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This is something I wrote that I just wanted to share with the folks here. It's my first attempt at longer, more descriptive/engaging writing. I hope you enjoy

This is something I wrote that I just wanted to share with the folks here. It's my first attempt at longer, more descriptive/engaging writing. I hope you enjoy it (even if it might not be strictly "hacker news").

merijnv 17y ago
More actively paying attention to my environment is something I have been trying to teach myself as well. Not much success so far. As far as the writing is concerned, it was engaging enough to keep me interested until the end. Which is more then I can say for a lot of blog posts. On entirely unrelated note, do you have any books you would recommend on (self-)hypnosis? It is a topic I am very interested in, but it is very hard to find good books on. Most books appear to be the trashy result of an author's "get rich quick"-scheme.
- nonrecursive 17y ago
  I'm glad it kept you interested! As for books on self-hypnosis, it's been so long since I've read anything about it that I don't remember what I've liked. However I do like the audio set "Relieve Anxiety with Medical Hypnosis". I never use it to actually hypnotize myself it because it puts me to sleep every time I listen to it, which is what I use it for.
dunstad 17y ago
I enjoyed reading it. Without getting too picky, the biggest thing I'd work on is making the article more cohesive. I get how superpowers and hypnosis are related, and I get how hypnosis is related to influencing people with words, but there's a lot of disconnect between A and C. The fourth and fifth paragraphs bored me a bit, so I skipped down to the next section. I don't find the history of magic and hypnosis nearly as interesting as your experiences with it, though perhaps that's a personal preference. I like the way you present words as tools to build or break bridges between people. That seems closest to what the piece is about. Finally, take my words with a grain of salt. It's your writing, after all. (P.S. Stephen King's On Writing is a great source of writing advice if you're interested.)
- nonrecursive 17y ago
  Thanks for the feedback. You know, I actually find the fourth and fifth paragraphs kinda boring myself. It seems like they either shouldn't be there or should be elaborated somehow. Someone else mentioned making it a short story, and I think if I were to do that I would add more to those paragraphs. One of the ideas that informed the writing (which I believe I first read on HN, incidentally), is something along the lines of "People rarely understand each other, and when they do it's usually by accident." That sentiment keeps coming up for me because I love, live with, and take care of someone with an illness which affects her cognitive function. She often can't find the right words, and it's been a struggle for me to let go of my perfectly reasonable interpretation of what she's said and believe her when she tells me she meant something different. For example, one night she said to me "You're such a wuss" when she meant "You're such a softie". This was so bizarre that it didn't bother me, but there have been other times when I've gotten pretty hurt. I can see how that experience might not be at all related to what I wrote, but the basic idea I'm trying to convey is my coming to understand how one of the only meaningful "powers" I can develop is the ability to connect with others, and the difficulty of that task.
mrtron 17y ago
It looks like a great first draft of a short story. Keep up the writing. I mean this in no way to be insulting of the quality of writing, I think the flow is just a bit rough.
- nonrecursive 17y ago
  Thanks! I've had the same feedback from other folks as well, and I agree.

merijnv 17y ago

More actively paying attention to my environment is something I have been trying to teach myself as well. Not much success so far. As far as the writing is concerned, it was engaging enough to keep me interested until the end. Which is more then I can say for a lot of blog posts. On entirely unrelated note, do you have any books you would recommend on (self-)hypnosis? It is a topic I am very interested in, but it is very hard to find good books on. Most books appear to be the trashy result of an author's "get rich quick"-scheme.

nonrecursive 17y ago
I'm glad it kept you interested! As for books on self-hypnosis, it's been so long since I've read anything about it that I don't remember what I've liked. However I do like the audio set "Relieve Anxiety with Medical Hypnosis". I never use it to actually hypnotize myself it because it puts me to sleep every time I listen to it, which is what I use it for.

dunstad 17y ago

I enjoyed reading it. Without getting too picky, the biggest thing I'd work on is making the article more cohesive. I get how superpowers and hypnosis are related, and I get how hypnosis is related to influencing people with words, but there's a lot of disconnect between A and C. The fourth and fifth paragraphs bored me a bit, so I skipped down to the next section. I don't find the history of magic and hypnosis nearly as interesting as your experiences with it, though perhaps that's a personal preference. I like the way you present words as tools to build or break bridges between people. That seems closest to what the piece is about. Finally, take my words with a grain of salt. It's your writing, after all. (P.S. Stephen King's On Writing is a great source of writing advice if you're interested.)

nonrecursive 17y ago
Thanks for the feedback. You know, I actually find the fourth and fifth paragraphs kinda boring myself. It seems like they either shouldn't be there or should be elaborated somehow. Someone else mentioned making it a short story, and I think if I were to do that I would add more to those paragraphs. One of the ideas that informed the writing (which I believe I first read on HN, incidentally), is something along the lines of "People rarely understand each other, and when they do it's usually by accident." That sentiment keeps coming up for me because I love, live with, and take care of someone with an illness which affects her cognitive function. She often can't find the right words, and it's been a struggle for me to let go of my perfectly reasonable interpretation of what she's said and believe her when she tells me she meant something different. For example, one night she said to me "You're such a wuss" when she meant "You're such a softie". This was so bizarre that it didn't bother me, but there have been other times when I've gotten pretty hurt. I can see how that experience might not be at all related to what I wrote, but the basic idea I'm trying to convey is my coming to understand how one of the only meaningful "powers" I can develop is the ability to connect with others, and the difficulty of that task.

mrtron 17y ago

It looks like a great first draft of a short story. Keep up the writing. I mean this in no way to be insulting of the quality of writing, I think the flow is just a bit rough.

nonrecursive 17y ago
Thanks! I've had the same feedback from other folks as well, and I agree.