Change hurts. Do it anyway.
Embrace the fear of freedom, deciding to determine your own path, this is the work of a grownup, of someone who can identify what truly matters.
Do what you should do. Your mood will follow.
~SETH GODIN, author What to Do When its Your Turn (and its Always Your Turn)
WRITING & SCREENWRITING
- How to keep readers from hating your characters, Jodi Hedlund | Tweet
One surefire way writers can garner negative reviews is by making one or more of their main characters unlikeable. In fact creating unlikeable heroes and heroines often exasperates, irritates, and frustrates readers more than anything else.
- 7 Things I’ve learned so far, Writers Digest | Tweet
This is a recurring column I’m calling “7 Things I’ve Learned So Far,” where writers at any stage of their career can talk about writing advice and instruction as well as how they possibly got their book agent — by sharing seven things they’ve learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning.
→The Book on Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well
- Understanding the flashback–bending time as a literary device, Kristen Lamb’s Blog | Tweet
In my POV, the term “flashback” is far too broad. We can mistakenly believe that any time an author shifts time, that THIS is the dreaded “flashback” I am referring to and the one I (as an editor) will cut. Not necessarily.
- Find your novel opening: quickly, efficiently, and with more creativity, Fiction Notes | Tweet
At Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat site, they’ve done a series of analyses of movie plots that are called Beat Sheets under his system. I decided to go through them and write a short summary of how I could or couldn’t echo the different movies for this opening. I knew that I had to approach it as a writing exercise and just go overboard and let the ideas flow.
→Novel Beginnings (Essential Writing Skills Series Book 11)
- Why haven’t you finished that script, Go into the story | Tweet
You know, that story you’ve been kicking around for months. Maybe it’s pretty well worked out, but you just can’t summon up the energy to type FADE IN. Or you have a partial draft and you’re stuck, not sure which way to go. Or a story concept you think has strong potential, but you’re battling your own Voices Of Negativity…
→The 90-Day Screenplay: from concept to polish
- Screenplay format: Why not use camera directions for screenplays?, Script mag | Tweet
A budding screenwriter asked me the following question the other day: Dave, can you give me one good reason why I shouldn’t include camera directions in my script? After all, I want the director to see my visual intent.
→The Tools of Screenwriting: A Writer’s Guide to the Craft and Elements of a Screenplay
SELF-PUBLISHING
- 7 Things to do before, during, and right after a networking event, Author Marketing Experts | Tweet
Make the most of your next networking event with these tips.
→Networking Is Not Working: Stop Collecting Business Cards and Start Making Meaningful Connections
- How to sell your screenplay (for absolute beginners), Jane Friedman | Tweet
When I was a creative writing undergrad, one of the most memorable success stories we talked about was the Good Will Hunting script by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The script was started by Damon as part of a writing class assignment at Harvard. When he moved to Los Angeles to live with Affleck (they were both trying to launch acting careers), they finished the story together, making it their first completed script.
→Writer’s Guide to Selling Your Screenplay
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SELF-IMPROVEMENT
- Abandoning perfection, Seth’s Blog | Tweet
It’s possible you work in an industry built on perfect. That you’re a scrub nurse in the OR, or an air traffic controller or even in charge of compliance at a nuclear power plant.
→What to Do When its Your Turn (and its Always Your Turn)
WELL-BEING
- Everyday routines make life feel more meaningful, Scientific American | Tweet
Regularity helps life make sense, a crucial component in finding meaning.
→Wake Up Successful: How to Increase Your Energy and Achieve Any Goal with a Morning Routine
LANGUAGE
- Thirty million words aren’t enough, Pacific Standard | Tweet
Quality and quantity matter for low-income kids’ language skills, researchers say.
→My Toddler Talks: Strategies and Activities to Promote Your Child’s Language Development
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
- Don’t be fooled by a know-all, The Guardian | Tweet
‘These days, the last refuge of the overconfident bullshitter is on country walks’
→The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
BRANDING
This week, we take marketing lessons from big brands and apply them…to you. If you have to sell yourself or your services, want more “likes” and followers, or you’re looking for a job – this episode explores how to manage your social media, pick the best profile pic and avoid cliches in your resume.
→REBRAND: The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Oprah Winfrey is a self-made woman. So is Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx. They didn’t grow up with money or the finer things in life, they weren’t offered “legacy” preferences for college, and they didn’t get a trophy on the soccer field just because they showed up. They worked hard and found their support through family, teachers and mentors.
→Mistakes I Made at Work: 25 Influential Women Reflect on What They Got Out of Getting It Wrong