Subject, story

The story is even more complicated than we have suggested, because carbon can relax by more than one mechanism. Protons rely on dipole-dipole relaxation, which also works well for protonated carbons but badly for non-proton-ated carbons. But carbon also for example makes use of spin-rotation relaxation, which is particularly active for methyl groups. And the magnetic field dependence of the various mechanisms also differs. We realize that relaxation is a very difficult subject, and if you want to know more then there are plenty of textbooks available ... 

Organic chemistry can, without a doubt, be an intimidating subject. You ve heard the horror stories from the now ex-premeds about how orgo single handedly dashed their hopes of medical stardom (centering around some sort of ER based fantasy). But do not fret Orgo is manageable. Be confident in yourself. You can handle this. With that said, the practical advise I can offer is twofold ... 

An untoward event sometimes points the way to useful discoveries. A fire in an Army Warehouse, June 1950, pointed the way to the subject of this discussion. The story briefly is on June 2, nine carloads of insulation fiberboard were shipped from a factory in the South, bound for upstate New York. During the afternoon of June 9, in the course of switching, one carload was discovered to be afire and left in the railyard. The other eight cars were sent on a few miles farther to their destination, where they were unloaded into a warehouse during the period June 12 to 15. This lot of eight carloads of fiberboard was stacked in one pile... 

To develop subjects with greater meaning, the PRB initially turned to ancient myths and stories from the Bible. Many of the PRB s biblically themed paintings portrayed the religious figures as regular peo-... 

In this passage, written in 1925, writer Edith Wharton distinguishes between subjects suitable for short stories and those suitable for novels. 

It is sometimes said that a good subject for a short story should always be capable of being expanded into a novel. 

It would be a great mistake, however, to try to base a hard-and-fast theory on the denial of the rule as on its assertion. Instances of short stories made out of subjects that could have been expanded into a... 

There are cases, indeed, when the short story may make use of the moral drama at its culmination. If the incident dealt with be one which a single retrospective flash sufficiently lights up, it is qualified for use (33) as a short story but if the subject be so complex, and its successive phases so interesting, as to justify elaboration, the lapse of time must necessarily be suggested, and the novel-form becomes appropriate. 

According to the author, which factor(s) determine whether a subject is suitable for a novel instead of a short story ... 

V I see by your eagerness, and the wonder and hope which your eyes express, my friend, that you expect to be informed of the secret with which I am acquainted that cannot be listen patiendy until the end of my story, and you will easily perceive why I am reserved upon that T subject. I will not lead you on, unguarded and ardent as I then was, to your destruction and infallible misery. Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his (10) nature will allow. 

Pages 129-130 Every Subject Must Contain within Itself Its Own Dimensions. In The Story and Its Writer. Wharton, Edith. 4th ed. Ed. Ann Charters. Boston Bedford Books, 1995. 

At the same time that this increased awareness to environmental carcinogens arose, the environmental movement was in full bloom. Since its established political goals were quite consistent with environmental carcinogen fears, the two were quite complementary. The history and development of the environmental movement are a fascinating and complex story in itself however, it is not an appropriate subject for this paper. Let it suffice to say that it was the combination of the cancer fears and the environmental movement that gave the political strength to pass TSCA into law. 

This is a tough question, and the simple answer is, probably not. A light-hearted, witty tone is fine if it fits with your subject. But resist the urge to tell a wild and cra2y story, or to tell a straight one with jokes and puns thrown in. You don t know the sense of humor of your reader. If he or she doesn t find it funny, you run the risk of looking foolish at best. Unless you are known for your great sense of humor, keep your tone upbeat, but leave out the jokes. 

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