporary(ish) literary fiction written by folks who are not white men. [more inside]
posted by shakespeherian at 9:23 AM - 55 answers

Is placing certain adverbs like "however" and "nonetheless" after the first clause in a sentence an actual stylistic best practice, or just a personal preference I made up? [more inside]
posted by threeants at 6:02 AM - 16 answers

I'm writing a book about language learning and the science of memory for a major publisher. We're a couple months away from sending galley copies around to various people for blurbs and reviews, and they've asked me for input as to who might be interested. So! Who should read this thing? Name some people who, if you saw their name on the back of a science-y book on language learning and memory, you'd buy it.
posted by sdis at 3:17 AM - 20 answers

Looking for help prouncing the RR sound in words such as sonrisa, alrededor, las rosas [more inside]
posted by iamsuper at 3:06 PM - 18 answers

Would you please help me remember the specifics of this short piece about youth? [more inside]
posted by slowlikemolasses at 2:59 PM - 2 answers

Help me ID a book I read a few years back ... [more inside]
posted by LonnieK at 7:18 AM - 4 answers

Folks I know get published! Yay them! Go them! But shamefully, it.. the ...the flames, flames...on the side of my face...breathing...heaving breaths. How do I tame my inner envy monster? [more inside]
posted by angrycat at 4:08 PM - 24 answers

In a non-secular/religious meeting agenda the word fellowship can indicate that it is time for informal friendly discussion that may not be related to the meeting. Would it be appropriate to use the word fellowship in a secular business meeting agenda in the same context. If not what language could be used on an agenda that encourages informal discussion between colleagues?
posted by jmsta at 9:11 AM - 23 answers

I could have sworn it was something by Neal Stephenson, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. Here is what I remember -- bits and pieces -- and I didn't finish it at the time, so presumably these events happened near the beginning of the book... [more inside]
posted by whiskeyspider at 7:59 PM - 8 answers

What films and/or podcasts would you recommend for someone interested in writing (mainly fiction and/or screenwriting)? So far, I've really enjoyed watching "Bad Writing" and "Tales from the Script."
posted by okay-quiet-time at 5:11 PM - 7 answers

I am trying to track down this poem by Ted Kooser. It's the title poem of a book published in 1976 and now out-of-print (and purchasing it on-line is at least $100+). I thought it might be in the collection Sure Signs (1980), and requested it from the library, Wasn't in that collection however. Can anyone tell me where I could find a copy of this poem? I've also checked on YouTube.
posted by jackmcc at 3:26 PM - 6 answers

What's a good resource for looking up the Latin roots of Spanish words? (There are a number of fantastic resources for finding the Latin roots of English words, but I'm having a harder time with Spanish words.) [more inside]
posted by jtothes at 10:50 PM - 4 answers

What would it have meant in the mid-twentieth century to "shake another man's jolt"? [more inside]
posted by dinger at 8:25 AM - 11 answers

I aspire to write beautifully -- what is some great writing that uses colorful, creative language and style? [more inside]
posted by switcheroo at 10:02 PM - 52 answers

I'm working on a computer game, and I need names for about 8000 planets. Wikipedia has these great lists of "fictional planets in science fiction" and such. What is the legal and accepted ethical practice towards re-using these names? [more inside]
posted by BeeDo at 11:59 AM - 12 answers

I have two phrases that I've come across in the past two days that I cannot get the internet to tell me what they mean: "yard cousin" and "bluefish wars". [more inside]
posted by Cold Lurkey at 4:21 PM - 12 answers