Kurt Vonnegut Diagrams the Shape of All Stories in a Master’s Thesis Rejected by U. Chicago

Kurt Vonnegut’s master’s thesis in anthropology, rejected by the University of Chicago for its simplicity and playful nature, proposed that stories have shapes that can be graphed and that these shapes reflect cultural patterns as much as artifacts like pots or spearheads. His theory, illustrated through diagrams and examples, offers an insightful, accessible framework for understanding narrative structures, emphasizing clarity and directness that align with his writing style and philosophy. Vonnegut’s pioneering approach remains influential in discussions about storytelling, creative process, and the craft of writing.

https://www.openculture.com/2026/06/kurt-vonnegut-diagrams-the-shape-of-all-stories-in-a-masters-thesis-rejected-by-u-chicago.html

If You Are Asking for Human Attention, Demonstrate Human Effort

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Tom Bedor discusses the etiquette for sharing AI-generated content within teams, emphasizing that when requesting human attention, one should demonstrate human effort by reviewing and annotating AI output before sharing it. He advocates clearly labeling AI-generated material and adding personal commentary to respect teammates' limited attention spans and maintain a human touch in collaborative writing and code review.

https://tombedor.dev/human-attention-and-human-effort/

Recent Books by Guests on the Write Now with Scrivener Podcast

The Write Now with Scrivener podcast features several authors who have recently published notable books, including Veronica Roth’s dystopian fantasy “Seek The Traitor’s Son,” Kate Heartfield’s historical epic “Mercutio,” and David Goodman’s spy thriller “Solitary Agents.” Other highlighted authors include Jessica Payne, Fonda Lee, and science writer Carl Zimmer, each discussing their latest works and experiences on the podcast. The article offers links to their books and podcast episodes for further exploration.

https://www.literatureandlatte.com/blog/recent-books-by-guests-on-the-write-now-with-scrivener-podcast

Write Now with Scrivener, Episode No. 63: Lili Taylor, Actor and Birder

Actor Lili Taylor, an avid birder, has written a book titled Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing, which explores how birding fosters mindfulness and listening skills. She connects her passion for birding with her acting career, emphasizing the importance of listening, and shares how technology like the Merlin Bird ID app and Scrivener software supports both her birding and writing processes.

https://www.literatureandlatte.com/blog/write-now-with-scrivener-episode-no-63-lili-taylor-actor-and-birder

Pandoc-Templates.org

Pandoc-templates.org is a comprehensive collection of diverse templates designed for use with Pandoc, a document conversion tool. The site offers various LaTeX, HTML, PDF, DOCX, and EPUB templates suited for tasks ranging from academic papers, theses, resumes, letters, to specialized formats like IEEE papers and grant proposals, facilitating the conversion of Markdown into professionally formatted documents with ease. These templates cater to different writing and publishing needs, supporting formats compatible with many academic and professional standards.

https://pandoc-templates.org/

STRAT_SCRAPS — The Strategy & Planning Scrapbook

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The Strategy & Planning Scrapbook is an expanded, curated collection of strategy frameworks, creative provocations, and planning tools drawn from years of experience in brand strategy and advertising, compiled by Alex Morris. It is divided into six sections covering problem definition, insights, brief writing, communication, practical brief usage, and creative evaluation, with more than 170 pages of content available online. The scrapbook has also evolved into a newsletter offering weekly strategic thinking, cultural observations, and creative provocation.

https://scrapbook.stratscraps.com/

Authorship Arrives on Windows

iA Writer for Windows 2.1 introduces the highly requested Authorship feature, which highlights the origins of text to distinguish original writing from quoted, borrowed, or AI-generated content, enhancing transparency in collaborative and AI-assisted writing. The update also includes significant performance improvements, a new iA Account system for easy sign-in without license keys, and user-selectable highlighting colors, all available as a free upgrade for existing users.

https://ia.net/topics/authorship-arrives-on-windows

A University of Florida Professor Stopped Fighting AI in His Classroom: A Peer-Reviewed Study Followed

Dr. Brian Harfe of the University of Florida redesigned a writing assignment to incorporate AI-generated drafts, requiring students to revise these drafts to reflect their own views, thereby shifting the focus from detecting AI use to understanding how students engage with AI tools. Using Grammarly Authorship to track word-level AI contributions, a study of 310 essays found that students generally engaged deeply with the AI drafts, with higher-performing students revising more extensively, suggesting that thoughtful assignment design can promote meaningful student interaction with AI rather than simply penalizing its use.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/institutions/ai-writing-assignments-research/

Tell Us Your Story

The article invites people to share their personal stories about how iA Writer, a focused writing app, has positively impacted their lives or work, highlighting its significance through testimonials from notable users like Stephen Fry and John Gruber. These stories reveal that iA Writer has helped a diverse range of individuals—from writers and artists to those with disabilities—improve their focus, complete projects, and find joy in writing. The collected experiences will contribute to a documentary about software that makes a meaningful difference.

https://ia.net/topics/tell-us-your-story

No Slop Grenade

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The article criticizes the practice of sending overly long, AI-generated responses—termed “slop grenades”—in conversations where a brief, human answer would suffice. It argues that such verbose replies waste time, hinder dialogue, and defeat the purpose of direct communication, urging people to use AI to clarify rather than to overwhelm.

https://noslopgrenade.com/

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