Kate Robards

Writer, performer, people meeter. I was born on the bayou in a small South East Texas town. Now I live in San Francisco. There were many stops along the way. Favorite cities I've lived in include Amsterdam, Washington D.C. and Shanghai, China. Still, I'll only have one hometown- Orange, Texas. I'm an MFA candidate at CCA in San Francisco (c/o 2016). My play MANDARIN ORANGE was seen at Capital Fringe in Washington D.C. and at Exit Theatre for the San Francisco Fringe and at the IAO Theatre in Maui. See it August 5th at The Marsh in San Francisco. Hope to meet you on my journey.

[katerobards]

My mood forever

[life]

Nothing says Friday the 13th quite like a group of black cats. Pictured here are owners with their black cats, waiting in line for audition in movie “Tales of Terror” in 1961. (Ralph Crane—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images) #catsofinstagram #blackcats #Fridaythe13th https://www.instagram.com/p/B2XQXusn__e/?igshid=1bwl0cp6l7tk7

[mizworldofrandom]

[nprbooks]

Top image courtesy Penguin Young Readers Group, bottom image courtesy Andrea Shea.

“Many people know Make Way for Ducklings, but they might not know the lengths to which Robert McCloskey went to get the beloved Mallard family to look just right,” reports Books correspondent Lynn Neary.

Having already written much of the text, McCloskey was feeling stuck, explains his daughter, Sal McCloskey. (Sal’s all grown up now, but you may remember her from one of McCloskey’s other books, Blueberries for Sal.)

Itching to begin the illustrations, McCloskey went down to the Washington Square Market, bought a crate of ducks and brought them back to his Greenwich Village studio apartment. He washed the ducklings off in the bathtub, put them in a pan and got to work.

The resulting book — the story of the Mallard family’s search for a home in the wilds of Boston — celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. It charmed generations of readers and even inspired a statue in Boston’s Public Garden.

Find her full story (and some adorable pictures!) here.

– Petra (who’s always wondered how the duck statues get along with the swan boats)

[yesterdaysprint]

Allison at her kitchen stove, dying scarves, Greenwich Village, ca. 1920 (photo by Jessie Tarbox Beals)

[househunting]

$3.5 million/3 br

NYC

[hypebeast]

BW Architects re-design an 1840′s Greenwich village townhouse in NYC.

[nickbianco-la]

Gwathmey Siegel - Faye Dunaway Apartment, New York, 1970

[weisscreativ]

Industrial loft in New York

[katerobards]

Vision board. I’d add some rugs though.

[goodwoodwould]

Good wood - another awesome log cabin, this one was designed by Manhattan studio JacobsChang in upstate New York and built on a shoestring. Love the contrast between the blackened timber exterior and the cool, calming, minimalist white interior.

[katerobards]

Sweet, sweet fantasy baby.

[apt-goals]

design

[katerobards]

Omg take me here... books, fireplace, food, coziness, views, and modernity 😍😍😍

[robert-hadley]

Louise Bourgeois New York apartment / studio. Photo - François Halard

[katerobards]

Endlessly fascinated to learn how artists live

[libertyninteriors]

[katerobards]

I live in a tiny place stuffed with art

[saintlaurence-deactivated202411]

[katerobards]

WINDOWS PLANTS AND BOOKS I WANT

[thegorgeoushussy]

Joan Crawford in her New York City apartment kitchen, 1965

“Another important party secret is I always add a splash of vodka to everything. Nobody ever knows and everyone ends up having a wonderful time” – Joan Crawford on entertaining at home.

[pierppasolini]

James Dean in his apartment in New York (top) and at his family’s farm in Indiana (bottom), photographed by Dennis Stock, 1955.

His top floor garret on Manhattan’s West Side is no more home to him, he says, than the farm in Indiana. But he feels that his continuing attempt to find out just where he belongs is the source of his strength as an actor. — March 7, 1955 issue of LIFE magazine

[jessicacaseyauthor-deactivated2]

How To Write Character Flaws

It can be hard to find that balance between a character that is too perfect for readers to love and a character that is too flawed for readers to relate to.

Something I like to remember when thinking of flaws to give characters is that very often, flaws can be positive attributes that are in excess.

(This is related to Aristotle’s Virtues and Doctrine of the Mean.)

FOR INSTANCE,

Courage is a positive trait.

But taken too far? That can lead to rashness, or recklessness, which are negative traits. And without enough courage? The character is meak, fearful and cowardly, which are also negative traits.

Here are some examples to think of for your characters of positive traits taken to the extremes.

Virtue- kindness

Excess-easily taken advantage of

Deficiency- selfishness

-

Virtue- ambition

Excess- greed/avarice

Deficiency- lazy

-

Virtue- honesty

Excess- harshness

Deficiency- secrecy/dishonesty

-

Virue- decisiveness

Excess-impulsiveness

Deficiency-indecision

-

Virtue- passionate

Excess- irritating

Deficiency- apathetic

-

Virtue- strong leadership

Excess- over-controlling

Deficiency- indifferent/passive

Hope this helps :)