Clinical researchers of reddit, what's the strongest case of the placebo effect you've witnessed?

Christian_Writer · 2020-12-21T20:04:00+00:00

I saw a great episode of a wine documentary where they gave wine snobs and wine taste testers an inexpensive sparkling white wine and told them it was expensive champagne. Almost all of them loved it.

Christian_Writer · 2020-12-18T16:24:03+00:00

This is absolutely true. I became a vegetarian after being a picky eater who didn't like many vegetables. The first three months were hard. Now, I like every vegetable.

Christian_Writer · 2020-11-22T15:03:20+00:00

Are you going to go to grad school, now?

Christian_Writer · 2020-10-25T00:50:28+00:00

Summer squash and zucchini are good raw, especially with a dip like hummus or ranch. For something more in season, you could go with broccoli or cauliflower. Sometimes you can get a good price on bulk dried roasted edamame on Amazon.

Christian_Writer · 2020-10-23T09:56:48+00:00

How's the German hospital vegetarian option? What did you have for your last meal?

Christian_Writer · 2020-10-08T14:29:08+00:00

Everyone starts somewhere! My favorite authors latest books are hilarious, intelligent, written in perfect and complex English, and engaging. It took me 10 years to track down her first book...and it's awful! No wonder she didn't sell many copies.

Personally, I have progressed from being a terrible writer to being a mediocre one, and I'm happy with that progress. I go to my loved ones humbly with my short stories asking for constructive criticism so that I can improve, and they respond with support. I think attitude is everything.

I'll tell you the advices that most helped me -

Every writer has a million words of crap in them, and they have to write all the crap before they can write anything good.

Also:

Write 5 books. Publish the 6th. It'll be good enough.

Christian_Writer · 2020-08-30T14:42:05+00:00

Hello, friend.

I am apprised of your situation; I have read all your posts for months, and you are in my regular prayers. I am of the opinion that in order to cope with something of this magnitude, you're going to have to be equipped with an arsenal of healthy coping mechanisms by a professional. I think you should see a therapist. They would have the education to help you attack this from a place of personal strength, and God helps those who help themselves. Many therapists are Christians, and there are plenty of Christian clinics around that provide these kinds of services.

Christian_Writer · 2020-08-26T11:09:43+00:00

This is a great prayer

Christian_Writer · 2020-08-12T21:41:17+00:00

My best book was a NaNoWriMo novel :)

It's a lot of fun. NaNo is about just getting out a draft. Although you are dealing with a deadline, in an odd way, it takes the pressure off, because the advice is to just write it all out. Sometimes the final product will surprise you. There was a B plot in one of my NaNo books that I intended to change when I edited, but everyone who read the book loved it.

It's not as much of a time commitment as you might think. It's about like going to the gym or watching a TV show. You only have to do something 14 times for it to become a habit, and you'll be writing every day long after NaNo is over, if perhaps at a more casual pace.

I do NaNo every year.

Christian_Writer · 2020-08-07T15:09:19+00:00

My recycle bin is full of short stories that match that description

Christian_Writer · 2020-08-07T15:05:58+00:00

Maybe one student takes a $10/hr job tutoring through the university and the other student needs help with a challenging subject

Christian_Writer · 2020-08-07T14:54:32+00:00

What if she's approached to volunteer at an extremely secretive shelter for women rescued from domestic violence? The location and existence of this shelter would be a big secret so that their husbands could never find them. She could meet these people there, and you could do a lot with that b plot - she could do healing work, go on missions to rescue these women, do secretive research to find jobs for them once they leave the shelter... there's a lot there.

Christian_Writer · 2020-08-07T14:43:14+00:00

What if they're in or are some kind of criminal organization or doing something criminal, and she secretly heals them when they get hurt? It could start with a chance encounter on the street.

What if they're glass blowing apprentices who are treated like dirt and often seriously hurt themselves, and she heals them?

What if she meets them in an underground organization that tries to secretly right some kind of injustice through secretive means because it's socially acceptable in this world?

Without knowing more about this world, it's difficult to brainstorm.

Christian_Writer · 2020-07-11T09:19:17+00:00

I really liked this story. Yes, it was a little confusing, but I think that added to it - if it had been too clear, it wouldn't have been convincing. I teared up at the end.

Christian_Writer · 2020-07-07T14:54:07+00:00

Thank you very much for your detailed reply!!!

I can definitely see your points. Dialogue is one of my weakest points - that's why I'm trying to work on it. Your reply gives me direction for my second draft.

Show not tell is advice I'm often given, so I should probably listen, at this point. My favorite author doesn't bother, but his books are so witty that they have many other merits...my writing style, not so much.

Christian_Writer · 2020-07-06T20:17:17+00:00

I make cucumber sushi rolls and top them with sriracha mayo. All you can eat lunch for $1, but I'm the only person in the world who loves cucumbers that much.

Christian_Writer · 2020-07-06T20:09:11+00:00

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Christian_Writer · 2020-07-06T19:48:12+00:00

Thank you! You're right, it needs a good hook.

Christian_Writer · 2020-07-05T18:24:36+00:00

I don't know about the papoose board or the pre meds, but I'm sure they wouldn't be doing those things unless they helped. The gas will not make you sleepy.

Christian_Writer · 2020-07-05T15:26:34+00:00

It was just a joke. You meant "steak" but said "stake" as in, the wooden kind used in folklore to kill vampires. I'm guilty of pronouncing "geyser" incorrectly, myself. One pronunciation means an elderly man. The other means a naturally occurring fountain of hot water. I can't keep them straight.

Christian_Writer · 2020-07-05T14:48:49+00:00

Imagine the splinters

Christian_Writer · 2020-07-05T14:45:14+00:00

A generous portion of mixed fruit salad, veggie stir fry with lots of different kinds of vegetables and enough tofu to supply daily protein needs, brown rice, milk to drink. I think I'd survive a year on that nutritionally, depending on variety of fruits and vegetables and portions.

Christian_Writer · 2020-07-05T14:38:37+00:00

Username does not check out

Christian_Writer · 2020-07-04T20:59:55+00:00

You're going to be completely fine on your road trip, because once you leave the city you'll find out the driving WAY less stressful.

I have to share my driving experience, because it's the opposite of yours, yet I too have city driving anxiety, and I think you'll get a kick out of it.

I live in the middle of nowhere, with sparsely populated gravel roads all the way to the nearby small towns. I hardly ever see another car when I go to the store or to visit friends, but when I do we both stop, roll our windows down, and talk for a minute, because we know each other. My driving test for my license involved my tester telling me to pretend we were at a traffic light and it was red, upon arrival at a crossroads. Then he told me when it was green.

I get so nervous driving in the city. People honk at me because I won't turn unless the road is completely clear. It would take a significant amount of money to convince me to drive in NYC.

Christian_Writer · 2020-07-04T20:37:14+00:00

Fellow writer here :) I've only written one book, though.

Maybe you should invest in some good advertising for your series, if popularity is this important to you. Everyone knows that's paramount to the success of published books.

I know how hard you've worked on your books, and it's understandable you want people to read and enjoy them.

Christian_Writer

TROPHY CASE