How does the artwork associated with the band Radiohead challenge Essay

How does the artwork associated with the band Radiohead challenge common ideologies in today's society - Essay Example ther fields, to the existence of propaganda and publicity; further, many sociologists have been able to show -- without specific reference to socio-musical society -- that there is less tendency for the public to become a crowd than to be swallowed up by the mass’. In other words, the music offered to the public can cause severe damages to the social framework of a particular society. At a next level, the above relationship is being used in order to justify the close relationship between music and media particularly in the modern society. From another point of view, the assumption that music can influence the public regarding a particular issue can lead to the hypothesis that media have the power to control the music presenting through them ensuring the protection of the consumers especially of the teenagers from possible severe psychological consequences – although such an result can be differentiated in accordance with the character and the personal thoughts of the pe rson involved. In this way, it has been regarded as justifiable to think that ‘the public and the mass are intermingled, a consequence of mass communication media; these media must not be overlooked in any modern study of music, and have, in fact, led to considerably increased difficulty in the observation of contemporary collective behaviour with regard to music’ (Silbermann, 1963, 192). Current paper examines the relationship between the music and the media regarding a particular band, Radiohead, one of the most known rock bands in the international music industry. More specifically, the issue under examination is the challenge set by Radiohead (by their artwork) towards the common ideologies as they have been recognized and applied in all states around the world. In accordance with the views of Freeden (1996, 87) ideologies are ‘groupings of decontested political concepts; the mutual influence of these concepts is paramountly affected by the specific morphologi cal arrangements that

White Privilege in American Society Essay Example for Free

White Privilege in American Society Essay Privilege is the greatest enemy of equality. This quote from a noted Austrian novelist, Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach, perhaps describes the harm of white privilege on American society. By its very definition privilege is a grace bestowed on one over another (Webster, 2006). In that sense, privilege is in and of itself an opposition to equality. In racial terms, if one group has been historically privileged over another, there will never be equality between the groups until a catastrophic new beginning can occur removing all trace of the bestowed privilege. Privilege is the greatest enemy of equality. This quote from a noted Austrian novelist, Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach, perhaps describes the harm of white privilege on American society. By its very definition privilege is a grace bestowed on one over another (Webster, 2006). In that sense, privilege is in and of itself an opposition to equality. In racial terms, if one group has been historically privileged over another, there will never be equality between the groups until a catastrophic new beginning can occur removing all trace of the bestowed privilege. White American privilege is the result of a country developing around a racially charged society featuring whites on top. Since the inception of colonial America, Whites heeded themselves as the superior race. This is seen evident through the submission and elimination of the Native Americans as well as most directly in the institution of slavery. As the nation of riches began to develop, and the American Dream came into fruition, nonwhites were left out of any chance to profit. Skip ahead to present day and we see a nation that has made drastic leaps toward social equality between races, but still struggles with remnants of the past. Simply put, white privilege is the social advantage given to whites through wealth and power that nonwhites never had the opportunity to earn. Despite all of societys strides toward racial equality, how do you equalize the advantages one group has had over another? The most obvious advantage today is that of wealth. White Americans have had greater opportunity for previous generations to accumulate and pass on wealth to todays members, whereas nonwhite Americans were historically denied the opportunity to do so. Specific cases include the subjugation of a race with Native Americans, the enslavement of race as seen with Black Americans, and the fleecing of a race as seen with Japanese Americans. However, perhaps most prevalent, but certainly not obvious is the power that White Privilege bestows to White Americans. In a society being controlled by white Americans, it is natural for that society to show a bias toward whites. This bias manifests itself through legislation, opportunities and within the very fabric of society itself. However prevalent its effects might be, White Privilege seems nonexistent to those who benefit from it (McIntosh, 1989). In modern American society, as a nation that has existed with White Privilege, it is commonplace and goes by unnoticed to white Americans. Among its subtle manifestations, but arguably the most relevant, is the fact that actions committed by a white individual are attributed to that individual and very seldom to their race, whereas, actions committed by nonwhites are usually viewed as stereotypical of their race, even if those actions are in fact atypical. It is in these subtleties that the often made argument that disenfranchised white Americans do not benefit from the effects of White Privilege is proved inaccurate. The factor of wealth only gives a reason as to why white privilege exists. The fact that all but a very small percentage of wealthy Americans are white correlates to that fact that all but a very small percentage of Americans in power are white. The bias and controlling interest exerted by this white power majority is apparent through all aspects of American government. As described in The Coming White Majority a black man recalls coming to America, he quotes, We came here as Africans, but no one called us Africans. They called us Negroes (Maharidge, 1996). White Privilege is a phenomenon that cannot directly be undone. As discussed the underlying causes of White Privilege exist in the mindset and power structure of American society. Perhaps most conceivable would be to begin by diversifying the power structure of the government. However, as has been proven many times in American government, politics are won through financial support. So for this reason, we look again to wealth and must focus on equalizing the wealth of the nation. If, through these steps, we engineer a social system that has power equally distributed among races, there still remains the perceived power created by societal mindset. Unlike tangible aspects of government office and wealth, how can we conceivable attempt to change the minds of an entire society of people (Bonilla-Silva, 2006). It can be presumed that the only way to begin to undertake this task is through education. Contrary to popular belief, race cannot be ignored. Race education will help to educate both white Americans to be aware of phenomenon such as White Privilege, and to help educate nonwhite Americans in what to expect living in a society filled with White Privilege. As discussed, White Privilege is a permeating factor of American society and its effects slowly widen the riff between white and nonwhite Americans. However, although difficult, it is possible to begin to overcome the effects granted by White Privilege. Ignoring nonrealistic way such as a mass racial equalizing of wealth and power, the first step is to educate both sides of society in race relations throughout. After all, as has been coined may times, education and understanding are the end all of strife and despair. Works Cited Webster. Websters Dictionary. 2006 McIntosh, P. White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Peace and Freedom. July 1989. Maharidge, D. The Coming White Minority. Random House Inc, 1996. Bonilla-Silva, E. Racialized Social System Approach to Racism, in Gallagher, Charles. Rethinking the Color Line: Readings in Race and Ethnicity. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

Jealousy and Self-construal Essay -- Psychology, Emotions

Jealousy is an intrinsically relational phenomenon that is regarded as a multidimensional experience, consisting of cognitive, emotional and coping behaviors (Aylor, 2004; Fleischmann et. al, 2005; Pfeiffer and Wong, 1989; Theiss, 2006). Jealousy typically occurs when there is a potential threat to or an actual loss of a valued relationship between oneself and another due to a real or imagined rival for one’s partner’s attention (DeSteno & Salovey, 1996; Fleischmann et. al, 2005; Pfeiffer & Wong, 1989; White, 1981; White & Mullen, 1989). These real or perceived threats cause individuals to experience and respond to jealousy differently, as most researchers believe jealousy to be not a single emotion, but a combination of internal and external negative emotions. Some people may internally experience hurt, anger, and fear of loss or deterioration of an important relationship (Aylor, 2004; Pfeiffer & Wong, 1989; Strom & Aune, 2008; White & Mullen, 1989); while other peopl e may experience external displays of jealousy, such as crying, retaliating, departing, using surveillance or even becoming aggressive (Fleischmann et. al, 2005). Although jealousy appears in a variety of forms and levels of intensity, it always results from an interaction between predispositions and a triggering event. An individual’s response to jealousy may be either direct or indirect depending on the severity of the relational threat posed by a potential rival (Bevan & Tidgewell, 2009; Theiss & Solomon, 2006). Severe problems in relationships often call for direct communication to resolve the issue. Direct responses often include accosting the partner or rival in face-to-face communication. For instance, a jealous partner might approach the rival to altercat... ...e relationship and creates feelings of uneasiness or anxiety, both of which may lead to decreased intimacy. Consequently, individuals may take measures to reduce uncertainty and improve their relationship with their partner. A fourth goal is re-assessing the relationship which occurs when individuals experience discontent in their relationship, thus they may re-examine the relationship by weighing the costs and benefits attributed to the relationship. The last cognitive goal provided is restoring equity through retaliation and transpires when partners in inequitable relationships participate in behaviors prompted by the need to restore equity in the relationship (e.g., tactics that even the score). Understanding how these cognitive goals impact the experience of jealousy is an essential first step in understanding how an individual will express jealous behaviors.

Concocting Barium Sulfate Essay

Introduction Barium Sulfate is a white substance, liquid or solid, with the chemical formula being BaSO4. Barium sulfate is a radiopaque agent, which is used in order to help x-rays be more visible due to the contrast between the barium sulfate and the x-rayed parts of the body. This substance is dangerous, but due to its poor solubility ingestion will not result in the body’s absorption of the toxicity of it. Some of the dangers of ingesting Barium Sulfate however are: bloating, constipation, cramping, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, stomach/lower abdominal pain, tightness in chest, troubled breathing, or wheezing. Barium Sulfate also reacts violently with Aluminum powders. Prolonged exposure to Barium Sulfate dust can result in baritosis, which is a form of benign pneumoconiosis. Barium Sulfate is insoluble in most substances, except for concentrated sulfuric acid. Research Question An ample research question for this particular lab would be â€Å"How can one create five grams of Barium Sulfate?† This task explores the use of knowledge of different chemicals regarding their solubilities, concentrations and characteristics and the use of this knowledge in order to make a pre-determined five grams of Barium Sulfate. I intended to approach this problem by using my knowledge of chemicals stated above to come up with a simple, practical way of concocting five grams of Barium Sulfate. Hypothesis If Barium Nitrate and Sulfuric Acid are mixed together appropriately, then we will be able to make five grams of Barium Sulfate, along with the other product. This hypothesis is clearly justifiable. If you mix 5.6 grams of Barium Nitrate with 2.1 grams of Sulfuric Acid, through the reaction types we can see that this is double replacement and should form HNO3 + BaSO4, and through some dilution calculations we can see that theoretically five grams of Barium Sulfate should be made. Variables Independent –> The amounts of Barium Nitrate and Sulfuric acid. These variables are independent because they will change depending on what substances are use to make the Barium Nitrate and of what concentration. Dependent –> The amounts of Barium Sulfate and Nitric Acid produced. These variables are dependent because they depend on the independent variables, or the Barium Nitrate and Sulfuric Acid. Control –> The different materials used during the experiment are the materials used and the substances used to make the Barium Nitrate. These are controls because they do not change throughout the experiment. Procedure Materials –> 2 700mL beakers –> 50mL graduated cylinder –> 100mL graduated cylinder –> Stirring rod –> Digital Scale –> Coffee Filters –> Hot plate –> Vacuum Flask –> 12.5 M H2SO4 –> Ba(NO3)2 –> Funnel Steps 1. The true first step of this lab was to figure out how to make Barium Sulfate. In our case, we figured we would mix Barium Nitrate and Sulfuric Acid to do the trick. After subsequent calculations, we figured out that we would need 2.1g of Sulfuric Acid and 5.6g of Barium Nitrate. 2. First we placed 5.6 g of Ba(NO3)2 solid powder into the 700mL beaker 3. We then proceeded to make it into a liquid by adding approximately 100mL of water, and to better dissolve these two substances we put the solution onto a hot plate and stirred until it was sufficiently dissolved 4. Then we put 2.1g or 4mL of 12.5M H2SO4 into the 50mL graduated cylinder 5. Then we diluted the 12.5M H2SO4 to 5M by adding in 6mL of water, in order to achieve 10mL of 5M H2SO4 6. We then poured the dissolved water and Ba(NO3)2 along with the 10mL of 5M H2SO4 together in the other 700mL beaker 7. We then observed the reaction and recorded these observations. The solution was HNO3 and BaSO4, with the BaSO4 a white precipitate in the liquid HNO3. 8. To isolate the BaSO4, it needs to be filtered. We weighed the coffee filter with the digital scale, which came out to 0.5g and then placed the filter on the inside of the funnel. 9. Place the funnel over the vacuum flask so that the HNO3 will go through the funnel into the vacuum flask and the remaining substance will isolated BaSO4 after the substance from the 700mL beaker is poured into the funnel very slowly 10. Remove the coffee filter, and throw everything else out. Then let the BaSO4 on the coffee filter dry overnight 11. Then we weighed the coffee filter with the dry BaSO4, which was 4.7g, and then subtracted the weight of the coffee filter to get the true weight of our BaSO4, which was 4.2 grams. Data Raw Data Amounts of Reactants and Amount of BaSO4 Substance Amount (+/- 0.5g) H2SO4 10ml Ba(NO3)2 5.6g in 100mL of water BaSO4 4.2 grams Calculations Amount to Use of Each Substance 5g of BaSO4 x (1mol BaSO4/ 233.43g of BaSO4) 0.02142 mols BaSO4 0.02142 mols BaSO4 x (1mol H2SO4/ 1mol BaSO4) 0.02142 mols H2SO4 0.02142 mols BaSO4 x (1mol Ba(NO3)2/ 1mol BaSO4) 0.02142 mols Ba(NO3)2 0.02142 mols H2SO4 x (98.078g H2SO4/ 1mol H2SO4) 2.101g H2SO4 0.02142 mols Ba(NO3)2 x (261.336g Ba(NO3)2/1mol Ba(NO3)2 5.597g Ba(NO3)2 Dilution o M1 V1=M2V2 –> (12.5M H2SO4)(Xml H2SO4) = (5M H2SO4)(10mL H2SO4) –> X = 4mL H2SO4 –> 6mL of water needed for 4mL H2SO4 Percent Yield (4.2g BaSO4/5g BaSO4) x 100 = 84% Percent Error [(4.2g BaSO4 – 5g BaSO4)/ 5g BaS04] x 100 = 16% Diagrams All of our equipment laid out The vacuum flask pulling the Nitric Acid out of the Barium Sulfate The finished, dried, Barium Sulfate on the coffee filter Weighing the Barium Sulfate on the coffee filter Conclusion Principally, the lab was a success. We were able to come up with a perfectly good method of creating Barium Sulfate. Technically, however the lab was slightly off. Instead of coming up with the ideal five grams of Barium Sulfate, we fell 8/10ths of a gram short, which came out to a sixteen percent error. This inaccuracy suggests that something in our lab went awry. When pumping the nitric acid out of the barium sulfate, we overflowed the filter on the vacuum flask, seeing as how we didn’t take into account how thick the substance actually was. This mishap was most likely the largest contributor to our inaccuracy. Also, human error is always a factor. Inevitably, somewhere down the line we took a reading wrong or something of that nature, further skewing our results. This lab brought up a few questions for further investigation. After finishing the lab, the question occurred to me, â€Å"if we had used an alternate method to make five grams of Barium Sulfate, could we have been more accurate, less accurate, or would our results have remained the same?† To make a better lab, there are a couple things that could be done. First would be to take better care to observe the substances we work with much more carefully. By doing this, there is less likely of a chance of having something happen such as overflowing the funnel. Also, one could record observations better. This would make the analysis of the lab much easier, with less guesswork to do.

Amos and Hosea Essay

Amos was a Judean who believed he was commissioned by Yahweh to address his words to Israel, However Hosea was a native Israelite. With these two men was the custom of recording oracles which appear to have begun, for if the words of their prophetic predecessors were preserved in a written form, then they would have long since been lost to us all. Within a few years, prophets sharing similar concerns with Amos and Hosea began to be active in Judah and their words too, were preserved. II Kings 15 and Amos 1-9 Amos stood in judgment of moral and ethical evil but, unlike them, he did not limit himself to single issues or to individual situations, but dealt with the decline of Yahwism and human behavior in all levels of society. Cities he mentions), patterns of cause and effect (3:3 ff.), and Israelite cult practices. His vivid imagery, drawn from nature, suggests an intelligent observer capable of relating his insights and experiences in powerful terminology. Perhaps the very simplicity of his life caused him to be shocked at the extravagances of the rich and the terrible poverty and helplessness of those who were the prey of the powerful. The luxury of summer and winter palaces as opposed to the hovels of the poor, the greedy demand of the very rich contrasted with the cry for justice and equity of the underprivileged drove him to harsh pronouncements against powerful, smug, content men and women, priests and king. The thrust of Amos’ condemnation is against the division of life into compartments. He argues for unity. What a man does in the market place, in the Court of law or, in his dealings with others cannot be walled off from worship. Yahweh is a God of all people; therefore the dealings of man with man are directly related to the dealings of God with man. His is a cry for the recognition of man’s moral responsibility before God. â€Å"But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an Overflowing stream.† Amos 5:24 AMOS’ RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS Amos’ beliefs concerning Yahweh and divine-human relationships were similar. Yahweh the creator, the â€Å"God of hosts† Amos never speaks of Yahweh as â€Å"God of Israel†), or possessed power over nature and nations. Despite the unrealistic emphasis, Yahweh’s particular concern was Israel, the chosen or  elected people, Amos emphasized Yahweh’s action in history in bringing the Hebrews to nationhood and greatness, and pointed out that the continuance of power and security rested in Yahweh.

Metallic Character - Chemistry Glossary Definition

Metallic Character - Chemistry Glossary Definition Metallic Character Definition Metallic character describes the set of chemical properties that are associated with the elements classified as metals in the periodic table. Metallic character depends on the ability of an element to lose its outer valence electrons. Examples of properties related to metallic character include thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, hardness, ductility, and malleability. The most metallic element is francium, followed by cesium. In general, metallic character increases as you move toward the lower right side of the periodic table. Also Known As: metallicity, metal character Metallic Character Versus Metallicity In chemistry, the terms metallic character and metallicity may be used interchangeably to refer to the metallic nature of a sample. In astronomy, metallicity refers to the abundance of elements heavier than hydrogen or helium, regardless of whether or not these elements are actually metals.

How to Start Writing a Novel 3 Key Elements a Novel Needs to Succeed

How to Start Writing a Novel 3 Key Elements a Novel Needs to Succeed How to Start Writing a Novel: 3 Key Elements a Novel Needs to Succeed Want to write a compelling, dramatic story?One that draws readers in, takes them on a roller-coaster ride of emotions and thrills,  then leaves them hungry for you to publish your next book, and your next, and your next?If so, then I have good news:With the right understanding of story structure, I believe anyone is capable of writing an amazing story.Yes, that includes you.And the key to making this process as easy and natural as possible is to start every novel with a good story foundation.This is where most new writers struggle. Either they have trouble getting their story off the ground, or they can get it off the ground, but it nosedives partway through the book.Either way, the cause is the same: they didn’t start their book from a good story foundation.In other words, they were missing one or more of thethree critical elements that every novel needs to succeed. I call these foundational elements, â€Å"The Story Foundation Trifecta.†Let’s talk about itNOT E: We cover everything in this blog post and much more about the writing, marketing, and publishing process in our VIP Fiction Self-Publishing Program. Learn more about it hereHow to Start Writing a Novel for BeginnersIf youre new to the world of writing, its really easy to get overwhelmed. Its normal to feel that way. Youve never done this before and its a major task to learn how to write a book.What advice do you listen to?How will you even sift through all of the ideas you have?What steps do you actually need to take to start writing a novel?The best part about being a beginner is that you  can  only  make  progress. Theres really nowhere else for you to go but up.The tricky thing, however, is knowing how to get started. After all, that step is the most important, but also the most difficult.These are among the first things you have to do in order to start writing a book as a beginner:#1 Choose a book idea to write aboutIf youre ready to write a book, chances are you hav e more than a single idea in mind thats just how the minds of creatives like yourself work.But how do you choose which to write and which to save for later?The good news is that any and all of your book ideas can get written, its just a matter of choosing which goes first.These are a few questions I like to ask myself when it comes to deciding which idea to start next:Which do you find yourself thinking about most often?Which has a theme/message that means the most to you?Which do you have the most content developed for?Which will be the fastest to write?Once you have an idea in mind that fulfills these questions, youll know that that is the one to write about.Essentailly, in order to choose a book idea, think about which one youre most passionate and excited about. #2 Start your mindmap and outlineOutlining is necessary no matter what type of book youre reading. Even if you think youre the type to write by the seat of your pants, an outline of some sort will come in handy.Even St ephen King has the end of his stories in mind and a few plot points along the way, and he self-identifies as a pantzer, or someone who writes by the seat of ones pants.Now this does NOT mean you have to go through every single part of your story and create a step-by-step outline of everything that will happen.You can do that, but you don’t have to.Generally speaking, there are two kinds of writers out there:Plotters (like James Patterson)Pantzers (like Stephen King)Plotters are people who like to plot their stories in advance, while pantzers are people who don’t- they â€Å"fly by the seat of their pants,† coming up with their story ideas on the fly.You might think that outlining is only important for plottersbut actually, that’s not the case. EVERY writer needs to come up with at least a basic outline before they start writing.Even Stephen King, the most well-known pantzer out there, has admitted that he writes his stories with an end in mind.Knowing whe re your story is going can help you develop the plot to be more complex, exciting, and allow you to hide foreshadowing within the book.This will help you craft your twists to be even harder to see coming something all bookworms love.We have complete guides for learning how to fill out a mindmap and then complete an outline based on it. Check those out before moving on to the nexts steps because its essential to have those details done first.#3 Consider how long you want your book to beThis is also the stage in which you figure out if youll be writing a standalone (a single book) or a series (2 + novels of the same storyline).But first, how long do you want this book to be? Some authors will tell you to just write as much as is needed, but its often a good idea to know your baseline so you can stay on track.This is a table of the average word count for different types of novels to help you get an idea for what to shoot for:Type of WritingWord CountPages in a Typical BookExampleShor t story100 - 15,0001 - 24 pages"The Gift of the Magi" by O. HenryNovella30,000 - 60,000100 - 200 pages"A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony BurgessNovel60,000 - 100,000200 - 350 pages"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone": by JK RowlingEpic Novel120,00 - 220,000+400 - 750+ pages"Game of Thrones" by George R.R. MartinOnce you have an idea as to how long you want your book to be, you can better plan out each chapters length and formulate a writing schedule that will allow you to make real progress.How to Start Writing a Novel with the Story Foundation TrifectaFirst off, what IS the Story Foundation Trifecta?It’s a combination of  three things:An interesting premiseA sympathetic heroA clear compelling â€Å"A-story†As you’re about to learn, these are the most critical and fundamental pieces to any successful story. As long as you have these three things in place, your story is bound to be engaging and entertaining.In the rest of this post, I’ll explain what th ese things are and how you can improve these elements in your story idea. And to help you understand, I’ll be using examples from well-known stories such as The Hunger Games, The Matrix, and my own series GoneGod World.Foundation #1: An Interesting PremiseYour premise is the foundation of your plot. The collection of situations or presuppositions that make up your story world.That sounds complicated, so let’s put it in simpler terms:Your premise consists of 2-3 seemingly unconnected ideas that have been meshed together to make something truly unique.If you analyze really popular stories like The Hunger Games and The Matrix, you’ll realize they have great premises. And that’s a big part of the reason why they were so successful.So how do you come up with an awesome premise of your own?One common method is to use the â€Å"What If† technique. Here’s how that might look using The Hunger Games as an example:The Hunger Games: What if, sometime in the future, there is a society which demands children must fight to the death once a year?Immediately, the premise opens up a hundred other questions that your story may or may not answer. What happened to create this world and contest? Why children? What happens to the victors? Your story may not answer all of these questions, and certainly Suzanne Collins – the author of The Hunger Games – doesn’t answer all of them.See how that works? You take a few different ideas and combine them. See how they might fit together.In this case the premise is using the familiar idea of a gladiator storybut it’s mish-mashing that concept by having the gladiators be children.Then when you throw in a couple extra elements, likeSetting the story in the futureIncluding a love-triangle with the main characterHaving a power struggle behind the scenes only the audience knows aboutyou end up with a really great premise for a story.Here’s another example:The Matrix: What if reality isn’t what we think it is, and in fact we’re all connected to computers as human batteries for the robot world?Here we’re taking the idea â€Å"reality isn’t what you think it is† and mashing it together with â€Å"we’re human batteries connected to computers.†These are cool ideas on their own. But when you put them together, they become something really fascinating. With a premise like this, is it any wonder why The Matrix was so successful?And here’s one more example, from my series of books:GoneGod World: What if all the gods are gone, and when they leave they force all their denizens to go to earth?Here I’ve combined the ideas of â€Å"divine creatures† and â€Å"refugees† to create a unique story premise out oftwo familiar ideas.In this story, every sort of magical creature you can think of- dragons, faeries, etc.- is forced to become a refugee on earth. As you can imagine, this opens up all kinds of possibilities for interesting storylines and conflicts.So that’s foundation #1 of the Story Foundation Trifecta: create an interesting premise. Now it’s your turn:How to Start Writing a Book Action Step:Take a look at your favorite stories and identify their premise. Turn those premises into â€Å"What if† statements.Bonus: Among the premises that you have identified, see if you can alter them slightly to turn them into something completely unique.Challenge: Create 3 to 5 premise statements of your own, statements that ultimately create world, you’d love to write in.You’ll be surprised at how quickly you start cranking out really unique story premises.Foundation #2: A Sympathetic HeroFoundation #1 focuses on your plot. It’s a big-picture statement of what happens in your story.But remember, stories don’t just happen by themselves. They happen to characters- to people. To human beings. (And sometimes, to elves and aliens.)At the heart of every story is a hero who strives to meet an important goal. And the more your audience can understand and identify with that hero, the more likely they are to become engrossed by your story.Now when you’re creating your hero, the  three  most important things to figure out are your hero’s:Key traitsOuter journeyInner journeyâ€Å"Key traits† refer to your character’s distinguishing features. Is your hero:Brave?Intelligent?Beautiful?Charming?Underhanded?Strong as an ox?Your character’s journey refers to the challenges they will be forced to overcome throughout the story. And we break that journey up into inner and outer journeys.A few examples:The Hunger Games: Katniss’s outer journey is to survive the games. Her inner journey is to mature as an individual, to let other people in, and to learn to accept help from others.The Matrix: Neo’s outer journey is to defeat Agent Smith and the robot forces enslaving humanity in side the Matrix. His inner journey is to believe in himself and accept that he’s the only one capable of saving the human race.Make sense? Great. Now go figure out who your hero is, give them a few key traits, and most importantly decide on their inner and outer journey. Then when you’ve completed that, you’re ready to move forFoundation #3: A Clear Compelling â€Å"A-Story†Once you know your story’s premise and have identified your hero, your next step is to use those 2 elements to create your â€Å"A-story.†Loosely defined, your A-story is the main storyline in your novel. It’s the one story we need to see resolved in order for us to put down your book and feel satisfied at the end.Your book can have multiple storylines- maybe you have a romance subplot, for example- but your A-story is the main story. The big problem that gets resolved at the end. The big problem that gets resolved at the end.In most cases, your A-story is going t o be the same as your hero’s outer journey. In The Hunger Games, for example, the A-story is Katniss’ trial to survive the games.But your A-story can also tie into your hero’s inner journey. In The Matrix, the A-story deals in part with Neo’s struggle to believe in himself and become â€Å"the one.†Here are some common A-stories for different genres to think about when you start writing a book:Sci-fi: Repel the alien invasionAction: Get revenge on the bad guysRomance: Finally succumb to the love of your lifeIt’s important to know your A-story. This is the storyline that you need to focus on, to keep coming back to. This is the major conflict of your story, so don’t lose sight of it.Exercise: Identifytwo or three unique A-stories that fit could each premise. Spend a few minutes contemplating how the premise and the A-story work together. (And also relish is how your A-story is better than the original 😊.)Bonus: Could you alter o ne of the premises to fit with your own unique A-story? If so, you very well may have the a kickass story on your hands!Challenge: Now that you have defined your premise in step one, identify 2-3A-stories that could work within that premise statement.How to Start Writing a Book Action Step:Identify two or three unique A-stories that fit could each premise. Spend a few minutes contemplating how the premise and the A-story work together. (And also relish is how your A-story is better than the original)Bonus: Could you alter one of the premises to fit with your own unique A-story? If so, you very well may have the a kickass story on your hands!Challenge: Now that you have defined your premise in step one, identify 2-3 A-stories that could work within that premise statement.You Know Your A-StoryNow, What’s Next?OK, so you’ve gone through the Story Foundation Trifecta and figured out your premise, hero, and A-story. What should you do next?Sign up for your free training to guide you through this process with more detailIts not enough to just read about it. What you need is someone whos done it before to take you through this process step by step.When it comes to fiction, those with experience are those who thrive and we should all learn from someone who know what theyre doing because if we can bypass all the mess of starting to write a book, we should.