An Original Blog for Inquisitive Readers

Do You Listen to Music While Reading?

10/10/2025 No hay comentarios

Do You Listen to Music While Reading?Today I’d like to ask you: when you’re reading a book, do you put on background music, and if so, what kind? Scientific evidence suggests that vocal music actually interferes with reading comprehension (Souza & Leal, 2023).Some books even include QR codes that link to music tracks. As a writer, I’m not entirely convinced by this idea, for two reasons:And how do we use music as writers?If vocal or lyrical music distracts you from reading, imagine what it does while writing. Instrumental music or film scores might help instead. Personally, I only turn to music occasionally, usually to break through a creative block. Most of the time, the music is already in your head, along with the characters, the lighting, and the scenery. Think of cinema: the soundtrack is usually added once the film is already edited.Of course, much depends on genre. In classic…

An App to Detect Manipulative Speech

06/10/2025 No hay comentarios

I wish this news were true:“A group of researchers, psychologists, and computer scientists has just launched an AI-powered application that integrates with smart speakers and is capable of detecting harmful types of communication in a loveing relationship, such as blackmail and guilt-tripping. The user can set different sensitivity levels to receive feedback—especially useful for people who may not have the psychological or social skills to identify manipulative speech—promoting learning and self-respect.” Wouldn’t that be amazing? An app that prevents divorces, toxic arguments between partners and friends. Something like a referee, a basic mediator, to help us become aware of the ways of communicating that damage loving relationships. A starting point for learning through detection. Here’s a video for you to watch with a touch of humor. How to cite this blog post (APA format):Ruiz, G. (2025, October 06). An App to Detect Manipulative Speech. Writer Germán Ruiz’s website. https://www.germanruizescritor.com/an-app-to-detect-manipulative-speech/

Reading Together at Home Improves Child Development — And Something More…

09/08/2025 No hay comentarios

A team of Australian researchers has published in Frontiers in Language Sciences one of the most comprehensive reviews to date on a simple yet powerful habit: home-based shared book reading. But… what exactly is shared reading? Shared reading — also known as home-based shared book reading — is when an adult (often parents, uncles, aunts…) reads a book with a child and talks about what’s happening in the story. It’s not just about reading aloud, but about interaction: asking questions, commenting on the illustrations, connecting the story to personal experiences… Many families make it part of their bedtime routine. This systematic review analyzed 46 studies with data from over 56,000 children under 4 years old. It measured various aspects of what’s called the home literacy environment, which includes, for example, the frequency of shared reading, the age at which it began, and the number of children’s books in the home…

Human Made seal

07/04/2025 No hay comentarios

Previously on the website, I shared my POSITION on artificial intelligence, as a writer, artist, and content creator. You can read it here. BEST PRACTICES IN THE USE OF AI: Although the use of AI is not yet fully regulated, more and more websites are including the «AI» option in their search and content selection filters, distinguishing it from «authentic» content. PUBLICATION OF THE “HUMAN MADE” SEAL: As a way to identify and promote works and content created by humans, we have designed the “human-made” seal. This label is a way of stating that the product or content does not involve AI — it is the equivalent of «NO AI» or «AI FREE.» LICENSE FOR USE OF THE “HUMAN MADE” SEAL: You may use the seals published below for free, without attribution (though credit is appreciated). You may also modify or adapt the logo. You may sell products or content…

Three Questions People Ask Writers

18/03/2025 No hay comentarios

Let’s go over three of the questions people ask writers, some more bearable than others: QUESTION No. 1: «Is what you wrote true?»And I ask, does it really matter? If you enjoyed the story, this question belongs more in celebrity gossip. That said, an egocentric writer will be delighted to hear it because it gives him a golden opportunity to talk about himself.Obviously, writers draw a lot from the rivers that flow through their lives. Even in the most outlandish fiction, there are elements that, if not strictly true, are at least inspired by real events. QUESTION No. 2: «How many books have you sold?»The reality is that very few writers can make a living from their books. But how few is «very few»? I estimate that only about 5% or less of fiction writers earn enough to live on. In Spain, according to The Writer’s White Book (Libro Blanco…

A man, tired of suffering, implants an exoskeleton in his heart.

05/03/2025 No hay comentarios

. Source: The Fic-news Journal Julián A.B., a resident of Madrid, has been suffering from all kinds of emotional disappointments for years. He does not suffer from any coronary disease, yet he was convinced that his heart hurt as if it were being struck. A condition that «spread to his entire soul,» according to what he has told this media outlet. It is six in the afternoon when I meet with Julián at a café in Madrid’s Plaza de Santa Ana. He arrives on time, with an elegant demeanor and a shy smile. I shake his hand, and we sit at a table by the window. Outside, the pigeons peck at the joints of the pavement like mechanical birds. After discussing the routine of life, Julián refers to the past: “We are people, no matter how old you are, you still fall in love: it’s a totally involuntary feeling. The…

Do you like to read? I love to write

05/03/2025 No hay comentarios

“Do you like to read? I love to write” is the expression I have adopted to connect with people, with readers, to give meaning to my work. Writing is, at the end of the day, communicating through literature. That’s how it all started, telling stories, telling the lives of a group of people…

Fic-news, a new narrative subgenre

04/03/2025 No hay comentarios

The fictional news or fic-news is a literary subgenre that was born in this blog (allow me the audacity) and consists of writing and publishing a short fiction story in journalistic format and realistic character (past or present), explicitly or implicitly pointing out and through some kind of literary device by the writer that it is fiction. The fact of revealing inside or outside the news itself that it is an invented story, this subgenre can never be confused with the so-called fake-news, or intentional fake news.In this line, there are other terms that, while not being the same as fic-news, share the format of news or journalistic article: This blog publishes fic-news tagged under the name “fic-news”. The objective of this literary subgenre transcends entertainment and aims to reflect on society, human beings, their environment and life circumstances. How to cite this entry (APA standards): Ruiz, G. (31-December-2024). Fic-news,…