Chip Scanlan, the journalist and educator who writes the terrific Chip on Your Shoulder blog, recently talked about an NPR story that got us interested. It was about how to describe voices. How would you describe Morgan Freeman's voice? How about Patsy Cline's? Or Truman Capote's? Curious? We thought so: Please click here.

"So many news articles are the same; only the names are changed," writes the website The Morning News. Their wry solution? A tongue-in-cheek template for harried newshounds covering subculture. All you do is fill in the blanks. Check it out here.

Denver redux: Last week's blog excerpt talked about Denver's storytelling project. But Denver residents aren't the only ones telling stories about their beloved city. Paint the Town Read is an interactive map of Denver that connects the city to notable literary passages about it -- inspired by Jack Kerouac's Mile High musings in On the Road.

"Stories are how we connect with each other on the most fundamental human level," write the team behind Mile High Stories. They gather stories from Denver, Colorado, residents and share these rich narrative voices on the Internet. Ready for a story? Click here.

The blog Never mind the technology, where's the learning? lists "10 very obvious ways to use iPods in education." We think they're more inspired than obvious -- and useful for teachers, and parents, too. Read the post here.

"If you read for pleasure, read a lot, you will soak up writing lessons without trying," says writing coach John Rains, who publishes a blog called Notes From A Writing Coach. "After a while," he continues, "you will find yourself noticing the lessons -- beginning to see how the writer achieves the effects that make the story work." Read John's entire post here (scroll to the March 16th entry).

The Roberts Group, a company that provides editorial services to businesses, posted their booklet "11 Ways to Improve Your Writing and Your Business" online. In the introduction, they write "the best argument for good writing is simple logic: People won't buy what they don't understand." Read this informative booklet here.