Problem: Article: If you want to write sad stories, you'll have to start by seeking inspiration. Consider what makes you sad. For about 10 minutes, free write on the topic of sadness. Talk about the kind of situations that make you sad.  There are a lot of changes that come in life that can make people sad. Friendships and other relationships ending can cause sadness. The death of a loved one can also make someone sad. Sadness can also be caused by more minor events. Losing a family pet can be sad. Having to move to another city can be a cause of sadness. Consider what you think sadness is. What thoughts and emotions do you associate with sadness? As you write, talk about your own personal experiences with sadness. For example, when in life did you feel the most sad? Why? You may be able to use experiences from your own life in a short story. The best way to become a better writer is to read more. If you want to know how to write sad stories, you'll have to read a lot of stories with unhappy themes and plots.   Read sad stories. Ask your friends and teachers for recommendations for sad stories. As you read, do so actively. Pay attention to how writers build their stories and characters. How do the stories start? How do they end? Why do you have an emotional response to these stories? Ask yourself these questions as you read. Pay attention to what works in these stories. When writing a short story, you only have a short period of time to get your reader's attention. As you read short stories, pay attention to opening lines. How does the writer get your attention? Where does the story start? Many short stories may start when some of the important actions or events have already occurred. Authors may recount such events in flashbacks or imply them through means like character dialogue. If you want to write a story, you'll need to know basic story structure. Stories are made up of exposition, rising action, a climax, falling action, and a resolution. The first parts of the story come with exposition and rising action.  Your exposition comes at the beginning of the story. This is where you explain who the main character is and what he or she is doing at the beginning of the story. Exposition should be brief and grab the reader's attention.  A story's rising action is the series of conflicts that move the story forward. No story can exist without a problem that needs resolving. In a sad story, there should be an element of tragedy to that problem. For example, maybe your main character is caring for her sick dog. The rising action could include her taking the dog to the vet, finding out the sickness is worse than she thought, and struggling with the setbacks and challenges of her dog's medical needs. Once you've figured out basic story structure, write a short outline for your story. Write out how your story will begin, what rising action you'll include, the climax, and how the story is resolved.  An outline can be brief. It's not necessary to use full sentences in an outline. You just need to have some sense of the basic events that will occur. You can separate your outline into the five elements of story structure: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. An outline should use numbers and letters for structure. Big headings, like "exposition," can be marked with a roman numeral. You can use letters or regular numbers to elaborate on aspects of that heading. For example, "I. Exposition, a. introduce Susan." To help you see how to write an outline, let's return to this article's example. You could begin the outline with something like this: "Exposition, a. Introduce Ada, crying in art class, b. Sad to be reminded of her father's cancer, c. Returns home alone (her mother is at work) to help care for her ailing dog."
Summary: Free write about sadness. Seek inspiration. Learn how to begin a story. Outline your story.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: On a small plate, combine 2 parts of antibacterial dish soap with 1 part of olive oil. Swirl the two together with a spoon until they’re fully mixed.  The antibacterial soap will kill any germs or bacteria on the brushes, while the olive oil will help break down stubborn makeup so the brushes rinse clean. Don’t use a paper plate for mixing the cleaner. The oil will seep through paper. Take the brushes that you plan to clean and run them under lukewarm water. Run your fingers over the bristles to ensure that they’re all completely wet. Be careful to hold the brushes with the bristles facing down when you wet them. If water gets inside the brushes’ ferrell, the part of the brushes just below the bristles that holds them to the handle, it may loosen the glue so bristles start falling out. Coat all of the brushes’ bristles with the soap mixture. Next, run the brushes back and forth over the palm of your hand to work the cleaner in. Keep moving the brushes over your hand until the suds are no longer colored with makeup. For extremely dirty makeup brushes, you may need to wipe off the suds and dip the brushes in the cleaner a second time. Once the soapy residue is no longer colored, run the brushes under lukewarm water until no suds come out of the bristles. Gently reshape the wet bristles with your fingers, and lay them flat to air dry. If possible, lay your brushes flat on the edge of a table or counter so the bristles hang over the edge. That will keep any moisture from seeping into the ferrule.

SUMMARY: Mix the soap and olive oil. Wet your brushes. Dip the brushes in the cleaner and work it through the bristles. Rinse the brushes and air dry them.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Ahead of time, plan 5 minutes during your date or outing when you and your companion will check your phones. It can be helpful to select a moment of transition form one activity to another. Doing this allows your companion to know they will have time set aside to address any important communications that come up, putting them at ease for the rest of the outing.  To a romantic partner you might say, “I really want to focus on each other tonight. Can we leave our phones in the car during dinner? We can check them before we drive to the movies to make sure work hasn’t called you.” To a coworker you might say, “Can we sideline our phones for the meeting? Let’s give each other our undivided attention to discuss the proposal. We can check for new messages on the way to the client luncheon.” Certain activities are not conducive to checking phones because you need both hands to do them. If your partner or friend has a consistent problem with checking their phone, try mobile-unfriendly activities, such as rock climbing or canoeing, to get more quality time when you hang out. You may even get extra enjoyment doing something out of the ordinary together. If your partner or friend’s phone interruptions are largely tied to a specific work schedule, try scheduling your hangouts on other days. This will help you have a more productive friendship or relationship. For example, if your partner or friend is a social worker who is always on call on Tuesdays, let’s say, schedule outings on other days so your companion can better balance their work needs with your social ones.
Summary:
Pick a designated moment to check your phones. Choose phone-free activities. Select a date where there won’t be disturbances.