Hannah Aster

SEO Team Lead

Hannah is a seasoned writer and editor who started her journey with Shortform nearly five years ago. She grew up reading mostly fiction books but transitioned to non-fiction writing when she started her travel website in 2018. When she's not writing or traveling, you can find Hannah working on home reno projects, crafting, or taking care of plants.

Expertise

Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in English and minors in professional and creative writing

The Law of Success: Don’t Let It Go to Your Head

What is the Law of Success in marketing? How was success the downfall of Digital Equipment Corporation? What can you learn by embracing failure? In The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, the Law of Success states that you must be wary not to let success be your downfall. Success can alter the dynamics of your company, cause executives to lose touch with marketing, and cause CEOs to become more distant. Keep reading to learn how to handle success and how to embrace your failures.

The Success of Michelle’s Let’s Move! Initiative

What inspired Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative? What steps did Michelle take to try to reduce childhood obesity rates? Michelle was inspired by the success of the White House garden to start the Let’s Move! initiative. The campaign resulted in several victories, including better labeling for sodas and other beverages, a commitment by the suppliers of school lunches to cut fat, sugar, and salt in their meals, and the establishment of a federal task force on childhood obesity. Keep reading for more information about the Let’s Move! initiative.

Memory and Reading: Look Out for References

How are memory and reading related? Is there really no such thing as a new book? It is true, there is no such thing as a new story. All literary works are connected and reference past works. That’s why it’s important to call on your memory of previous works of literature while you read. Continue on to learn more about the importance of calling on your memory while reading literature.

Radical Forgiveness: Give Yourself a Break

Has somebody hurt you so badly that it feels like you can’t and don’t want to forgive them? Do you feel so much shame about something you did that you can’t forgive yourself? What is Radical Forgiveness? We can’t hate ourselves into being good people. Only with Radical Forgiveness and Radical Acceptance can we find the wisdom and compassion to correctly respond to our situations. We must learn to forgive even those who have betrayed us because doing bad things doesn’t make someone a bad person. Continue on to learn about Radical Forgiveness.

Michelle Obama: Balancing Public Life vs. Private Life

How did the Obamas attempt to live a normal life while in the White House? What steps did Michelle take to ensure that she maintained a personal life? After they moved into the White House, the Obama family quickly learned that their lives wouldn’t be the same. Michelle and Barack couldn’t even go to dinner and a movie without shutting down the streets of New York and Michelle struggled to balance her public life vs. her private life. Continue reading to learn more about how Michelle Obama tried to balance her public and private lives after moving into the White

How to Read Literature Like a Professor: Baptism

What does How to Read Literature Like a Professor say about baptism? What is a symbolic baptism? A baptism in literature doesn’t always have to be religious. A literary baptism is when a character escapes a watery death and reforms their life as a result. How they escaped drowning is an important part of the character development. Keep reading to learn what How to Read Literature Like a Professor has to say about baptism.

Buddha and Mara: Accept Your Negative Feelings

What is the story of Buddha and Mara? What does it mean to invite your negative feelings in for tea? In the story, the god Mara tried to sway Siddhartha but Siddhartha met every challenge with Radical Acceptance. Instead of trying to ignore Mara, Buddha acknowledged his presence by saying, “I see you, Mara” and eventually Mara would leave on his own. This story is about accepting your feelings instead of repressing them. Continue on to learn about the story of Buddha, Mara, and Radical Acceptance.

Ladder Marketing: Know Your Place in the Hierarchy

What is a marketing ladder and how does it work? Why shouldn’t you pretend your product is number one if it isn’t? Ladder marketing says that the key is to know your position in the marketing hierarchy and acknowledge it in your advertising. If you market as though you are number one, consumers will reject it. Continue on to learn about ladder marketing and the Law of Duality.

Michelle Obama at Princeton: Facing Discrimination

What kind of discrimination did Michelle Obama face at Princeton University? How did her brother play a part in her college experience? When Michelle Obama entered Princeton, less than 9% of students in her class were Black and most were male. She even had an experience where her roommate moved out because her mother didn’t want her rooming with a Black girl. Despite all of that, Michelle thrived. Keep reading to learn more about Michelle Obama’s Princeton years.

Secondary Character Archetypes in Literature

What are the two secondary character archetypes in literature? Why can’t every character be rounded out? There are two main secondary character archetypes in literature: the round character and the flat character. Round characters have backstories, emotions, and growth while flat characters are just there to aid the protagonist. Keep reading to learn more about secondary characters in literature.