Melissa GoutyNov 6, 20193 minReading is Good for the World. Really. Reading makes us aware of other people’s feelings. It also helps us understand our own. It makes us more empathic and altruistic.
Melissa GoutyNov 4, 20194 minWhy We Need Pictures With Our WordsEmojis. GIFs. Videos. Visual communication is changing the world. What will happen to writers and the written word?
Melissa GoutyOct 30, 20193 minOne Writer's Motivation....And Maybe Yours, TooMy motivation for writing is to release ideas, play with words, and make connections with others. Money should not be the motivation.
Melissa GoutyOct 22, 20194 minWhat Writers - and Others - Can Learn From Ben Franklin Among Franklin's many other projects, he decided he would undertake "the bold and arduous project of arriving at Moral Perfection"
Melissa GoutyOct 22, 20191 minUniversal Experiences a la Willa CatherThe universals of human experience are reflected in Willa Cather's quote from O Pioneers. "There are only two or three human stories, and th
Melissa GoutyOct 21, 20194 minSnippets of Souls: What We Can Learn from JournalsJournals and diaries are essential "old-fashioned" methods to preserve snippets of souls: the lives, people, and personalities of our past.
Melissa GoutyOct 4, 20193 minA Raucous, Racy Diary - and Why We Still Read It 300 Years LaterWilliam Byrd's Diary 300 year-old diary is filled with good health, good thoughts, and good humor - and coded references to sex.