• In a [[story]], the people start as one thing and end up another.
• Felt a camaraderie with every hustler today. Something similar in knowing what it's like to hunt for [[angles]] in [[grappling]].
• Saw Tim at the gym. He said something led him there. Chores. Dropping something off. A road that led the [[gym]]. [[storymine]]
• What's a process that will guarantee that people will [[sleep]] well? [[business]]
• Go where the highest [[stakes]] are.
• What do people need to know to deal with more [[heat]] than they are used to? [[business]]
• Every [[story]] is about one moment. One [[time]] someone [[changed]]. The start, middle, and end are to get to that moment and then wrap it up.
  • What is the [[meaning]] of the [[moment]]?
    • The [[moment]] of [[change]].
    • Once, Alice was ______. But now, Alice is _______.
  • What is the opposite of that moment?
  • The [[start]] is the [[opposite]] of the [[end]].
  • Generate several threads for each start, middle, and end and then pick the one that resonates most.
  • In media res.
  • What are the [[stakes]]?
  • How to add or ramp up stakes?
    • Clear [[want]] and [[problem]]. collapsed:: true
      • A [[promise]] of what they will get from taking in the [[story]].
      • Start with a [[familiar]] [[want]], end with a strange new want.
    • Say something that will give the audience the character's [[hope]] and [[fear]]. collapsed:: true
      • Show what the audience needs to accept to [[feel]] what the [[character]] feels in the moment.
      • Have the characters present a plan so the [[audience]] feels like they are a part of a [[plan]], and then have to adapt to the [[problem]] when they face the problem.
    • Present half-bits of [[information]] about the [[end]]. collapsed:: true
      • What would let them [[wonder]] about what will happen [[next]]?
    • Take more [[time]] when the [[audience]] is in maximum [[tension]] and paying the most [[attention]]. Take very little time when the audience is not at that height of tension.
    • Have the [[characters]] make [[predictions]] that fail.
    • Put a [[camera]] in the [[scene]]- the [[narration]] should work like cameras in a movie. Situate the [[story]] in [[space]] and [[time]].
    • 'but' and 'so' offer a sense of [[change]], more than 'and' collapsed:: true
      • contradiction or multiplication
    • Make the [[big]] [[story]] [[small]], and the small story big.
    • [[Surprise]]. collapsed:: true
      • Distract during key information with other feelings- such as making them laugh.
      • [[Contrast]] what happens just before the surprise with the surprise.
    • [[Start]] with a [[laugh]] to get [[attention]]. collapsed:: true
      • If laughter precedes tragedy, it hurts more. Then make them laugh again, to dissolve [[tension]].
      • From Schwarzenegger: "Starting with something disarming and [[funny]] is a good way to stand out. You become more [[likable]], and people receive your [[information]] much better."
      • For triggering a [[laugh]], put the most [[surprising]] word at the [[end]]. collapsed:: true
        • For a [[laugh]], the thing that is not like the others is at the [[end]].
        • [[Exaggeration]] is only [[funny]] if it's [[clear]] to the [[audience]] that it is an exaggeration.
    • [[End]] the story with [[yearning]].
    • A good [[story]] is about one thing only.
• Check [[public]] [[domain]] releases every year.
• Sorting through the thrown-up bits of [[sourdough]] [[pizza]] for [[glass]] or sand. [[Testing]] the grains on the window. [[storymine]]
• [[Experience]] is the most valuable thing.
• Penis allergic to vagina. [[storymine]]
• [[Create]] things that people will [[want]].

• Tuesday, 09/19/23 ** 09:01 Every night, go through the photos I took that day. Record myself going through the photos and what I thought about them. Upload to YouTube. Put it out there! ** 09:21 Nobody's content add is 'good video quality'. It always comes down to who is behind the camera and what - or who - they choose to take videos of - and their personality. That's why quality doesn't matter - micro-optimisation ** 16:23 Saw a headless pidgeon lying upright on the street yesterday in front of my apartment building. Dead - obviously. Thought about taking a photo of it. The bird wasn't there ten minutes later.

What happened?

Should I have taken the photo?

I should stop telling myself - atthe least - that I can always go back. It's a lie! ** 22:52 Learning that the Ricoh is a tool in a different way - the ability for a camera to go unnoticed in a tool in and of itself. Sure, I miss some photos I would have gotten if I had a zoom lens or had swapped lenses on the fly - but that would have drawn attention and tampered with the scene, something that a Ricoh gets away with like no other camera can.

Would I rather tamper with scenes if I had that power? Hell yeah. ** 22:58 Taking photos for me will always be about getting outside and spending time with people ** 23:01 Why does nobody making these YouTube videos where they take photos spend time critiquing their images? That's the interesting part - getting better and better and better every day. Learning deliberately from your photos. Learning to speak about your work. Learning to get better.