Problem: Article: During your research, you should look for individuals in history who were interesting and unique for their time. This could be a mistress of a British monarch who proposed sweeping changes to the system, or the village woman who helped embroider the stars on the first American flag. Look for characters who stick out in their time as rebels, renegades, or change makers. You can then use these historical characters as the basis for fascinating fictional characters. You should also consider the historical characters that surround your main characters. Maybe your main character frequented the same circles as famous writers and thinkers of the time. Or, maybe your main character was close friends with a major historical leader. You may also find historical characters who may have been mere footnotes in history and largely ignored by historians. You could then bring these forgotten characters to life in your fiction and shine a spotlight on their fascinating lives. You should also try to focus on historical figures who were in conflict with themselves, with the outside world, or with other individuals in their life. Historical characters who were forced to deal with conflict will often be more interesting and engaging to readers. You can also use their conflict as the main conflict in your story. For example, maybe your story is about a struggling artist in Paris in 1935. The artist may be based on a forgotten artist of the time who struggled with drug addiction and poverty. The artist may also have a conflict with the outside world in that her work was often misinterpreted or ignored by the critics of the day. She may also have a conflict with other artists in her circle, who are becoming more famous and well known than her. You may also use the historical time period as a source of conflict. Often, unique characters in history stand out for their attempts to go against the status quo of the day or the social norms of their time. A story about a female main character who sewed the stars onto the first American flag, for example, may be interesting because during this time, women were not permitted to vote or to participate in the politics of the day. This may then create a conflict for your main character, as she is not able to actively participate in the political process, even though she desperately wants to get involved and be part of this process. You should create character studies of your characters so you have a good sense of their perspective. Your character studies may include physical qualities, such as the character's appearance and clothing. You should also include emotional and psychological qualities, such as how your character thinks, acts, and perceives others around them. For example, you may have a character study of your main character that reads: Physical qualities: Tall, thin, dark skin, thin nose, wide eyes, with long plaited hair. Has a cleft lip from birth and a scar on her left ear. Emotional/psychological qualities: Street-smart, no formal educational training, devoted to painting and drawing, obsessed with fame, short-tempered, attractive to men and women, tendency to spend money as soon as she has it on drugs, alcohol, and food. Avoid creating one-dimensional characters by giving your characters flaws and imperfections. Nobody is perfect, after all, especially throughout history. Make sure your characters have their own issues and problems, as this will make them more believable and relatable to your readers. For example, your main character may have artistic talent and the ability to leave an important mark on painting. But she may also struggle with drug addiction and poverty, leading her to make some difficult and imperfect decisions to survive.
Summary: Look for historical characters with a unique backstory. Find historical characters that dealt with conflict. Describe the physical and emotional qualities of your main character. Create flawed characters.

Problem: Article: Most pasta contains egg, but to be considered an egg noodle, it must contain at least 5.5 percent egg solids. When measuring egg noodles using measuring cups, 2 oz. (56 g) of egg noodles is approximately 1 1/4 cup of egg noodles and also 1 1/4 cup of cooked noodles. Unlike macaroni pastas, egg noodles measured in measuring cups are typically the same both dry and cooked. Typically, for extra wide egg noodles, a 2 oz. serving equals 1 1/4 cups of dry egg noodles, which will yield approximately 1 1/2 cups of cooked noodles.
Summary: Know what constitutes an egg noodle. Measure egg noodles using measuring cups or a food scale. Know that extra wide egg noodle portions might be slightly larger when cooked.

Problem: Article: This opens a new Terminal session. Next to the blinking cursor, enter the appropriate login information as shown: telnet server.myplace.net 23 Note that the port number may vary. Check with your server admin if the connection fails.
Summary: Type Command-N. Enter host name or IP address.

Problem: Article: There are a wide variety of wood-burning irons available from online retailers and at craft and hobby stores. Wood burners typically come with a stand, a heat regulator, and a variety of tips. If you are new to wood burning, you may want to get a basic model, so you can figure out if you like wood burning without spending a lot of money. The price of wood burning irons can vary dramatically depending on the level of heat they can produce and what kind of heat controls they come with. You should be able to find a basic wood burner for about 40 dollars (USD). However, high quality wood burners that professionals use can cost over 200 dollars (USD). Many wood-burning irons come with a variety of tips that can be screwed into the end of the burner. The tips typically come in a variety of sizes that you can choose from. In general, if you want to do small detailed work, use a small tip. If you want to make larger, thick letters, pick a bigger tip. In addition to large and small tips, there are differently shaped tips that make different types of lines. For instance, your wood-burning iron likely came with a tip that is teardrop shaped. This is made for shading. There are also tips that are made for drawing straight lines, which are wedge shaped and come to a point on on side. Once the iron has been heated up, use a pair of pliers to change the tip out. The pliers will save your hands from the hot iron. Some wood-burning irons come with specialty tips that are basically brands. These are iron tips that have designs on their surface that can be burned into wood with a simple stamping motion. In some cases, these specialty tips include letters. If you have letter tips that will work for your project, they will allow you to burn clear, quick letters onto wood. When using specialty tips to stamp letters, you will have to switch out the tip for every separate letter. Be careful when doing this and remember to use pliers, as the tips will be very hot. Plug your iron in and let it heat up for a few minutes. The instructions your iron came with will give you a general idea of how long your specific iron takes to heat up. Give your iron time to heat up before you start using it so that the lines you burn are solid and well defined. If your iron has heat controls, make sure that it is set to the heat your would like. If you want to make solid outlines, this usually requires an iron that is about 700F (371C). If you want to do some light shading, then you should set your iron to a more moderate temperature.
Summary:
Purchase an iron. Pick a tip to use. Consider using specialty tips. Heat up your iron.