Write something
Sep '23 •
Start here
Welcome to The Unexpected Shape Café! Hello, and a very warm welcome! This is the premiere destination for personal nonfiction and memoir writers looking for community and a place to make connections, exchange work, discuss challenges, and all the “real life” stuff that comes along with being an aspiring working writer. Esmé Weijun Wang and the team (Chloe) host virtual events, workshops, and exclusive fun stuff in here to help you learn more about writing and entering the publishing industry. ➡️ How To Earn Points, Level Up, and Unlock Premium Content: The more you engage with this group (posting, commenting, sharing, liking, etc.), the more you gain points, level up, and are rewarded with premium content, courses, templates, and more! As you level up, the rewards become more valuable. Start climbing the leaderboard, where our top contributors will win surprises too! You can give value and level up by answering people’s questions, sharing interesting strategies or tools that are working well for you right now (not self-promotion!), and starting thought-provoking discussions. ➡️ How To Invite Friends To Join We encourage you to invite your friends! Just go to Settings > Invite > and grab your unique link. You can share your unique invite link with your email list, social media followers, and audience. The more the merrier! We sometimes have special surprise gifts for those who refer the most new members. ➡️ Check out the “Search” bar at the top of the group The search function in this group will help you navigate the goldmine of content within this community. Use it to search for topics you’re interested in like [“ethics,” “pitching,” or “first drafts”]. You can also check out our “Best Of” module, where we curate and save the most valuable posts in the community. ➡️ Read our Community Guidelines, Be Kind and Respectful We’re here to curate an inclusive community where people of all backgrounds feel safe. Make sure to read our community guide to get acquainted with what that means.
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New comment Jan 12
Sep '23 •
Introductions ⭐
This is the introduction thread. Say hi, tell us where you’re from and what your writing is all about! In your introduction, answer these 4 questions: ➡️ What is your name (preferred pronouns as well, if you don't mind) ➡️ Why did you decide to join The Unexpected Shape Café? ➡️ What is your favorite book? ➡️ What are you interested in writing about? We can’t wait to meet you! If you'd like to share anything else as well, feel free! And welcome!
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New comment 5d ago
Sep '23 •
Guidelines
Simply put: don't be mean. Please use the channels according to topic, and what you are wishing to discuss or share. There is no tolerance for shaming and/or personal choice attacks: I trust that you know how to be respectful when interacting in this space, and if you cannot abide by these requests, I politely ask that you remove yourself. When sharing, please make sure that you do not include any information that could be traumatic or harmful to others, checking with me beforehand if it should include a trigger warning. Otherwise, connecting and sharing within Discord should be fun and something to inspire discussion between yourself and others! Private Message Disclaimer: If you are messaging someone from the community, please make sure you are being respectful, and if you don’t get a response, please do not press any further. Lastly, upon joining, I ask that you say hello in the General Chat with the guidelines mentioned.
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3d •
Using MS Copilot For Research: Stigma vs. Reality
The first thing CoPilot says is that it is prone to errors. It is important to verify the content of their sources. I have run a series of tests that test the limits of CoPilot. One technique is asking CoPilot a question you know the answer to. Posing multiple queries in which you rephrase your question is one way to check CoPilot. CoPilot's response to a query made three months ago may vary widely from the same query made today. Asking a simple question will result in a less detailed response than if you put the question in a larger context. In my experience, the more context you provide, the more accurate the response. I depend heavily on CoPilot for certain types of basic research. I am housebound and poor so I cannot afford to buy articles/papers/subscriptions found on Google Scholar. While the abstracts tend to be free, they do not include critical information. Access to articles on Google Scholar may require subscriptions to professional journals not available to the general public. What do you think?
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New comment 3d ago
3d •
Let's Talk About Psychiatrists
In my thirty years of being in psychiatric care I have had at least nine psychiatrists. I have had three because of turnover in the public system, three who rotated through my ward during my commitment, one when hospitalized for a potentially lethal small bowel obstruction, and the other two in private care. The first private psychiatrist, who was the best psychiatrist I experienced, had to leave the state for health reasons (2013-2016). His replacement is also excellent. My first experience with a psychiatrist was in the public system (1994-2008?) and he did more harm than good. He did do two positive things in the fourteen years I saw him. So, my experience suggests that you have a 33 1/3 % chance of getting a good psychiatrist and that private psychiatrists are better than public system psychiatrists. I say the latter with the caveat that, again in my experience, the public system I experienced had a reputation for making doing good psychiatry difficult and a high turnover rate because of this difficulty. The best psychiatrists did not seem to last long. I did have one excellent psychiatrist in public care who saved my life. What do you think makes a good psychiatrist? And what has been your experience?
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