"I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil." Truman Capote

A protagonist with great strength of will, who really wants something and will stop at nothing to get it, will produce the kind of intense conflict that can power a story of great literary weight. – Lajos Egri

“You can resolve a complication by changing the world or changing yourself.”

"Stories tend to certain shapes, and if you stray too far from them, you’ll end up with no story at all. "

"Liberty is what occurs when you have skillfully players playing the same game."

"Confused anxious, and unproductive narrative writers work like contractors without blueprints. Successful ones eventually figure out that they need a plan."

Exposition, the first phase of a story, is where you tell the reader who the protagonists are, and give them just enough information to understand the complications barreling toward them.

The bulk of most stories consists of rising action. Rising action creates dramatic tension, which will only be released when the story's climax leads to the resolution.

"How we talk and think about race has consequences that can be measured not just in dollars and cents, but in stagnant lives and dead bodies." - Glenn Loury

An excellent narrative kicker summarizes the story, surprises the reader, and ties the ending to the beginning — firmly planting the protagonists in their new status quo. It leaves no doubt that the story has ended.

Interested in learning what Black Jews have to say about Black Jewish relations? Sun Jan 22, 1pm EST, catch me and some other great panelists discussing the issue. jilv.org/black-jewish-p… And thanks for putting this together @jilvorg

In any nonviolent campaign, there are four basic steps: 1. Collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist 2. Negotiation 3. Self-purification 4. Direct Action -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Unearned suffering is redemptive." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"I always contended that we as a race must not seek to rise from a position of disadvantage to one of advantage, but to create a moral balance in society where democracy and brotherhood would be a reality for all men." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.