When it comes to places to eat during your family vacation, don't settle for a boring chain restaurant. Add a little excitement and a hint of culture to your dining experience by checking out a few of our favorite locally-owned Gatlinburg family restaurants.
If you are looking to enjoy a well crafted beer and food that matches perfectly then you need to try the Smoky Mountain Brewery! "The Brewery" as it is referred to by locals is a hometown favorite. The restaurants proudly boasts its own handcrafted beers and delicious food offerings. They currently offer 7 different beers. On the menu you can find items such as wings, handmade pizza, burgers, and more!
Moreover, on most nights you can enjoy live music and trivia at the restaurant. There are also multiple TV's so it's the perfect place to catch a game! To see the full menu for the food and bar, click here!
If breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, then what better way to start a blog about the best local Gatlinburg family restaurants than mentioning our favorite pancake house? The friendly folks have been serving up a delicious breakfast for guests for over 55 years.
In addition to mouthwatering pancakes, this restaurant also offers savory bacon, melt-in-your-mouth crepes, fluffy omelets, and more! They also offer a hearty selection of lunch items if you aren't too keen on breakfast foods.
The Pancake Pantry is located in the heart of Downtown Gatlinburg, next door to The Village Shops. You can find both their breakfast and lunch menus on their website by clicking here.
Crystelle Creek Restaurant & Grill is one of our favorite local Gatlinburg family restaurants thanks to its picturesque setting. Located next door to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you will enjoy a serene atmosphere with a relaxing view of the creek and koi pond just outside when you choose to eat here.
In addition to the beautiful scenery, this restaurant also features some of the best food in the area. With your choice of fresh seafood, dry-rubbed ribs, aged steaks, tasty chicken, succulent sides, and amazing desserts, we can guarantee you will not leave hungry.
This restaurant is perfect for families, couples, and groups wanting to share a memorable meal in Gatlinburg.
Click here for more details about Crystelle Creek Restaurant & Grill.
The Seasons of Ober Restaurant is unique in that it is one of the only eateries in the area to be located on top of a mountain. Seasons of Ober is located inside the ski lodge at the Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort.
For over 50 years, Ober Gatlinburg has been a staple in the community in terms of fun and family-friendly entertainment. Not only can you spend the winter here ice skating and testing your skills on the ski slope, there is a ton of exciting warm-weather activities found here as well, including two alpine coasters, a wildlife exhibit, a kids' play area, and more!
In addition, there are several shops and gift areas where you can pick up a souvenir or two to remember how much fun you had at Ober Gatlinburg.
You can reach the restaurant and ski resort either by driving and parking in the parking lot, or you can treat yourself to a fun ride on the Aerial Tramway that takes you from downtown Gatlinburg up to the resort. We recommend the tramway because it is a unique way to experience some of the best scenic views of our area.
For more information about the Seasons of Ober Restaurant, including a menu and hours of operation, click here.
Looking for more great places to eat in Gatlinburg? Check out these Gatlinburg restaurants with outdoor seating!


A new Alchemy feature has been implemented in the Workshop, offering two Alchemy options.
The 5* Alchemy Box is essentially a 5*-guaranteed Job Gacha that costs three 5* items per draw.
Ingredient items should be native 5* (i.e. 5* items upgraded from 4* or 3* will not be accepted).
6* items upgraded from native 5* are considered native 5*.
The outcome of a 5* Alchemy session will be one of the listed 5* gears and will not be any of the ingredient items consumed in the process.
The list includes all 5* items except for the newest ones as well as the time-limited Chocobo weapons and FFBE armors (as of September 18, 2017).
The 4* Alchemy Box is essentially a 4* or 5*-guaranteed Job Gacha that costs three 4* items per draw.
Ingredient items should be native 4* (i.e. 4* items upgraded from 3* will not be accepted).
5* and 6* items upgraded from native 4* are considered native 4*.
The outcome of a 4* Alchemy session will be one of the listed 4*/5* gears and will not be any of the ingredient items consumed in the process.
The list includes all 4*/5* items except for the newest ones as well as the time-limited Chocobo weapons and FFBE armors (as of September 18, 2017).
This gives players a chance, albeit a tiny one, to convert their unnecessary 4* items into 5* gears.
The Alchemy Icon is placed in the bottom right corner of the Workshop Menu.
This page was last edited on 8 October 2017, at 18:27.


text:
\section{Introduction}

One of the most important changes in observational astronomy of the 21st Century is a rapid shift from classical object-by-object observations to extensive automatic surveys. As CCD detectors are getting better and their prices are getting lower, more and more small and medium-size observatories are refocusing their attention to detection of stellar variability through systematic sky-scanning missions. This trend is aditionally powered by the success of pioneering surveys such as ASAS \citep{pojmanski1997}, DENIS \citep{epchtein1997}, OGLE \citep{udalski1997}, TASS \citep{richmond2000}, their space counterpart {\em HIPPARCOS} \citep{perryman1997} and others. Such surveys produce massive amounts of data and it is not at all clear how these data are to be reduced and analysed. This is especially striking in the eclipsing binary (EB) field, where most frequently used tools are optimized for object-by-object analysis. A clear need for thorough, reliable and fully automated approaches to modeling and analysis of EB data is thus obvious. This task is very difficult because of limited data quality, non-uniform phase coverage and parameter interdependency. In an ongoing effort to create an automatic EB reduction pipeline, we put Powell's direction set method to the test. To the best of our knowledge, Powell's direction set method was never used before for solving the inverse problem of EBs.

\section{The Method}

Often neglected and overlooked, Powell's direction set method\footnote{Although the method is still referred to as Powell's method, the algorithm actually used is due to \cite{brent1973}, who pointed out and corrected several flaws of Powell's original algorithm.} \citep[Chapter 7]{brent1973} is a derivativeless multi-dimensional method that utilizes 1-di\-men\-si\-o\-nal minimization algorithm along a chosen direction in parameter hyperspace. It is quadratically convergent, which makes it one of the fastest methods for solving non-linear minimization problems.

The basic idea of Powell's method is to select a starting point $\vec P (p_1, \dots, p_n)$ in parameter hyperspace, and minimize the cost function along some chosen direction vector $\vec n$ using 1-D minimizer such as bracketing or Brent's parabolic method \citep[Chapter 5]{brent1973}. There is a wealth of direction set method derivatives which differ only on how and at which point of iteration is the next direction vector $\vec n$ chosen \citep{press1986}. The most appreciated scheme for choosing successive directions is the conjugate gradient method, which we now briefly describe.

When the cost function is minimized along the direction $\vec n$, the gradient in the obtained minimum is necessarily perpendicular to that direction. If it were not, that would mean that the projection of the gradient to that direction is non-null, which would in turn mean that the point was not really a minimum. The cost function may be expanded in Taylor series around that minimum:
$$
f (\vec p) = f (\vec P) + \sum_i \parc{f(\vec P)}{p_i} p_i + \frac 12 \sum_i \sum_j \parcsq{f (\vec P)}{p_i}{p_j} p_i p_j + \dots =
$$
\begin{equation}
= f (\vec P) - \vec b \cdot \vec p + \frac 12 \vec p^\dagger \cdot \vec H \cdot \vec p,
\end{equation}
where $\vec b$ is the negative gradient of $f$ and $\vec H$ is the Hessian matrix of second partial derivatives of $f$ at $\vec P$. The gradient is then simply expressed as:
\begin{equation} \label{powell_gradient}
\nabla f(\vec P) = \vec H \cdot \vec p - \vec b.
\end{equation}
From Eq.~(\ref{powell_gradient}) we may immediately deduce the change of the gradient along the chosen direction:
\begin{equation}
\delta \left( \nabla f (\vec P) \right) = \delta \left( \vec H \cdot \vec p - \vec b \right) = \vec H \cdot \left( \delta \vec p \right).
\end{equation}

To adopt the best possible direction from the found minimum $\vec P$, the method must seek an orthogonal (conjugate) direction to the former direction vector, which obviously has to point along the direction of the gradient. If the former direction is denoted with $\vec n$ and the new direction is denoted with $\vec m$, then:
\begin{equation} \label{conjugates}
\vec n \cdot \delta \left( \nabla f (\vec P) \right) = \vec n \cdot \vec H \cdot \vec m = 0.
\end{equation}

When Eq.~(\ref{conjugates}) holds for vectors $\vec n$ and $\vec m$, they are said to be \emph{conjugate}. For as long as the minimization is done \emph{only} in conjugate directions, a single minimization along a given direction is necessary, which implies quadratic con\-ver\-gen\-ce. Note that there is no need to compute the gradients at any point -- only the orthogonality condition is used. This enables Powell's direction set method to preserve its derivativeless nature.

\section{Simulation}

To assess the successfulness of Powell's direction set method for EBs, we im\-ple\-men\-ted the algorithm in PHOEBE\footnote{PHOEBE stands for PHysics Of Eclipsing BinariEs and is freely downloadable from {\tt http://phoebe.fiz.uni-lj.si}. It is based on the modeling principles of the WD code \citep{wilson1971, wilson1979}.} \citep{prsa2005}. For comparison purposes the simulation setup is identical to that of Nelder \& Mead's downhill simplex benchmarking \citep{prsa2005b}. Namely, we built a partially eclipsing synthetic main-sequence F8\,V--G1\,V binary with its principal pa\-ra\-me\-ters listed in Table \ref{params}.

\begin{table}[t]
\begin{center}
\begin{tabular}{ll}
  \includegraphics[width=5cm,height=10cm]{synthetic.eps} &
  \raisebox{5cm}[0pt]{
    \begin{tabular}{lrrr}
    \hline \hline
    Parameter [units] &       & Binary &       \\
                      & F8\,V &        & G1\,V \\
    \hline \\
    $P_0$ [days]                         & &  1.000 & \\
    $a\,\,\,[R_\odot]$                   & &  5.524 & \\
    $q=m_2/m_1$                          & &  0.831 & \\
    $i\,\,\,[{}^\circ]$                  & & 85.000 & \\
    $T_\mathrm{eff}\,\,\,[\mathrm K]$    &   6200 & &   5860 \\
    $L\,\,\,[L_\odot]$                   &  2.100 & &  1.100 \\
    $M\,\,\,[M_\odot]$                   &  1.236 & &  1.028 \\
    $R\,\,\,[R_\odot]$                   &  1.259 & &  1.020 \\
    $\Omega\,\,\,[-]\,{}^{\mathrm{(a)}}$ &  5.244 & &  5.599 \\
    $\log (g/g_0)\,\,\,[-]\,{}^{\mathrm{(b)}}$ &  4.33  & &  4.43  \\
    \hline \\
    \multicolumn{4}{p{6.4cm}}{${}^{\mathrm{(a)}}$~Unitless effective potentials
    defined} \\
    \multicolumn{4}{p{6.4cm}}{\ \ \ \ by \citet{wilson1979}.} \\
    \multicolumn{4}{p{6.4cm}}{${}^{\mathrm{(b)}}$~$g_0 = 1 \mathrm{cm}\,
    \mathrm{s}^{-2}$ is introduced so that} \\
    \multicolumn{4}{p{6.4cm}}{\ \ \ \ the logarithm acts on a
    dimension-} \\
    \multicolumn{4}{p{6.4cm}}{\ \ \ \ less variable.} \\
    \end{tabular}
  } \\
  \end{tabular}
\end{center}
\caption{Light curves in $B$ and $V$ passbands, star shapes and principal parameters of the simulated binary.}
\label{params}
\end{table}

In the simulation we have displaced parameters marked for adjustment (inclination $i$, temperature ratio $\tau = T_2/T_1$, potentials $\Omega_1$ and $\Omega_2$) up to $\sim 50\%$ from their correct values and started the minimization from each starting point. Attractors -- regions in parameter hyperspace that attract most convergence traces -- reveal the shape of the minimum and parameter correlations that lead to degeneracy issues. This method is known as \emph{heuristic scanning} (HS) and is described in detail by \cite{prsa2005}. During HS, only Powell's direction set method was used. Additionally, passband luminosities $L_1^i$ were computed instead of being fitted and color index constraining was used to disentangle effective temperatures of individual components (see \cite{prsa2006} for rationale and details of color index constraining).

\begin{figure}[!t]
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=13cm]{heuristics.eps} \\
\end{center}
\caption{Heuristic scan cross-sections between potentials $\Omega_1$, $\Omega_2$, inclination $i$, secondary star temperature $T_2$ and the normalized $\chi^2$ cost function value $\lambda$. Panels depict cross-sections between $\Omega_1$-$i$ (upper left), $\Omega_1$-$\Omega_2$ (upper right), $\Omega_1$-$T_2$ (lower left) and $\Omega_1$-$\lambda$ (lower right). Shades of gray symbolize the goodness-of-fit value, black being best and white being worst. Cross-hairs denote the right solution.}
\label{hs}
\end{figure}

Compared to other minimization methods implemented in PHOEBE, na\-me\-ly differential corrections (DC) and Nelder and Mead's downhill simplex method (NMS), Powell's method stands out for two reasons: {\bf 1)} the solution found by HS is significantly better determined than by the other two methods. Since DC is based on computing and evaluating derivatives, it is known to diverge when parameters are not close to the minimum. NMS on the other hand always converges, but the HS solution needs to be \emph{focused} by subsequent parameter kicking (c.f.~\cite{prsa2005} and Fig.~6 therein). Powell's method is superior in this respect because the solution depicted on Fig.~\ref{hs} is determined without any need for additional focusing. Panels show the cross-sections between fitted parameters: potentials $\Omega_1$ and $\Omega_2$, the inclination $i$, secondary star's effective temperature $T_2$ and the normalized $\chi^2$ cost function value $\lambda$. Emerging shapes of the obtained minima indicate \emph{regions} (rather than individual points) that contain the solution; {\bf 2)} the required number of iterations to reach the desired fractional accuracy in parameter values is significantly lower than that of DC or NMS. Fig.~\ref{hist} depicts the comparison between the number of iterations required by the NMS method (left) and Powell's method (right). It should be stressed, however, that the number of iterations does not directly translate to the number of function evaluations: Powell's method performs line minimization in each iteration. If this minimization is performed in a direction along which the fitted parameters are correlated, it will require many function evaluations. This implies that the time cost of the overall computation does not scale with the number of iterations directly but rather depends on solution degeneracy and topology of the hyperspace. Still, given the problem at hand, Powell's method required roughly 5 times less CPU time than the NMS.

\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=6.5cm,height=3.25cm]{nms.histiter.eps}
\includegraphics[width=6.5cm,height=3.25cm]{powell.histiter.eps} \\
\end{center}
\caption{Comparison between the number of iterations required for convergence to the fractional accuracy $10^{-3}$ in all physical parameters for Nelder and Mead's downhill simplex (NMS) method (left) and Powell's method (right). Clearly Powell's method is superior to the NMS. Note, however, that the number of iterations does not directly translate to the number of function evaluations (and thus time cost): within 1 iteration Powell's method performs line minimization along the chosen direction, which may in some circumstances imply many function evaluations.}
\label{hist}
\end{figure}

\section{Conclusion and Discussion}

Powell's method provides a solid base for further studies dedicated to solving the inverse problem for EBs in a fully automatic manner. There are two important problems that need to be worked out in order to optimize the application of this method: {\bf 1)} the non-ortogonality\footnote{By non-ortogonality we mean parameters explicitly depending on other parameters. For example, effective potential $\Omega$ explicitly depends on the mass ratio $q$ and the synchronicity parameter $F$ (c.f.~Eq.~2 of \cite{wilson1979}), yet both $q$ and $F$ appear as independent parameters in the model.} of parameter hyperspace due to classical formulation of the problem needs to be removed, which will eliminate problematic directions for line minimization and thus significantly reduce the number of function evaluations, hence the time cost; {\bf 2)} seek alternate algorithms for de\-ter\-mi\-ning subsequent sets of directions that would better suit the problem at hand. In particular, initial directions that are now set along individual parameters could be better estimated by the singular value decomposition (SVD): a method that quantifies the influence of a given parameter on the fit. This way the method could rapidly descend toward the minimum in the initial iteration already. Although Powell's direction set method seems to be most promising for automatic modeling and analysis, its time cost is still significant for large-scale surveys and needs to be furtherly reduced in future.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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text:
Story Science
Minimalist Reviews
Why Story Science?
Glossary of Story Terms
Tag Archives: novel
advice, books, games, how-to, movies, Story Science, TV
Why Does Success or Failure Matter? A Quick and Easy Guide to Creating Stakes in Storytelling
April 7, 2020 James Gilmore	2 Comments
Let's start at the beginning—
What Are Stakes?
Stakes are what a character stands to lose if they fail, or if they don't do something. But more than that, stakes are the why.
What about motivation, you ask? Motivation is also a why, isn't it? Yes! But stakes create that motivation.
If a character doesn't have a reason to do something, then they aren't motivated. When that character acts without being motivated to do so, we don't understand why the character is doing what they do. It ends up feeling forced or contrived.
However, knowing what's at stake if they don't act gives that character a reason to move forward—because the alternative (not taking action) is worse.
In story terms, stakes are why something matters—decisions, complications, obstacles, plot points, etc.
Why Are Stakes Important?
Without stakes, you can't have those big pivotal moments where the hero makes a choice between Option A and Option B. Stakes crystallize why a reluctant hero must rise to the challenge to take on a difficult task because what they stand to lose if they don't take action is worse. Stakes are why the hero can't just walk away from the people relying on him/her/them and take the easy way out.
What If My Story Doesn't Have Stakes?
If you don't know already, I'm a story consultant. All too often, I see screenplays, novels or tabletop game materials that are missing stakes.
This lack of stakes will tank your story's impact in a number of ways:
The audience won't understand your characters' motivations.
The audience won't invest in your characters or your story.
The audience will feel like the plot has not point.
The audience will come away feeling like the story was a waste of time.
Stakes make the decisions and actions of the characters matter. Stakes are why we invest in the protagonist and their success. As we, the audience, bond with those characters, their success or failure becomes ours.
Nobody wants that.
How Do I Put Stakes in My Story?
Once you know how stakes fit into the narrative formula, it's actually quite simple. The easy place to start is in terms of "life and death" because the outcome of success (life) or failure (death) is so concrete. That's your starting point.
Next, let's abstract that idea to character growth ("life") or character death ("death"). Characters must continue to grow and develop or they become stagnant, which is "character death" from a narrative perspective.
A character that ceases to grow is for all intents and purposes "dead." If your protagonist has become stagnant, something must happen to make them grow again. Nobody wants to follow a protagonist that stays narratively dead. Instead, they want to experience a character moving forward in growth, meaning success or "life" in the narrative.
Many movies start out with the protagonist "stuck" in a status quo that does not allow them to grow, motivating a need for change but unable to move forward without the inciting incident that will change everything.
A protagonist who finds themselves in a dead-end job and marriage has died, proverbially or narratively. But then some spark suddenly introduces itself and they now have the opportunity to grow again—to choose "life." Or, the protagonist can remain where they are by choosing "death." (Think American Beauty.)
Some people find it helpful to think of the "life" part of stakes as the character's "way of life." That is, the way of life that is best for the character, usually involving growth or moving forward in some way.
Faced with the two choices, the protagonist is motivated to choose growth ("life") on the new path. But there will be obstacles along the way that block the protagonist's path, threatening to send the character back into stagnancy ("death"). If the character overcomes the obstacle, they succeed and move on, continuing to grow. Failure means a setback (if the stakes are lower). Later in the story, when the stakes are high enough, failure means a return to death.
So a rough formula might look something like this:
Stakes > Motivates Action/Decision > Character Proactively Acts/Decides > Faces Obstacle > Fails or Succeeds
If Succeed > Raise Stakes
If Fail > "Character Death"
Tips for Putting Stakes in Your Story
Here are a few quick tips to help you put stakes in your story:
The stakes must be clear, always.
The stakes must be big enough to motivate action or decision.
Don't go too long without reminding the audience what's at stake.
The strongest stakes confront characters with "death"—metaphorical, proverbial, or literal.
Start small, go big. Use that contrast to create a sense of rising conflict.
You can always go bigger.
Can you lower the stakes? Only if other, bigger stakes present themselves.
Once an obstacle is overcome, raise the stakes (repeat as needed).
Use other characters to illustrate the consequence of failure (i.e., the stakes).
Use antagonists to actively work against the protagonist, enforcing the stakes.
Your antagonists have stakes, too. What motivates them to succeed over the protagonist?
Use escalation and counter-escalation to continually raise the stakes.
Making It Matter: Examples of How Stakes Work
Let's say we have a male character that runs a business. He is motivated to complete a big project for his biggest client. He's operating a business, after all. But that motivation alone is not very strong. Knowing why he wants to complete the project strengthens that motivation significantly. We add that "why" with stakes.
Here's how we might do that:
The project is on a tight deadline.
It requires his entire workforce.
If he fails to deliver the project at high quality and on time, he may lose that client forever.
If he loses his biggest client, his struggling business will fold, and everyone will lose their jobs.
The business owner will lose the business he built from the ground up for more than 40 years.
If the audience knows those five whys—what the stakes are for failure—the owner's motivation suddenly becomes a helluva lot more powerful. Because we know the whys, as the audience, we invest in that character's success and want him to succeed. He knows the stakes, too, driving him forward. The more the character wants to succeed, the more the audience will want it for him.
Raising the Stakes
Throughout your story, there should be a general rise in the stakes. At each obstacle or plot point, you can "raise the stakes." When you raise the stakes, you are adding more to what your character will lose if they fail. It not only fuels motivation so they don't give up when faced when bigger and harder obstacles, but keeps the story interesting and the audience invested. By the time you reach the big climax in act three, the stakes should be at the highest possible point.
The simplest way to raise the stakes is to throw in a new complication. After all, you can't sit on the same stakes forever or the audience will get bored. Adding a complication, bump, or obstacle in the protagonist's goal-seeking puts pressure on the character, making it harder to achieve that goal. Again, the stakes make all of that matter.
How much can you raise the stakes? All the way! But keep it appropriate to the world of your story.
For example, you can go: Loss of face > loss of status > loss of livelihood > loss of life > loss of family's life > loss of country > loss of world > loss of universe > loss of time and existence.
However, going all the way to the "loss of time and existence" may be too big to be appropriate for your story. A smaller, character-oriented story will run on a smaller scale than a big action sci-fi story. But, as with the narrative character "life" and "death" concept, the "loss of time an existence" can be expressed in metaphorical terms in relation to the character. For example, our business owner may feel this way about the loss of his business.
Speaking of which….
Example of Raising the Stakes
Let's return to the example of the business owner:
Time to throw in something new—a complication to the business owner's goal. He discovers one of his employees is stealing from him, jeopardizing the project. If it continues, the project won't be completed on time and the business owner risks losing money, the client, his business, and more.
To overcome the obstacle, the business owner proactively confronts the employee, who responds by threatening to frame the owner for fraud—raising the stakes.
How does this raise the stakes? Now the stakes are bigger than before: The business owner stands to lose his biggest client, business, livelihood, the livelihood of his employees, and he's in danger of losing his reputation and going to prison.
We can do this in other ways, too:
The business could burn down, or the client pulls their order without paying at the last minute, or the employees stage a walkout because of the long hours they've been working. Maybe all of these complications happen, adding pressure to the business owner and illustrating for the audience how close to failure the protagonist is.
In the third act, the stakes may inflate to their biggest size yet.
Maybe the business is a small biotech research laboratory. An insider from his client reveals that if the lab can't deliver this order on time, they won't be able to contain a dangerous pandemic. The stakes jump from loss of livelihood and reputation to global life and death.
Without stakes, none of it would matter.
There's an added bonus in working out the stakes for your story. Did you notice how, in doing that, we inadvertently (but deliberately) outlined an entire story and all its major turning points? And what a dramatic story it is!
If you are struggling with structuring our outlining the major beats or plot points of your story, consider looking to the stakes and seeing if that helps you get over that hump to reach the finish line.
featurefictionfilmfilmmakingnovelnovellaoutliningscript problemsshortshort filmsstage playstorytellingtelevisiontv pilotvideogamewriting
books, movies, Story Science
Adapting Your Screenplay to Novel: Turning Your Script into a Book
February 20, 2019 James Gilmore	Leave a comment
So you've recently completed this amazing big budget blockbuster screenplay . Now you want to make something happen with it. The problem is: No one is biting.
Because big budget spec scripts don't sell. (You can read more about that in my previous article.)
Maybe your best next step is to consider adapting your screenplay into a novel. Although this is the reverse of how the process usually works (books adapted into movies are more common), that doesn't mean this road is any less viable. In fact, adapting your completed screenplay into a book should be a go-to course of action if your screenplay is still gathering dust after a year or two.
Recently, I decided to take a big budget fantasy script that was a pet project of mine and transform it into something marketable. That meant tossing aside the idea that this script would be sold on spec (it wouldn't) and taking a more realistic approach: Turning my screenplay into a novel.
Having embarked on this new experience, I can now offer some helpful advice on what to expect when you adapt your spec script into a book.
If you haven't dusted off that old screenplay lately, maybe it's time to turn it into a book!
Why Adapting Your Screenplay Into a Novel is a GREAT IDEA
1. It's far easier to get a book published than to get a screenplay made. And lastly, a successful novel will help build the IP required to support that big budget sci-fi/fantasy/superhero spec script you wrote.
2. You already know the characters, story and world. Much of the hard work is already done. Writing the novel will also help deepen your understanding of each of these elements, in turn making the script even better (assuming you update it).
3. Simply put: It's fun! So much more fun than I can put into words. The rush of writing those big visuals as they splash and evolve across the screen is simply indescribable. Why not enjoy what you love doing most?
CHALLENGES TO EXPECT
1. You Can't Just Paste a Screenplay and Expect a Novel to Happen.
I cannot understate this point. Movies and book simply aren't the same. This may seem obvious at first, but the differences are deeper and truer than even most professional realize. They handle storytelling in different ways. For you, this means you can't just copy and paste your script into prose format. You will have to invest time in writing the book for the medium.
J.R.R. Tolkien once stated that his genre-defining epic The Lord of the Rings could not be filmed for this very reason. The effort to successfully adapt the series to screen required monumental effort by Peter Jackson and his many, many teams of moviemakers.
Cut-and-paste didn't work going from book-to-screen, so it won't work in reverse, either.
2. Not Everything Translates from Screen to Page.
Certain storytelling constructs will require additional effort to make them work. For example:
Novels reveal the internal monologue / film does not
Action thrives on screen / requires more work in prose
Screenplays are leaner, less forgiving / books have more freedom to explore
Novels are longer, so can have wider variance in structure / script structure is fairly rigid
3. You Will Have Gaps — Big Ones.
Whereas a screenplay has the magical effect of stimulating the imagination with minimal words on the page, and a movie has the luxury of using dedicated specialists to realize design for costumes, sets and atmosphere, a novel must do most of this for itself. For example, characters will require more description to capture the reader's imagination.
Likewise, objects, sensations, visuals, impressions and feelings will take a little more exploration to make the same impact. Things you wouldn't normally have to mention in a screenplay (because their presence is implied by the location, for example) often demand a mention to help set the scene as well.
Writers like J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien demonstrate a remarkable gift for writing minimal description to communicate their ideas. Storytellers like Herman Melville prefer to wax poetic for pages (even chapters) at a time about the virtues of a painting. Most of us lie somewhere in between.
Either way, be prepared to put some extra time into fleshing out the character gaps, locations, and the thoughts and sensory interpretations of the character, possibly even the narrator (if applicable). It helps to think of your screenplay as an annotated outline for your book.
4. Writing the Book Version Will Make You Want to Rewrite Your Spec Script.
Simply throwing a rough draft of your book onto the page will give you the opportunity to dive deeper into your characters and story world than you would have previously. I found it helpful to push myself through the end of a completed rough draft of the novel before taking a step back to reassess how my new discoveries might impact the next draft of the original spec script.
In case you're wondering: Yes, I did simultaneously rewrite the script and the book. And yes, it was hair-pullingly difficult. In the end, both story forms benefited greatly from the process and I have no regrets.
(NOTE: Don't feel obligated to rewrite your script—not at first, anyway. You can still use it as-is for a writing sample. Rewriting your script may not be worth the effort.)
5. Screenwriting is More Fun, but Novel Writing is More Fulfilling.
This isn't so much a challenge as a forewarning. Nothing beats the rush of writing a screenplay, especially when you are wrapped up in the intensity and immediacy of the moment. Compared such an amazing experience, writing a novel can feel a little bit like a letdown. Not that it's bad—because it isn't—but in many ways, it takes longer in a book to cover the same ground as in your screenplay. That can be frustrating.
Still, in the end, writing a novel gives you so much more freedom to express yourself and explore the characters, voices and world than you get in the restrictive screenplay format. Because of this, creating a novel can be more fulfilling in the end. Even screenwriting great William Goldman recommended writing something other than screenplays on the side.
I still love my spec screenplay (it was a vanity project, after all), but I'm even more proud of the book that came out of it. Additionally, the novel version also has a dramatically higher likelihood of being read by other people than my spec script.
And let's face it, there's nothing like sharing your story with the world.
What was your experience? We would love to know.
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So You Wrote a Big Budget Sci-fi/Fantasy Script. Now what?
January 18, 2019 James Gilmore	5 Comments
Recently, I put the finishing touches on the second draft of a big budget fantasy feature screenplay. I wrote it both for fun and as a portfolio piece, knowing full well that a script like this would never get made. Even though it probably wasn't the best use of my time, I still put more time, passion and meticulous care into this manuscript than I care to admit right now. (Hint: It was a lot.)
Curious for input from other Hollywood industry pros, I sent the script out for feedback. If you've ever written an original big budget spec script, then you probably have gone through what I experienced next. While the feedback was positive, these pros all told me the same thing: No one will ever want to buy this, no matter how good it is.
So, you've written a big budget sci-fi, fantasy, superhero or action script on spec and no one in Hollywood wants to bite. You're probably asking yourself: What do I do now?
The short answer: Don't toss it. Your script still has value.
The longer answer is, well, a bit longer. Let me explain.
Having a completed, polished screenplay under your belt will always be a feather in your cap whether you sell it or not. What you do with it next, however, is the big question.
First, let's be clear and up front about expectations:
A big budget script is very hard to sell in Hollywood.
A big budget sci-fi/fantasy/superhero script not based on an existing IP (intellectual property, such as Lord of the Rings or Marvel) is even harder to sell.
A big budget script based on an IP you do not own or have rights to will not sell in Hollywood (because it's IP/trademark infringement).
Your big budget script probably isn't going to be made into a movie.
In short, your big budget genre movie is next to impossible to sell (let alone get made) in Hollywood. That may sound harsh, but understanding the reality you are up against is crucial to knowing where you shouldn't be focusing your efforts. Instead, we're going to take practical steps to make the most of that awesome script of yours.
Now that we've got that out of the way, let's look at your path forward. You essentially have two choices:
Use your script as a writing sample.
Adapt your script into a novel.
1. As a Writing Sample
If you are like me, writing sci-fi/fantasy is your jam, meaning when you write in that milieu, you are at your best (replace with superhero, action, etc.). Pick out a few choice selections from your script and use these to promote your ability, professionalism and creativity when auditioning for new writing projects.
You probably won't jump to working on big budget projects directly from a spec script, especially if you are still new to the business, but it can be the linchpin that opens a doorway that eventually leads to that prized assignment.
Besides, while you are using your incredibly cool script as a staple portfolio piece, you can simultaneously be pursuing option #2:
2. Adapting Your Screenplay into a Novel
Converting your spec screenplay into a novel is perhaps your best route to getting that story onto the big screen (yes, you read that correctly). In fact, you can even do this and #1 simultaneously.
If your book is successful, then the powers that be will be much more keen to turn your book into a movie. Now you're back where you started—except this time you have the backing of an existing IP.
However, I should err on the side of caution in saying that there are no guarantees here. All of this hinges on the fact that you can:
Complete a novel,
Get it published, and
Reach a wide enough audience with a strong enough impact that your novel is considered successful enough for adaptation to the screen.
It doesn't have to be a novel, either. Video games and comic books are viable options as well. In fact, your superhero script may be more suited to one of these genres than a novel.
Regardless of the route you take, embarking on this journey is certainly a far better strategy than sitting on a perfectly good, superbly awesome story that the world would otherwise never get to experience.
Better to share than to hoard in secret. (Yes, you can quote that).
So now that you've written a big budget sci-fi, fantasy, superhero or action script on spec and nobody in Hollywood wants to bite, maybe all your story needs is a new medium to make it big.
Time to get writing.
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5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Rewriting Process
May 30, 2018 James Gilmore	2 Comments
Ask any writer what the hardest part about writing is and most them will you: rewriting. For many storytellers, rewriting is not only highly challenging, but not a whole lot of fun, either.
What makes rewriting so hard?
Take your pick:
Writing and rewriting/editing are two different skills
Rewriting is more technical and analytical, less creative
It feels confining compared to the freeness of pure creation
Self-editing is difficult because of your inherent bias
When your head is so far down in the weeds, it's difficult to keep your eye on the big picture
Rewriting may be a challenge, but it doesn't have to put a brick wall in front of your story's future development. With that in mind, let's look at five easy ways to make the rewriting process a little easier.
1. Make a Laundry List of Rewrites
How do you tackle rewriting a manuscript that needs so much work, it's simply overwhelming? Make a list! A laundry list is a to-do list that itemizes each thing that needs addressed in your rewrite, separated into groupings of big, medium, small, and minor. You go through the list one item at a time, devoting all your focus to solving that one problem, starting with the biggest and most important issues, and then dialing in on smaller line items from there. Addressing big rewrites ends up solving many smaller items along the way. By the time you've finished your list, your next draft is suddenly much, much better. Not only does making a laundry list help you get organized, it allows you to focus on only one issue at a time without getting distracted or overwhelmed by everything else that needs to be done.
For more on this technique, read the full article here.
2. Save Every Draft Separately
You never know when you are going to need a snippet from an old draft until you suddenly need it—and can't find it! Rather than saving over your current files, save every new significant draft as a separate file (or folder). Not only does this allow you to go back to old drafts to recover useful tidbits, but if anything happens to your current draft (e.g. computer crash) or you end up rewriting yourself into a corner, you always have a backup. Version tracking and management can be crucial, especially when working on variable story lines (like video games) or when dealing with complex deliverables (such as multilateral marketing collateral).
3. Keep Your Outline Current
As you proceed through multiple drafts of your manuscript, it's a good idea to keep an updated outline of your story at all times. That way, as you get wrapped up in the smaller details of your story, you still have an easy reminder of the big picture—that is, the outline helps you see the forest while you are working among the trees. You can make notes about other points in the story via the outline without completely derailing your current writing task as well. The outline also prevents confusion as the story undergoes multiple drafts wherein story elements may change. Your outline essentially overrides any discrepancies between the different drafts, which becomes especially important if you decide to set the project aside for a few months and come back to it later on (see 5. Let It Rest below.)
4. Get Outside Input
Even though the process of soliciting feedback on a creative work can be painful, it's also one of your most useful tools in rewriting. You get so involved in the world of your story that it becomes difficult to gain outside perspective—that is, how a prospective audience will interpret the story you've invested your heart and soul into.
A few tips for soliciting feedback:
You don't have to (and shouldn't) accept every criticism. Many will be way off base. Look for trends or repeat comments among various parties. These will be the areas to focus on.
Only a fraction of the people who offer to read the work will actually read it. Of those, only some will provide feedback. That's totally normal.
It's okay to preface handing out your work by saying the story is in early stages and you are just looking for general feedback. Let them know it's not a final draft. Most people will understand, and many will be excited to offer their input.
Don't get too discouraged if the majority of people who read your story aren't super into it—that's okay. It's normal. You may get better results if you ask for feedback to a specific target audience similar to that of your story ("anyone out there like horror?").
Try to seek out readers who are more likely to offer constructive feedback rather than accolades. While compliments feel good and can be quite inspiring, they won't be as helpful as honest feedback.
5. Let It Rest
You're stuck. You're frustrated. It doesn't seem like anything is working. So you shelve the story to give it some space and "let it rest." You aren't giving up. You're simply setting it aside for a while with the intent to come back to it at a later time. Does this sound like you? Or something you would like to do? Guess what? "Let it rest" is a tried-and-true rewriting method for countless writers over the centuries. Not only is it an acceptable rewriting process, it's a highly recommended one that can help you get "unstuck."
Here are few reasons why coming back to a story after it's been off your mind for days, weeks, months or even years, works so well:
A fresh look gives you a new perspective on the story, especially the big picture.
You get to experience the story more like your audience will.
You have a more mature, experienced skill set.
It's easier to spot problems you missed before.
Coming back to an old story can inspire you to finish it.
After all, there's nothing so reinvigorating to your storytelling senses than picking up an incomplete manuscript that's begging to be finished.
We've explored five easy ways to improve your rewriting process. These methods are by no means an exhaustive list, but they are easy and everyone can use them.
What techniques do you use to make your rewriting process easier? We'd love to hear them.
Still Feeling Stuck?
If you still need help with finishing your story—no matter the medium—don't hesitate to reach out to our experts here at StorySci.com. We offer story consultation and rewriting services, among many others.
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Subtext, Part 1: What is Subtext?
August 18, 2017 James Gilmore	3 Comments
Subtext is one of the strongest, most powerful narrative tools a storyteller has in their arsenal.
That's awesome! But what exactly is subtext?
The short answer: Information that is communicated without coming out and directly saying it.
The very short answer: What ISN'T said.
Great question. Big, complicated answer.
To answer that question thoroughly, we will start by grazing the surface of subtext with Part 1 in our article series before proceeding to a deep dive into the subject. Part 2 will explore what subtext is, how it functions, and the many forms in which it can be used in significantly greater depth.
Back to the question at hand:
What is Subtext?
Subtext is many things, and nailing down a helpful description in a single phrase always falls short. The trickiness lies in the fact that subtext isn't directly written, stated or spoken. It is the ever present invisible context inhabiting the shell we call text—that is, the underlying story beneath the outer story crust.
Like any informational source, story consists of two layers: Text and Subtext. In a conversation between two people, text represents the words each participant says to the other while subtext includes everything they aren't saying. That doesn't mean subtext includes everything they could possibly or potentially say in that situation, but rather the meaning behind the strategy and delivery of the text.
Where Subtext falls in the layers of storytelling.
If Person A asks Person B, "Did you drive today?" The text of Person A's question is obvious—exactly what (s)he came out and said. However, the subtext—what Person A didn't say—is far richer and meaningful: Do I have to give you a ride today? The tone of Person A's voice, the emotional backing and the context in which the question was asked add subtext as well. So while the text may be a simple question, the subtext alters the meaning depending on whether it was asked with a groan or with the intent of helping out a friend in need.
What Does Subtext Do?
The short answer: Subtext creates meaning.
The not-as-short answer:
Subtext represents the emotional core of your story. Not restricted by genre, medium or storyteller, subtext is the hidden power that gives the text its emotional and thematic punch. Depth and nuance are almost entirely contained in this layer of story.
A story cannot succeed without effective subtext because the text itself cannot adequately communicate meaning in a way that feels fulfilling or satisfying. The audience will notice when subtext is missing—whether they are consciously aware of it or not—because the story will feel hollow, motivations poorly formed, and characters lacking in dimension.
If Subtext is so Important, Why Do I Need Surface Text?
The short answer: You need both. Always.
Surface text acts as a simple vehicle to put the subtext into a context that makes it tangible, specific, and easy to understand. By itself, subtext comes across as abstract and vague. Text without subtext feels superficial and forgettable. Therefore, every story needs both subtext and text because the story will feel incomplete with only one or the other.
To review:
Surface text tells us what happens, not what it means.
Subtext tells us what it means, not what happens.
Text + Subtext tells us what happens and what those events mean.
How Do I Create Subtext?
The short answer: By talking around the obvious.
Subtext arises through restraint from revealing the mystery and explaining all, creating implication of the greater struggle that lies beneath the surface—conflict, the heart and soul of story. Basically, by not using direct exposition (text). Don't say what you mean; say all the things that approach the subject indirectly without giving away the whole story. Think about the exposition as an aerial view of the whole forest but the audience only gets to see the trees up close at ground level. Subtext provides clues to solving the mystery without directly saying, "The butler did it." The audience will absorb the evidence and come to that conclusion themselves, but in a way that creates a more cathartic experience because they were actively involved in the emotional journey and not just a passive participant.
A few ways to approach subtext:
If a character wants something in a scene, don't let them say so. Have them employ different tactics to approach the subject indirectly without identifying the want directly.
If a character feels an emotion, don't let them say exactly who they feel. Have them express or explore other secondary emotions or outward effects without dialing in on the root cause.
If a setting or environment evokes a certain ambiance, don't say so. Describe it in terms of sensations, feelings, emotions and similarities without pigeonholing it with over-simplified description like "creepy" or "romantic."
We've only just started talking about subtext here in Part 1 of our article series. Stay tuned for Part 2: What Does Subtext Do?
Feeling lost? Story Science is here to help! Contact us right away and we will help you find your way.
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STORY TITLES, PART 3: Titles In Practice
January 28, 2017 James Gilmore	Leave a comment
After two articles discussing the theory behind what makes story titles great, let's break down some real-life story titles and see what works and what doesn't.
First, a quick refresher:
When you look at a story title (including the examples), ask yourself these four questions:
Does the title convey the genre and tone?
Does the title indicate a concept, central idea and/or theme?
Does the title suggest a certain type of audience?
Does the title imply the focus of the storytelling?
Sadly, not every title will hit all four of these points. However, if you can tweak your own until each answer becomes a resounding YES, then you may just have one stellar title under your belt.
With that in mind, let's take a look at…
TITLES THAT KILL
Once in awhile you run across a story title that sticks to the wall so well, it's almost impossible to peel it off! These titles hit all four points, teasing the audience with what the story has to offer and then paying off the tease in spades. Some of these even connect the concept and theme with a great double entendre.
Let's start with a simple one:
Although not the greatest movie ever made, the title is fantastic. The title is a play on words, as is common for comedy movies (think LEGALLY BLONDE), giving us the genre and tone right up front. What is the concept? A mother-in-law who is a proverbial monster. Duh! Audience? Directed toward adults who can relate to having in-laws. The focus is clearly on the relationship with the mother-in-law. And to top off the whole sundae with a nice fat cherry is the double entendre to give the title that extra bit of punch.
Another simple one, also a movie:
GENRE/TONE: Romance (could it be anything else?)
CONCEPT, ETC: Literally "love, actually" in its many forms and manifestations.
AUDIENCE: Females and romantics. If it was targeting males, the title might look like LOVE GUN or TO LOVE A WOMAN, etc.
FOCUS: A group of characters experiencing "love, actually."
What about TV? Got you covered:
Another play on words, this time referencing the famous anatomy textbook GRAY'S ANATOMY.
GENRE/TONE: A serious medical show.
CONCEPT, ETC: A medical show about a med student named Dr. Grey.
AUDIENCE: Medical show fans with a female bias (e.g, ER for women).
FOCUS: Dr. Grey as the protagonist.
Another, albeit older, TV show:
An older reference, but the title couldn't be better.
GENRE/TONE: Light, relatable.
CONCEPT, ETC: The lives of a group of friends.
AUDIENCE: Age groups with tight circles of friends (think teenagers to young adult).
FOCUS: The group of friends.
How about something more poetic, in this case a book:
GENRE/TONE: Intellectual drama.
CONCEPT, ETC: Although we don't know what "Flowers for Algernon" means before diving into the book, we come to understand the great significance this simple idea conveys. The protagonist watches a mouse named Algernon lose its brain functions and, knowing he will face the same end, the protagonist mourns for both the mouse and his own loss before his awareness wanes. His final wishes is to have flowers placed on Algernon's grave.
AUDIENCE: A more sophisticated audience capable of appreciating the nuances of the material.
FOCUS: The protagonist, for whom Algernon is a long-term foreshadowing device.
And if you feel like cheating…
BATMAN, SPIDERMAN, SUPERMAN, etc.
Superhero stories are kind of a cheat because they practically name themselves. A superhero story is almost always named after the superhero or superhero group:
GENRE/TONE: Superhero (usually action/adventure)
CONCEPT, ETC.: A Superhero with these powers.
AUDIENCE: Audiences who like superheroes.
FOCUS: On that superhero.
TITLES THAT DON'T (FAMOUS MISSES)
Before we proceed into more controversial territory, it's vital to understand two points:
A successful story doesn't necessarily mean a good title.
A successful title doesn't necessarily mean a good story.
Even some of the most ubiquitously popular books and films from the past were given less than spectacular titles. In fact, some of them are pretty bad, especially for two of biggest and most successful story franchises of all time: LORD OF THE RINGS and STAR WARS.
Before you scream from the rooftops that I'm a lunatic, take a deep breath and read on. (For the record, these are my personal two favorite stories throughout all space and time, so I'm not as biased as you might think!)
STAR WARS (film, 1977)
This is a great example because not only is the title generic and cheesy, it doesn't tell us much about the story other than there is combat in space. Is that the concept? Not really. Yes, the target audience is fairly generalized with an obvious bias toward sci-fi fans, but who is the focus of the story? We don't know. Thankfully, the film was later (and rightfully) re-titled as A NEW HOPE. Still not a killer title, but better than the original.
HUNGER GAMES (book & film, 2008)
Suggesting intensity and action, the concept is also in the title, aimed at a slightly younger, mostly generalized audience with a focus is on what happens during each annual Hunger Games.
LORD OF THE RINGS (books & films, 1954+)
This is an interesting example because it illustrates so much. J.R.R Tolkien himself wanted to publish the trilogy in one big volume, but with accurate (if not plain) titles for each section: THE FIRST JOURNEY, THE RING SETS OUT, THE JOURNEY OF THE NINE COMPANIONS or THE RING GOES SOUTH, and THE WAR OF THE RING. But the editor intervened, splitting the book into three parts to form the trilogy we know today, and giving us these oddly vague titles: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, THE TWO TOWERS, and THE RETURN OF THE KING.
"Fellowship" accurately describes the group of individuals centered around smuggling the One Ring into Mordor, so that hits on concept and focus, possibly audience but not necessarily genre. Then we get to the Two Towers, which is a bit odd since the story is not actually about those two locations, nor are the two specific towers ever made clear since there are actually four towers mentioned in the book: Barad-dur, and Cirith Ungol, Isengard, and Minas Tirith. Then "Return" misses the mark by painting the wrong focus, indicating the book is about Aragorn and his rise to the kingship. Christian overtones aside, compare RETURN OF THE KING to any number of much better titles: THE WAR OF THE RING, THE LAST BATTLE, FRODO BAGGINS AND THE JOURNEY TO MT. DOOM. Each gives the final installment of the story a different flavor with a far more accurate indication of story focus, tone, and genre.
The series title, LORD OF THE RINGS, suggests the main antagonist, Sauron, is the storytelling focus for the entire saga. This is not the case. Something like THE ONE RING would be far more accurate, since the story does indeed follow the characters, factions, and plots surrounding this central device.
HARRY POTTER (books & films, 1997)
Perhaps better than any other famous franchise, the titles of the HARRY POTTER installments tell us right up front we are in for adventure and mystery, what the concept is, where the storytelling focus is, and that there is a general target audience with a bias toward younger ages. While they may not be the most creative titles ever invented, they do the job spectacularly well.
This wraps our 3-part series on titles for now. In Part 1, we talked about what a story title is, how it works, and where it comes from. Then, in Part 2 we went over some helpful tips to nail your story title. Now that we've reviewed some famous titles that hit the mark and some that don't, it's time to say goodbye to story titles for awhile and move onto another subject.
Still need help? Look no further! Get in touch and let's work it out together.
Stay tuned for our next article…coming soon!
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Top 10 Lit Books No One Reads (But Everyone Should)
November 9, 2016 James Gilmore
1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The first thing that comes to mind for most people when they hear "Dickens" is "boring." Wrong. A Tale of Two Cities is anything but. Beginning with one of the most famous story openings of all time, Dickens takes us through a visually stunning web of historical stories taking place during the bloodiest part of the French Revolution. Themes, imagery, and motifs are so thickly distributed in the novel an entire book series could be dedicated to their analysis. But don't just take my word for it – "Cities" is one of the bestselling novels of all time, and for good reason!
2. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
An early war novel depicting life in the American Civil War by Stephen Crane. The Red Badge of Courage follows the emotional journey of a young man through realistic action, powerful themes and heavy symbolism in an eerie, surreal atmosphere. It's a short book, so if you haven't read it, maybe it's time you did.
3. Dracula by Bram Stoker
Not only is it the definitive vampire novel that inspired big-time franchises such as Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles (starting with Interview with the Vampire) and Twilight, it's also a patient, haunting tale of evil reawakened. Read this and you'll understand why Bram Stoker's Dracula stands the test of the time and remains one of the greatest horror novels ever written.
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
While many consider the classic Jane Eyre to be an early piece of chick lit, it is anything but. Introspective, emotionally robust and progressively feminist, Bronte's gothic tale is a coming-of-age story featuring a strong-willed woman who survives the brutality of the age to achieve her desires on her own terms. Themes of atonement, forgiveness, and success through independence and morality lend this classic some serious gravitas as a work of timeless art.
5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
A novella about two migrant workers who dream of greater things, only to be thwarted by their own flaws, social and economic status. Steinbeck's unflinching honesty about the unchangeable fate of those destined to fail because of their own disadvantages paints a harsh picture, but an emotional effective one concerning certain aspects of human nature. The ending is sure to make you wring your hands out of frustrated futility but Of Mice and Men is absolutely worth a read if you're serious about literature.
6. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
"1984" meticulously explores the future of communism, censorship, privacy, and thought control through the eyes of man who believes himself one step ahead of the government. More than anything, Orwell's novel is a stunning thought experiment warning us about the fate of society without freedom of speech. If you love plots that feature plans within plans, intrigue, and thoughtful social commentary then pick up George's book. Who knows? It might be your new favorite book.
7. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Brutality and humanity collide in this survival tale about a group of normal school boys stranded on an island. Together they build a new society which brings out dormant primitive instincts and ultimately plays out as an embodiment of Darwin's Survival of the Fittest. Individuality and mob mentality clash in this provocative thought experiment in novel form. William Golding's Lord of the Flies will haunt you with it's accurate depiction of unrestrained primal human instincts descending into violence and chaos.
8. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Everyone's heard of them, but have you actually read the book? Unlike the realism or religious-themed works set in the same time period, Dumas's novel is pure adventure, a story in which boys will be boys and have a hell of lot of fun doing it. The Three Musketeers is no stuffy piece of dense literature; it's a fun romp from beginning to end. It only takes a few pages to understand why Dumas's book inspired so much timeless acclaim.
9. Camille by Alexandre Dumas fils
Written by Alexandre Dumas's son, Camille explores a love affair between a gentleman and high class prostitute in a way that makes the book impossible to put down through a clever use of cliff hangers at the end of nearly every chapter. The novel takes us through a man's descent into uncontrollable obsession with a woman willing to give up her glamorous life for him, only to be thwarted by the meddling of family over worries about damage to their reputation. Also known as La Dame aux Camélias or "The Lady of the Camellias."
10. (TIE) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee AND Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote
A classic which highlights culture and race in the American South, To Kill a Mockingbird stands up for human rights and equality at a time where doing so could get you killed. Capote's book takes us through a more laid-back exploration of an even more rural, isolated area of the Gothic South.
These books are paired together for a reason. Both Mockingbird and Other Voices, Other Rooms deal with children coming-of-age through the loss of innocence. Not only were they written by real-life best friends Harper Lee and Truman Capote, both are also featured as major supporting cast members in each other's novels.
Stopped writing? Need some help to jumpstart your creative juices again? Contact us and get professional feedback to get you on the road again.
Rights to the book covers used in this article are not owned or licensed by Story Science. They are simply used as an expedient means for readers to acquire inexpensive copies of these books if so desired. This is not a sales pitch on behalf of anyone or any party. These books are truly amazing in their own right, regardless of version, publisher, or book cover.
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Starship Troopers, a sci-fi novel by Robert A. Heinlein
October 14, 2013 James Gilmore	Leave a comment
A nearly forgotten military sci-fi classic by author Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers pushes science fiction beyond the commonplace genre novel toward the realm of literary fiction and its penchant for universal truth. By setting the story in a futuristic fictional setting, the author disassociates the book with any specific real-world war, allowing him to focus on a thorough examination of theme and moral philosophy.
Part science fiction novel, part moral essay, Starship Troopers devotes considerable time to philosophizing about the role of the soldier, the military, and the obligations of individuals in a collective society, especially to their fellow man. Drawing from the author's own experience in the Armed Forces, Heinlein uses his well thought-out universe to constructively criticize the faults of American society through the eyes of a militaristic fascist one.
The novel's thematic backbone creates a solid skeleton through which to elegantly explore the psychology of the soldier, specifically the infantryman, as he graduates through the various phases of his career from pre-enlisted civilian through mature officer. Heinlein also explores adjacent branches of this theme tree, including the developing relationship between master and student, commander and enlisted man, and father and son. With each new step toward maturity the protagonist sees the military machine with greater discernment and understanding (the military organization being a thematic substitute for 'the world' because in this case the military is the protagonist's world).
Despite being published in 1959, Starship Troopers provides the experience of reading a novel written 10 or 20 years later than its actual publication date. Unfortunately, the dated dialogue continually bursts this illusion, ever reminding us that the novel was written in the 1950s. An over-use of unnecessary dialogue hedges such as "Uh" and "Umm" at the beginning of character responses slows the pace of many scenes and takes the reader out of the world of the story.
Readers expecting heart pumping action and thrilling space battles will be sorely disappointed in Starship Troopers. Heinlein deliberately steers clear of these tropes by means of the anti-"war genre" (e.g., anti-genre) to maintain focus on his themes and the insightful exposure of a combat soldier's psychological journey. Despite the agedness of the book, many of his philosophical ideas remain universally valid to this day.
Starship Troopers was adapted for the big screen in 1997 by writer Edward Neumeier and director Paul Verhoeven.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
4s5saliensbookclassicdislikesfictionnovelrealismsci-fisciencesocial commentaryuniversewar
As I Lay Dying, a literary novel by William Faulkner
By James Gilmore
As I Lay Dying examines the uncensored inner monologue of family members experiencing deep grief in what is more aptly titled a work of narrative poetry than literary fiction. Seemingly written in a single fever-pitch binge, Faulkner's poignant discourse and extensive use of symbolism comes to the reader through the enigmatic filter of the inner mind.
As I Lay Dying warrants close study and an open mind. It is not for everyone.
Rating: 4 / 5
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1632, an alternative history novel by Eric Flint
October 8, 2012 James Gilmore	Leave a comment
Eric Flint's 1632 is an alternative history science fiction novel about a small town in present day West Virginia that is suddenly transported back in time to Germany during the devastating Thirty Years' War in the year 1632. At its heart, 1632 is a romantic view of classic American ideals clashing with and conquering those of the oppressed, war-torn 17th century continental Europe, pushing normal small town folk into extraordinary circumstances.
Eric Flint executes the unusual and exceptionally difficult premise with marvelous ease and methodical reasoning, exploring the promise of the premise with detailed thoroughness. Despite reviews which misleadingly describe the book as "action packed" 1632 is mostly a relationship-oriented piece with a few periods of intense action counterpointed against extended laconic sections of blossoming romance.
The plentiful characters populating the novel surprise the reader with their variance, color, and very human likeability, which makes the exploration their relationships a pleasure, even if the story does get bogged down in a disproportionate amount of romance during the second act. The large cast prevents great depth in character development. Regardless, it's obvious to the reader that Flint is an author who genuinely loves his characters.
One of the greatest shortcomings of 1632 is its failure to live up to the high stakes generated by the premise. Main characters have things pretty easy and rarely (if ever) actually lose anything of value, while any obstacles that do arise are circumvented without great difficulty. Greater challenges and higher stakes conflict are needed in a world where innumerable dangers lurk in the shadows. Unfortunately, the dangers threaten but seldom actually emerge from the periphery.
Eric Flint's 1632 may be an acquired taste for most, but don't hesitate to pick up a copy if you are in the mood for something new, unique and quasi-historical.
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text:
Mossambicus tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) collected from water bodies impacted by urban waste carries extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and integron-bearing gut bacteria
NACHIKET P MARATHE SWAPNIL S GAIKWAD ANKITA A VAISHAMPAYAN MANDAR H RASANE YOGESH S SHOUCHE WASUDEV N GADE
Brief communication Volume 41 Issue 3 September 2016 pp 341-346
Click here to view fulltext PDF
https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/jbsc/041/03/0341-0346
Antibiotic resistance; ESBLs; integrin; Mossambicus tilapia
Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters 1852) (Tilapia) is one of the most consumed fish globally. Tilapia thrives well inenvironments polluted by urban waste, which invariably contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs). Thus, Tilapia surviving in such polluted environments may serve as a potential source for dissemination of ARGs.To investigate this, we isolated bacterial strains from gut of Tilapia found in polluted rivers and lakes near Pune, India, andstudied the prevalence of resistance genes bymolecularmethods. A total of 91 bacterial strains were obtained, which includefish pathogens and human pathogens such as Aeromonas hydrophila, Klebsiella pneumoniae, E. coli, Serratia marcescens,Enterobacter spp. and Shigella spp. Overall the prevalence of class 1 integrons, class 2 integrons, extended-spectrum betalactamases(ESBLs) bla_{CTX-M}, bla_{SHV} and aac(6')-Ib-cr gene was 38%, 24%, 38%, 31% and 31% respectively. Forty-twopercent of the Enterobacteriaceae strains carried bla_{CTX-M} gene, which is a common ESBL gene in clinics. The studydemonstrates that tilapia found in the polluted waters can serve as reservoirs and an alternative route for human exposure toclinically important ARG-carrying bacteria. The consumption and handling of these fish may pose a potential health risk.
NACHIKET P MARATHE1 SWAPNIL S GAIKWAD1 2 ANKITA A VAISHAMPAYAN1 MANDAR H RASANE1 YOGESH S SHOUCHE1 WASUDEV N GADE2
Microbial Culture Collection, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune 411 007, India
Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411 007, India
Gade.pdf
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Journal of Biosciences | News
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A Huddersfield crime expert has defended detectives who have been unable to solve the Jill Dando murder mystery.
The BBC presenter was killed outside her home in London 20 years ago this month.
Barry George spent eight years in jail for her murder before having his conviction overturned in 2008.
In a BBC documentary this week, Hamish Campbell the leading detective investigating the crime, said he still had no idea who had committed the heinous broad daylight shooting that claimed the popular journalist's life.
Four million people tuned in to watch the programme about her murder – which is one of Britain's most high profile unsolved killings.
In the film, Detective Chief Inspector Campbell said he felt her case would never be solved.
But Dr Jason Roach, director of Huddersfield University's Applied Criminology and Policing Centre, said British police were possibly the best in the world at tracking down murderers.
Dr Roach has included a chapter on cold case enquiries in his book Decision Making In Police Enquiries and Critical Incidents.
He said: "In most crime dramas and crime fiction books there are no loose ends.
"All the clues are there and the criminal is identified by police detectives, usually within a six-part series or a five-hundred page book.
"Why? Because few of us would watch or read them if there was no sense of resolution, or 'closure' as the American's would say.
"Unfortunately, true life, and more importantly 'true crime', is not always as straightforward – sometimes there is no resolution at the end of a case, however heart-breaking that is.
"Mercifully, most serious crimes are solvable and are indeed solved.
"The police detection rate for homicides (murder, manslaughter and infanticide) in England and Wales, generally hovers at around 90%, which is one of the best, if not the best of all police forces in the world.
"Of the remaining 10%, approximately 5% will be detected within a year of the homicide, leaving 3% that are likely to get solved at some point in the future, but 2% that may never be so.
"Unfortunately some crimes, in this case homicide, are seemingly impossible to solve.
"My research into ten or so cold cases originally from the 1970s to the 1990s, where the offenders were eventually identified by DNA evidence analysed in the 2000s, suggests that those homicide investigations which become 'cold cases', do so not because of police failings or the incompetence of the criminal justice system to prosecute offenders, but because these cases do not fit with the usual predictable patterns often found in homicides.
"For example, in the previously cold cases that I have looked at, the victims and their murderers appeared to be strangers, the murderers led a transient life-style and moved away soon after the murder.
"Forensic science and CCTV coverage were far less advanced at the time these murders happened than they are now, so investigations relied more heavily on witnesses.
"When police investigations into horrific crimes, such as the murder of television presenter Jill Dando 20 years ago, do not produce a satisfactory outcome then the likely media and public reaction is to blame the police investigation in some way.
"I don't think this is fair. As I said at the beginning, some crimes are just impossible to solve, however that annoys us viewers and readers of fictional crime."
Dr Roach's comments were reproduced from his blog with the permission of the University of Huddersfield.


text:
Target to offer more deals, extend free shipping until January
NEW YORK, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Target Corp will offer more deal-driven promotions and extend its free shipping window to January this holiday season as it looks to turn around performance in what has so far been a lackluster year for the retailer.
Target also expects consumer spending to remain robust in November and December despite uncertainty around the U.S. Presidential elections. The holiday shopping season is an important time for retailers during which they earn an outsized portion of their annual profits and sales.
"We are looking at very low unemployment, fuel prices remain low, the commodity pressure on food is down," Chief Executive Officer Brian Cornell told reporters in a meeting on Tuesday. "The overall approach for the consumer is going to be positive this season."
Improving performance during the holiday months is crucial for Target. After a slow first half of the year, the retailer has warned of flat or slightly lower same-store sales for the second half of 2016, as shoppers turn to the internet and spend on big-ticket items like cars and home renovations, rather than small, discretionary purchases that make up the bulk of Target's offerings.
The Minneapolis-based retailer said it will offer more deals this year under its program 'Ten Days of Deals' which will include category-wide promotions, like 'spend $50 on apparel and save $10.'
Target will also extend its free shipping offer until Jan. 1 this year from Dec. 25 last year and drop shipping fees for all online orders for a third year in a row. The retailer currently requires a minimum online order of $25 to qualify for free shipping.
Free-shipping boosted Target's digital sales growth to over 30 percent during the fourth quarter last year and is a key strategy that allows it to better compete with rivals like Amazon.com Inc.
Target expects its ship-from-store program which it has expanded to 1,000 stores from over 400 last year, to speed up delivery times.
The retailer also said it would increase its holiday advertising budget for television with a special focus on Spanish-language programs, as it looks to bring in more Hispanic shoppers, a traditionally strong consumer demographic for Target.
It expects growth to be strong in the home decor, toy and apparel categories. Target plans to offer a large selection of clothing and accessories for less than $40, nearly 1,800 exclusive Star Wars toys, and electronics like connected home devices during the holidays.
By Nandita Bose
Brainerd Dispatch earns 1st for General Excellence from newspaper association
The Dispatch earned a total of 31 awards in the Minnesota Newspaper Association's Better Newspaper Contest.
Minnesota brothers Louis and Cyril Keller revolutionized the ag equipment world with the Bobcat skid-steer
Louis and Cyril Keller are the inventors of the Bobcat skid-steer loader and were selected as 2023 inductees into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
By Emily Beal
Business Traditions - Roll of Honor 2023
Saluting the businesses who serve the Brainerd Lakes Area!
By Brainerd Dispatch / Echo Journal


At the Baie be Somme Railway in Northern France, This railbus was returned from Madagascar(?) and restored to service with sposorship from Michelin.
These photo's show the rubber tyre system, with a metal flanged wheel, an outer tyre that rides on the rail, an inner tube, and a retaining ring.


text:
Sing for Wales
14th March 2013, 11:53 am By Principality Stadium
The Welsh Rugby Union will distribute 100,000 song sheets to fans ahead of the RBS 6 Nations decider against England at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
Nationalistic fervour is building towards frenzy status throughout Wales as the rugby side prepare to defend their 2012 title against Grand Slam chasing England.
And the WRU is taking steps to try to harness the power of the most ardent fans in world rugby and channel that energy towards anthem time creating a cacophony of noise in support of Wales from kick-off at 5pm.
The song sheets detail the words to the Welsh national anthem (Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau) and traditional rugby hymns Bread of Heaven and Calon Lan and the union is calling on fans to belt out the songs and show their support for 80 mins on Saturday as Wales attempt to overturn a points difference of 7 (or 8 if the visitors go ahead by 2 on try count).
The campaign, supported by SWALEC, was given impetus when a selection Welsh artists renowned around the world of Opera and on the West End stage gave a preview to the moment national enthusiasm will be at its most intense on Saturday, by re-enacting anthem time on the Millennium Stadium pitch.
All the singers are closely linked to Welsh rugby and they appeared in the Regional colours they will wear when they sing on Judgement Day (Saturday 30th March) – the regional double-header to be played out in a fortnight's time, which will re-unite the Welsh national squad at Millennium stadium albeit on opposing sides.
Opera star Wynne Evans, West-End sensation Sophie Evans, Only Men Aloud singer Wyn Davies and Welsh band the Tenors of Rock all lined on the hallowed turf to put themselves in the position of the Wales players on matchday and belt out Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau.
"Everyone talks about the positive impact the crowd can have on the pitch because it is true," said North speaking today from the national squad's training camp at the WRU National Centre of Excellence, Vale Resort Hensol. "It makes such a difference the players to be able to hear your home fans in full voice on a match day.
"We know going into every game that we have hundreds of thousands of fans behind us, we know we have the best fans in the world game in Wales.Looking up to a sea of red in the stands on Saturday or catching site of the good luck messages sent to us via social media or from our friends and family is an inspiration and we are all looking forward to taking that out on the pitch at the weekend."
The song sheets initiative is part of a wider WRU campaign to capture the mood ahead of the Six Nations climax in Cardiff this weekend.The Union is also calling on the nation to wear Wales shirts, or anything red, to work this week with pride as Welsh rugby is undertaking a double assault on the Six Nations Championship with the U20s, at Parc Eirias in North Wales, eyeing a Grand Slam of their own in the corresponding age grade fixture this Friday night.
Using social media channels, or by emailing us, fans are being asked to take pictures of themselves wearing the red of Wales and record film clips which correspond to the WRU's 'we are one' campaign (available on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYqk87vhaR4) which aims to show the players that the nation is united in its support of their bid for Championship glory.
WRU chief executive Roger Lewis said: "The unity of purpose displayed by our national team during this campaign has been uplifting and inspiring.This strength of rugby character has been recognised by the whole of Wales. Now this vocal display of choral unity from our fans, will show the world just why it is so wonderful to be Welsh."
Huw Lock, SWALEC sponsorship manager, said: "We will be cheering on Wales all the way this Saturday. As National Community Partner of the WRU, SWALEC supports Welsh rugby from the grassroots up and look forward to hearing the Welsh fans in full voice this Saturday at the Championship decider."


Netscape Communications is still firmly on top of the Web browser market, although Microsoft's Internet Explorer is making steady gains, according to a survey released today from Zona Research.
Netscape Communications (NSCP) is still firmly on top of the Web browser market, although Microsoft's Internet Explorer is making steady gains on Navigator, according to a survey released today from Zona Research.
Browser market share figures have become one of the chief score cards in the battle between Microsoft and Netscape. Determined to take away Netscape's early, sizable lead, Microsoft is waging a fierce promotional campaign to build up its market share by giving the IE browser away for free and offering IE users free access to for-pay Web sites such as the Wall Street Journal and ESPNet SportsZone.
Zona's browser census, which polled 150 technology managers at U.S. corporations, indicates that 83 percent of respondents use Netscape Navigator as their primary browser. Internet Explorer's market share has more than doubled since February, with 8 percent of respondents claiming it as their primary browser, according to the survey.
Ironically, Wall Street downgraded Netscape's stock today, causing it to plunge ten percent in morning trading. Bruce Smith, a Merrill Lynch analyst downgraded Netscape stock to "neutral" from "accumulate" in the medium-term and "buy" in the long-term, stating, "We believe that we have underestimated Microsoft and that the window of opportunity for Netscape to partner is closing much more rapidly than originally thought."
The downgrading results in speculation about Microsoft's most serious attempt yet to grab market share from Netscape. The battle is heating up, indeed: both companies plan to release beta versions of upgraded browsers before year's end.
Stephen Audtiore, president of Zona Research, said that Internet Explorer's market share gains came mostly at the expense of third-party browsers, such as NCSA Mosaic and NetManage's WebSurfer.
The survey figures are roughly equivalent to a browser census performed by Dataquest in May of this year.
The August survey also shows that many companies use both browsers, which indicates that information services have not yet settled on a standard, companywide browser, Auditore said today.
"The enterprise has not standardized on either browser," said Auditore. "Microsoft has made some fairly steady gains since the beginning of the year."
Zona also has posted previous browser surveys on its Web site.
Today, Netscape also released a survey of browser statistics at 25 Web sites that showed Navigator with 81.5 percent of the browser market and Internet Explorer with 9.8 percent.
Last week, Microsoft said two Web sites that track browser statistics have shown marked increases in Internet Explorer market share. One of them, Interse gave the Microsoft browser 29 percent, up from 15.8 percent in July.


The Waters Edge at Giovanni's is a multifaceted business consisting of an event space, corporate meeting space, and restaurant.
For this website, we designed around balancing all three aspects of the business, making site easily accessible for customers no matter what they needed from the Water's Edge. Visually, the site reflects the spacious elegance of the physical space.
A revised and more structured navigation system allows visitors to interact with whichever part of the business is most suited to their needs. The site makes it easy for customers to find menus, contact information, and even to order right online.
The redesign is also highly visual and features plenty of photographs to keep customers engaged so they know what to expect from the space. Best of all, customers can request information, book a reservation, or reach out to The Waters Edge at Giovanni's without having to leave the page that they are on.
TVI also designed print ads for the Waters Edge at Giovanni's such as this elegant poster advertising one of their wine pairings. The fonts, colors, and design keep the visuals strongly in line with the Waters Edge at Giovanni's website maintaining a consistent brand voice.
Other design work we've done for the Waters Edge at Giovanni's include their menus, both online and off.
Online advertisements such as this Facebook campaign for Mother's day put a fun spin on their ads while still keeping tone (both visual and verbal) consistent across the brand.


As I begin my journey to visit the schools in the Darfuri refugee camps Djabal and Goz Amer, what I am looking forward to most is reconnecting with old friends, making news ones, playing games with the school children, and sharing in their infectious laughter. During the trip I will be documenting the impact of the Darfur Dream Team's support for education in the refugee camps in eastern Chad. I will be gathering stories, taking photos, and collecting footage of how DDT funds have been implemented in Goz Amer refugee camp and discussing plans for providing continued support for quality education in Djabal and Goz Amer.
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres recently gave an interview to the Guardian about possible cuts to education and repatriation programs in refugee camps in Africa. According to Guterres, "International attention and sympathy has drifted away from Africa," and the U.N. refugee agency, or UNHCR, will have less than half of the funds needed to support their current operations on the continent. To date UNHCR has only managed to raise a quarter of the $177 million they need to provide services for the refugees in eastern Chad. They may have to cut the life sustaining activities that provide hope and resilience in the camps, including education. The work we do to support primary education in Djabal and Goz Amer refugee camps requires our commitment now more than ever before.
This trip is happening at a crucial time as serious funding cuts loom and the 10th anniversary of the start of the Darfur conflict approaches. Violence has led to the deaths of approximately 300,000 people and the forced displacement of an estimated 4 million people over the course of the conflict. During my last trip, the refugees I met continuously expressed gratitude for their friends in the United States for remembering their plight and giving them hope that peace will return to Darfur.
To learn more about the Darfur crisis since 2003, check out the timeline we just published for details on the conflict and the peace process. In addition, be sure to like the Darfur Dream Team on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates and dispatches from my trip. You can also submit questions and messages through both sites that I can answer and pass along during my trip.


text:
Q: CSV.generate and converters? I'm trying to create a converter to remove newline characters from CSV output.
I've got:
nonewline=lambda do |s|
  s.gsub(/(\r?\n)+/,' ')
end

I've verified that this works properly IF I load a variable and then run something like:
csv=CSV(variable,:converters=>[nonewline])

However, I'm attempting to use this code to update a bunch of preexisting code using CSV.generate, and it does not appear to work at all.
CSV.generate(:converters=>[nonewline]) do |csv|
  csv << ["hello\ngoodbye"]
end

returns:
"\"hello\ngoodbye\"\n"

I've tried quite a few things as well as trying other examples I've found online, and it appears as though :converters has no effect when used with CSV.generate.
Is this correct, or is there something I'm missing?

A: You need to write your converter as as below :
CSV::Converters[:nonewline] = lambda do |s|
  s.gsub(/(\r?\n)+/,' ')
end

Then do :
CSV.generate(:converters => [:nonewline]) do |csv|
  csv << ["hello\ngoodbye"]
end

Read the documentation Converters .
Okay, above part I didn't remove, as to show you how to write the custom CSV converters. The way you wrote it is incorrect.
Read the documentation of CSV::generate

This method wraps a String you provide, or an empty default String, in a CSV object which is passed to the provided block. You can use the block to append CSV rows to the String and when the block exits, the final String will be returned.

After reading the docs, it is quite clear that this method is for writing to a csv file, not for reading. Now all the converters options ( like :converters, :header_converters) is applied, when you are reading a CSV file, but not applied when you are writing into a CSV file.
Let me show you 2 examples to illustrate this more clearly.
require 'csv'

string = <<_
foo,bar
baz,quack
_

File.write('a',string)

CSV::Converters[:upcase] = lambda do |s|
  s.upcase
end

I am reading from a CSV file, so :converters option is applied to it.
CSV.open('a','r',:converters => :upcase) do |csv|
  puts csv.read
end

output
# >> FOO
# >> BAR
# >> BAZ
# >> QUACK

Now I am writing into the CSV file, converters option is not applied.
CSV.open('a','w',:converters => :upcase) do |csv|
  csv << ['dog','cat']
end

CSV.read('a') # => [["dog", "cat"]]

A: Attempting to remove newlines using :converters did not work.
I had to override the << method from csv.rb adding the following code to it:
# Change all CR/NL's into one space
row.map! { |element|
  if element.is_a?(String)
    element.gsub(/(\r?\n)+/,' ')
  else
    element
  end
}

Placed right before
output = row.map(&@quote).join(@col_sep) + @row_sep  # quote and separate
at line 21.
I would think this would be a good patch to CSV, as newlines will always produce bad CSV output.

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Hi Ni Tera Coca Coca Mp3 Mr Jatt kkar. Coca Cola Tu Lyrics: Tony Kakkar comes up with his new song "Coca-Cola Tu" featuring Young Desi on rap and having the music video directed by Keoni Marcelo.
Hi Ni Tera Coca Coca Mp3 Mr Jatt i Movies. Hindi Songs - Latest Hindi music, Hindi videos and movie trailers, lyrics, celebrity photo galleries and more.