#the type of soundboard Slice uses

[loafbud]

Lvckout in a nutshell

[thecoramaria]

Hello! I was wondering if you could give some tips on how to make fanfic chapters longer. I see a lot readers tend to like chapters around the 4k word mark or even more, but it's a feat if I write a chapter longer than 2k. The content I write is still good (imo) but I want to do more and am stuck on what to add that would benefit the fic and not be pointless filler. Thanks 🩷💛

Hey, Nonny!

First I'd just like to say that chapter length preferences among readers depend a lot on things like the type of fanfic and the platform you post on. For example, short chapters and frequent updates tend to be the standard on Wattpad. They're also pretty typical of episodic and/or slice-of-life stories. Because they rely on pre-established stories or worlds that the characters are familiar with, you just don't need to use as many words to move the plot forward every chapter (and in the case of an episodic story, you don't need to move an overarching plot forward at all, but from your ask, I don't get the vibe that you're trying to write that kind of thing).

Point is, sometimes short chapters work better for the story you're trying to tell, and they can also serve to make your story more binge-worthy (since it's easier to justify reading one more chapter), but they could lessen the experience for people following update-to-update, particularly if you don't update often. It's like the difference between being given a single piece of chocolate vs a full bar, you know?

If you really are set on posting longer chapters and believe this will make your story better, then here are my tips:

Figure out why your chapters are short in the first place. Is it because you make each scene its own chapter? Is it because your pacing flies past? Is it because it's light on details, or doesn't get specific enough? (E.g. "He set a tasty breakfast before her. She dug in with gusto." vs "He set a plate of steaming sunny-side-up eggs and crackling bacon before her. One wiff of the smokey, savoury aromas, and she snatched up her fork, shovelling it in. The salty crunch. The burst of creamy yolk. It was heaven.")

Combine chapters. If two or three chapters tie together nicely because they're part of the same arc, or take place in the same location, picking up where the other left off, those are good candidates to combine. Also if a chapter has an ending that doesn't give the reader a good reason to keep reading, but the next scene adds a jolt of tension back into the plot, that's also a good candidate for combining scenes/chapters.

Ask yourself what you can add to enhance what you already have there. For example, if you have a plot twist planned, is there a way you can include more foreshadowing? Is there an opportunity to flesh out your characters more? (If we mostly see a character put on a strong front, it'll tug our hearts when we see them show some vulnerability.) Is there an aspect of your worldbuilding that could use some explanation or showing off? (For example, if your plot involves saving the world, it's definitely a good idea to get your readers attached to said world.) Are there more obstacles you could add to the story that might also serve the previous purposes? Do you have a lot of high-tension back-to-back scenes that could use some quiet breather scenes in-between?

When editing, I've adopted the philosophy of "Cut as much as possible without sacrificing anything that enhances the story" as well as "Concise and precise" which means "say The Most with as few words as possible. To me, this is the key to avoiding filler in my own work, and how I create long stories that don't drag. I think that as you make your chapters longer, these are the ideas you should keep in mind, as these will help you determine if you're lengthening your story will pointless filler or adding something with value.

If you still struggle to make that distinction though, maybe find a beta-reader or a buddy who doesn't mind being spoiled for your work. You can soundboard your ideas with them to get a second opinion, because sometimes that's what you really need when you feel like there's something "wrong" with your work but you can't quite put your finger on it.

[gdresearchnthoughts]

Week 1 Research and plans

Resource：

dulcimer. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc, 2018. dulcimer. Oxford University Press, 2014. https://www.cmuse.org/dulcimer/ https://www.dulcimer.org.uk/schools/Page5.html

What is a dulcimer?

A dulcimer is a stringed folk instrument which basically comes in two different varieties: the hammered dulcimer – which has strings stretched over a sounding board with a trapezoidal shape, generally setting on a stand, angled in front of the player who strikes the strings with two small hammers called mallets and the Appalachian dulcimer – often referred to as a mountain dulcimer, is a narrower version of the zither family instrument, having three to five strings with a fingerboard that’s fretted which is held in the lap of the player who strums it with a small stick, sometimes referred to as a quill or plectrum, with the right hand while controlling the chords or melody with the left hand.

Dulcimers are considered to be one of the easiest instruments to learn how to play, making them ideal for beginners and children who want to play an instrument. In addition, they are also relatively quite, so they can be played just about anywhere anytime. In fact, a lot of people liken their soft sounds to being in a relaxing atmosphere, making them well-suited for either the personal relaxation of the player, for the creation of a relaxing environment for those listening, or both.

Nomenclature

The term ‘dulcimer’ derives from dulce melos (Gk. and Lat. ‘sweet sound’) and is common only in English (i.e. in Britain, North America, and New Zealand)

Dulcimer in different countries: HackbreƩ (Germany, Switzerland) Salterio (Mexico, Spain, Italy) Santur or Santoor (Iran, India) 扬琴(China) 大正琴（たいしょうごと）（Japan） Cimbalom (Hungary) Sandouri (Greece) Tsimbaly (Russia) Chang (Uzbekistan) Khim (Thailand) Dan Tam Thap (Vietnam) Hammered Dulcimer (UK and US) Different meaning: ‘Yang Qin’ (in Chinese) means ‘foreign instrument’ ‘HackbreƩ’ (in German) means ‘chopping board’!

 History The dulcimer first appeared among Scottish and Irish immigrants during the early nineteenth in the Appalachian Mountains. However, the instrument has no known predecessor in either Scotland or Ireland. Because of this, a large part of the dulcimer’s history has been speculative until fairly recently.

Structure 2 Kinds: Mountain dulcimer, hammer dulcimer The body of the dulcimer is almost universally a box construction, though sometimes bridges and strings are mounted on a plank with soundholes and battens, which creates a resonance chamber when the instrument is placed on a table. Some makers believe that there is a relation between the number of soundholes and the volume of sound, but instruments in Scotland and elsewhere have none and sound just as well. Soundboards are normally flat, but the 19th-century northern Irish dulcimer was curved or vaulted, as are some American instruments and some examples of the Chinese yangqin and Tibetan rgyud-mang. As a practical alternative to doubling the string lengths for every octave descent in range, a trapezial shape has been commonly adopted, with the strings at different tensions and sometimes of different thicknesses.

Most dulcimers are portable, some easily so, some less easily. Instruments with dampers operated by a pedal are necessarily built with legs (concert cimbalom, Uzbek chang, etc.), and legs are characteristic also of some American instruments. A neck strap is quite commonly used in eastern Europe and occasionally elsewhere (the Alps, Germany, Milan). Decoration varies widely; molding and marquetry are common, and the soundholes often have a rose carved in the soundboard or made of gilt paper, metal, or silken threads. It is thought to have been a Persian custom to inscribe poetry on the table. In China, the bridges are often delicately carved, and the outer edges of the Cantonese ‘butterfly harp’ are decoratively scalloped.

Bridges are of wood, but almost always with a wire rod or nail set in the top; in China, ivory caps are used instead of wire, and one small English type has a brass covering. There are numerous ways of arranging the bridges. On some instruments a long solid bridge divides all the strings into two playable parts; Virdung illustrated such an arrangement in 1511, and it is still found. A far commoner arrangement is shown in Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen’s Nativity(1512): two long bridges each carry half the courses, led alternately over one bridge and through cut-outs in the other. Normally only one bridge divides its strings into two sounding portions. This is called the treble bridge and the strings the treble strings. The long undivided strings crossing the other (bass) bridge are the bass strings. From the 18th century the bridges were sometimes segmented so that different strings could be divided into different proportions, and as early as 1636 Mersenne depicted an extra bridge on the left to bear two or three extra bass strings running the whole length of the instrument.

Though this particular instrument is generally associated with the elder generation, it is gradually becoming more and more popular with the younger generation who have discovered its unique sound and charms. Because of it being so easy to play, music teachers consider the dulcimer to be an excellent educational instrument as well. This being the case, these instruments are often used in an educational setting, with some classes even going so far as to make their own dulcimers, albeit made with cardboard due to limits in craftsmanship, skill, budget, and time.

Playing Basically, there are two fretting methods for the dulcimer. The first is to use the fingertips to depress the strings, which allows all the strings to be fretted and can produce chords. The second way is to depress the melody string, which is generally the closest to the player, using a noter. A noter can either be a short piece of bamboo or short length of dowel. When using this method, however, only the melody is fretted, with the other strings acting as drones.

The dulcimer attracts a wide variety of playing styles, such as being played with a bow, like a violin or “guitar style”, hanging from a strap around the neck of the player or just resting sideways in the lap. The dulcimer can be both fretted and strummed like a guitar. Other dulcimer players enjoy more traditional styles of playing, such as using a fingerstyle technique, such as using one hand to finger chords and the other to pluck individual strings. Musicians have imported a variety of playing techniques from other stringed instruments, adopting more and more complex techniques, which has greatly expanded the versatility of the dulcimer. This makes the Appalachian dulcimer not only easy to learn how to play but also capable of more complex music as well. The dulcimer is good for beginners, hobbyists, and professionals all the same; it’s good for all who want to learn how to play.

Comparing with other instruments: Easier to play compare with banjos and guitars because the finger placement is not necessary. A simple strum can produce the desired sound as a dulcimer doesn’t play sharps or flats, but instead all “white keys”, or the diatonic scale, making it is easy for picking out playing familiar folk tunes almost effortlessly.

The word dulcimer relates to music and music is abstract. All the materials and media I want to explore should be easy to present or approach abstract work.

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Music is an international language that links with people world widely.

Materials:

1. paper  Paper can be shaped and colored easily. I would like to slice it into thin rules. The rules can represent strings of dulcimer, the sound wave, music, emotion.

transparency paper Allow elements nest in different layers.

2. thread and nails Kind of same as paper, the shape will be sharper and easily layered. The rules can represent strings of dulcimer, the sound wave, music, emotion. 

3. iron wire   The hard surface allows the material to be nested 3D without lose the shape. The rules can represent strings of dulcimer, the sound wave, music, emotion. 

Media:

1. Photography  Explore with different lights, shutter speed setting

2. watercolor painting  Use the basic elements from dulcimer: holes, strings, the shape, explore abstract watercolor painting.  

3.projector Allow images combine with different surface together.

[man-reading]

Lost in Ferrari

Written by Chris Campanioni

Learning to drive the 2017 Ferrari GTC4 Lusso

Ferrari GTC4Lusso in white. Photo courtesy Ferrari 

I learned to drive the 2017 Ferrari GTC4Lusso by driving my 2011 Kia Forte on the NJ Turnpike, and imagining I was behind the wheel of Ferrari’s front-mid mounted 6.3-litre V12 engine shooting-brake 7-speed dual-clutch hatchback.

I don’t know what any of these numbers mean; I’m just reading from the e-mail Ferrari’s travel agent had sent an hour ago. When I was still moving with my own legs. As a rule, all writers do this, all the time, so it didn’t feel so strange, to drive through Staten Island, toward the Goethals Bridge, the NJ Turnpike, the rust and metal and the hot-trash stink of Elizabeth, and to picture I was rounding the foothills of the Apuan Alps instead, wind curving up my shirt and through my hair, squinting so you can see I really feel it.

The hatchback on my Kia Forte is probably the only similarity, besides the exterior’s cerulean hue. Ferrari’s three-door grand touring goes 0 to 62 in 3.4 seconds. The cost to own one, according to the spec sheet attached to the e-mail, is $300 thousand. The cost to drive one, for an afternoon, over the foothills of the Apuan Alps, and very likely, along the stretch of Marina di Pietrasanta’s gold-sand coast, is free, at least if you’ve been entrusted with the responsibility to write about it for the GTC4Lusso media launch.

But we’re not there yet. I’m still on the NJ Turnpike, somewhere across Elizabeth, revving my 2.0 4-cylinder engine under one, two, three white-silver specks which are embarking on their own journey, Newark Liberty International receding in the rearview. I’ll be on that jet tomorrow.

“You’d need to look up to understand how blurred your line of sight is, in the passenger seat or otherwise, when you’re going 208 miles per hour”

“So how fast does this machine go?” I ask, turning to the man in the passenger side who’d just switched seats, glancing up from the spec sheet which says 208 miles per hour. Spec sheets, like cell phones, are useless. They only give answers. What I want is to only ever ask questions; to know what you could never know; really, I’m not interested in how fast we’re going, or how fast we’re going to go. I want to know how it feels. I want to tell you how it feels.

You can’t ever get that from a spec sheet or a Google search. You’d need to look up to understand how blurred your line of sight is, in the passenger seat or otherwise, when you’re going 208 miles per hour.

Which we’re not.

Chris Campanioni driving the 2017 Ferrari GTC4 Lusso in the Apuan Alps. Photo courtesy Ferrari

The winding roads of the Apuan Alps are nearly one-lane in the Ferrari; Fiats and Lancias pull over at the sound of the approaching growl, except for the rare moments you turn a curving bend and slide by a commercial van or utility truck ambling in the opposite direction. The Aerautodromo di Modena this is not, but the GTC4Lusso is better for it, nimbly handling every literal bump of the road with the type of ease and immediacy I’d only ever witnessed in the movies. The thing about wish fulfillment is, Ferrari makes these aspirations of grandeur possible for the everyday driver, and this, more than anything else, is what sets the GTC4Lusso apart from its predecessors, and its competition, or at least the cars that trail behind, or pull over at the sound of that growl, the sort of operatic treble that distinguishes a Ferrari from any other car, my driving companion tells me, as much a part of the brand as the spirit of artistic innovation and adventure. And today we are having both.

It’s no surprise that Ferrari, which picks a different location for each of its media drives, chose Pietrasanta in Versilia to unveil the GTC4Lusso. Tuscany’s city of art has twenty-eight laboratories of marble and nine foundries of bronze, and its streets flourish with actual art objects, including a massive window without a frame that opens up to a long stretch of stone sidewalk into Piazza del Duomo, where we meet in the morning to pick up our keys and find our Ferraris, a dozen parked alongside a majestic monument of Leopoldo the II and the white-marbled gothic spires of La Collegiata, as the village’s red-bricked bell tower chimes, reminding us that time is money but adventure is always priceless.  

The night before, after a media presentation and dinner in the Museum of Sculpture and Architecture, a maestro regaled us under the half moon with a Stradivarius from 1728, a machine that creates a distinct acoustic because of its soundboard, itself a type of engine; the varnish, the wood, even the width producing a tonal accent that is inimitable. In that way, it sounded a lot like Ferrari, a company driven by luxury and sport but also by the desire to create something beautiful.

“Decades ago, Ferrari re-defined adventure. Now the automobile company is re-defining how we have adventures”

In Tuscany, at least on this balmy afternoon, all roads seem to lead to Lucca. Despite Ferrari’s pre-programmed GPS-guided route; 146 kilometers through six strategically-placed waypoints toward our eventual return to the Piazza del Duomo, we are circling Lucca, twisting around those mountain turns and idyllic villages as young boys and old men raise their arms up and cheer us on, hoping we’ll give them another growl in our wake. We’d lost the pack of other journalists sometime after Waypoint 1 and Waypoint 2, spotting the Mayor of Pietrasanta in a café’s parking lot, and pulling in to join him for a macchiato, what he referred to as “the unofficial checkpoint”—the first, it turns out, of many.

Decades ago, Ferrari re-defined adventure. Now the automobile company is re-defining how we have adventures. And it has attracted a new generation of drivers. Today, Ferrari drivers are ten years younger, and they are taking sixty percent of their trips with at least four passengers. So Ferrari responded with improved efficiency for CO2 and fuel consumption, and almost-instant responsiveness even at low revs, thanks to the GTC4Lusso’s new thrust vectoring control and its SSC4 Side Slip Control System, the closest thing to a car having its own sentience, with a brain that receives information from onboard sensors and grip estimation, intervening when necessary and adapting the car’s behavior to suit road surfaces and grip conditions of all types.

“This is the Ferrari you can use daily because customers want an everyday Ferrari,” the GT product manager explained to a room full of writers, the night before at the MuSA. In doing so, Ferrari has designed the GTC4Lusso with more storage space, more luggage space, more rear leg space; more space to create more adventures. Smiling toddlers in infant seats, skis and snow boots secured in the trunk, brown bags filled with apples, and carrots, and organic cream in the back seat.

A photo montage from the presentation flashes in my mind as we speed under another sign indicating LUCCA; the Fortezza delle Verrucole and five other points of interest shown in the 10.25-inch high-def touchscreen, all of these places we are supposed to be. Now we’re waiting for a call from Ferrari, from other journalists, from the Mayor, maybe, to tell us where to go, or how to get there.

“It could be worse,” my co-pilot admitted, navigating our ride in Ferrari’s new dual-cockpit passenger display; click anywhere on the map and it automatically becomes selected as a new point of interest on our ongoing route.

I ask him how much worse and he tells me about the time, in Spain, when a wave of writers were detained by Spanish police for speeding past their unmarked cars over the Pyrenees.

And in fact, in the GTC4Lusso, it only gets better, circling Lucca instead of following the rest of the pack toward Barga and the Verrucole Fortress, replacing a guided tour with our self-made journey, the way I think Ferrari always intended.

“Turn left,” the guidance instructs, in its best lady-like British voice. “Then go straight ahead.”

“You know what they call that in Virginia?” my co-pilot asks, turning to me, not really expecting an answer. “They say, ‘Drive straight on, and then keep on getting it.”

We keep getting it. Then we get some more. “I say, ‘Taste everything,’” I return, glancing back at him, the road a stretch of black-grey blur. “‘Then go back for seconds.’”

Eventually, we make it to lunch, as everyone else is preparing to depart. Rolling green hills, brick-walled ruins, more mountains studded with more enchanting villages. A view of the castle that everyone else has already visited, taking the same photos everyone else has. Espresso arrives at the table. Mounds of golden pillows called pasta fritta in a bowl to my left. Cured meats and cheeses from the region to my right. A hulking slice of beef still forthcoming. Unofficial Checkpoint 2, I think, as I take my first sip, glancing at the Mayor who’s now sitting at another table, speaking in Italian, probably relating the incident about the two American journalists who got lost moments in and joined him for a macchiato.

Ferrari GTC4Lusso in blue. Photo courtesy Ferrari

We pull in to the Piazza del Duomo next to only two other Ferrari. Unsurprisingly, we’ve arrived ahead of schedule. The idea of schedules was thrown out the window, or the panoramic low-e glass roof, several hours earlier.

“Don’t worry,” a Ferrari rep tells us, sitting on the stone steps that lead to the cathedral, hands on her knees, keeping time without a watch. “There’s two more right behind you.”

I stand silent for a moment, scanning for the potent purr that heralds a Ferrari, the V12 engine that customers say is their favorite part of the experience. I bend down, reach for a step, take a seat beside her as I think of titles to this story. All Roads Lead To Lucca, Unofficial Checkpoint, Points Of Interest, Lost In Ferrari.

Ferrari creates adventures. The point is to lose yourself.

[transl0cating-a-blog]

and now for something completely different.

There was a magical quality to the Winter Ball, one that was not lost upon Sombra as she entered the grand hall. It was a fancy event if she ever saw one, people adorned in their finery swirling about the dance floor and chatting it up with other guests. It seemed like so long ago that she had made the trip to Monaco with the rest of Talon. This was a lot like that, though it was missing the poker and roulette tables. A game of Blackjack might have been fun, too, were she not already on a mission of her own.

You see, these events were always so stuffy. Even if HIve City was different than back home, the way people behaved at these kinds of things was the same. Formal attire, droll music, extremely overdone manners. Everyone pretending they were in some kind of high-class society rather than a gilded cage. Rats, they were, free to do what they wanted so long as they stayed inside. Sombra was no exception, though she had yet to become complacent about it. As long as feeling remained in her toes while wearing these heels, the hacker was determined to really get the party jumping.

All she had to do was wait for the perfect opportunity. Powers were completely disabled while on the grounds of the ball, so using her ability was out of the question. This was fine-- After all, that technology stemmed from her extensive knowledge of hacking the old-fashioned way. The systems here were likely to be primitive and easy to slice into. All it would take was a minute or two and a well-timed distraction. 

Firstly, the matter of security. Most of the force seemed to be residents of the city rather than NPC’s, which posed sort-of an issue. Simple-minded NPC’s were easier to manipulate and get out of the picture as opposed to the others. There would need to be a fuss, something to draw people away from the sound booth long enough for her to be in and out without being noticed. Glancing around the corridor, Sombra noticed a server with a tray full of filled champagne glasses loitering on his own, looking quite bored. Yes, he would do.

Pulling a wad of bills out from her handbag, the hacker slid up next to him, whispering a few words before pressing the cash into his free hand. Winking, Sombra did not wait for a response-- She knew it would be sufficient incentive to do as she asked. The woman slipped out of sight, watching from the shadows as the man appeared to weigh his options, then start to move in the direction of a group of partygoers. She couldn’t help but grin when he brushed up against one of them, the tray tipping just enough for one of the glasses to slide off and shatter at their feet, sending shards and beverage flying. 

The chain reaction was beautiful, if she did say so herself. Sombra made a mental note to find a way to thank him later. After the first glass had fallen, the poor partygoer had nearly wet themselves in surprise, jerking around so suddenly that their arm caught the server’s tray and sent the rest flying. The cacophony that broke out was music to the hackers ears as the server began shouting and making a scene, nearly tripping over himself in his performance. She hoped it would grow into an altercation, as she noticed a couple members of the security contingent take notice and hurry over.

Even the person occupying the sound booth peered out to see the commotion. Sombra grinned to herself, slipping in the door after they left. The clock was ticking, the chaos without bound to be resolved within the next five minutes. Spotting a camera in the upper corner of the room, the hacker carefully maneuvered so she wouldn’t be seen, and pushed the device so it faced the cieling. Sombra immediately crossed to the soundboard, and set to work flipping switches and pressing buttons, rewiring certain things and typing commands into the main computer. The original playlist, consisting of hundreds, possibly thousands, of songs were wiped out, a new one blinking into existence. She could hear the noise outside dying down, the music on the dance floor cut off abruptly. The confusion was growing. Just a few seconds more....

Three keystrokes. A loud feedback noise blared over the speakers outside, Sombra wincing before adjusting the volume. Four more keystrokes. The ballroom is silent, until...

“ I like to sing! “

Thump.

“ Dance! “

Thump thump ding.

“ Pretend! “

Thump ding thump.

“ Annnd.... I like to have fun fun fun fUN FUN FUNFUNFUN! “

Sombra could hear chaos erupt as the beat dropped and the kitschy trap music engulfed the hall. It was time to leave and admire her handiwork. She did not worry about her playlist being taken off-air-- It would only stop after the entirety had been played. 54 minutes and 39 seconds of pure, unadulterated pandemonium.

Quickly and quietly as she came, the hacker exited the sound booth and slipped around the corner, just in time for security and the sound booth guy to return. She heard them frantically trying to fix the mess she had created. Laughing to herself, the hacker made her way upstairs, heading towards the balconies overlooking the dance floor. It was time to watch her masterpiece unfold.