Quote of the day
If you want to lead, you must learn. If you want to continue to lead, you must continue to learn. Invest in yourself first.
~JOHN C. MAXWELL, author of The Leadership Handbook: 26 Critical Lessons Every Leader Needs
WRITING
29 Habits of Highly Successful Writers, The author’s Nook | Tweet
Here’s what I’ve found personally helpful, and the simple habits that some of the most famous authors exercise.
On Being a Writer: 12 Simple Habits for a Writing Life that Lasts (Masters in Fine Living Series)
- What’s the Difference Between a Historical and a Historical Romance?, Jody Hedlund | Tweet
You might be asking (like many of my faithful readers): Exactly what is the difference between a historical and a historical romance? Both are fiction. But what sets them apart?
Historical Research Companion to Everything of Interest to a Romance Writer
How to Write and Sell Your Romance & Erotica, Writer’s Digest | Tweet
Romance and erotica novels make up a significant percentage of all adult fiction in the book industry. Generating approximately $2 billion in sales per year, the market is indeed competitive, but it is vastly large and the profits can be anyone’s. All authors need to do is produce a good product and know how to sell it.
On Writing Romance: How to Craft a Novel That Sells
- The Three Mistakes Writers Make That Stop Us Reading Their Books, Writers Write | Tweet
Slow beginnings with backstory and detailed descriptions were a problem. Pretentious, stylised, literary writing was another. But mostly, they abandoned books because they felt no emotional connection to the protagonist. Some even said they were not sure who the protagonist was.
The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes
SCREENWRITING
- LEGALLY SPEAKING, IT DEPENDS: Historical Drama Approaches, Script Mag | Tweet
They say history repeats itself. That’s certainly true for films based in the historical drama genre. Why would there be so many stories about the same historical events? Maybe because there are so many ways of telling a story that there’s always a fresh take or insight to be explored.
- The Top Five Craziest Twist Endings in Movie History, Screen Crush | Tweet
Top Five is a new ScreenCrush original series that ranks all kinds of cool stuff from the world of movies.
SELF-PUBLISHING
The Secret to a Powerful Author Brand, Kristen Lamb’s Blog | Tweet
These days, anyone can be published. This is good and bad and we can talk about that another time. But with more titles than ever before and bookstores becoming an endangered species? Our brand is our lifeline. Whether we decide to self-publish or traditionally publish is a business decision only we can make, but we still must have a viable author brand if we hope to sell books.
Author Identity: Build Your Brand. Sell More Books. Change the World.
Judging a Book By Both Its Covers, Writer Unboxed | Tweet
Rightly or not, we all judge a book by its cover. But for some books it isn’t that simple, since the same book can have more than one cover.
PASSION
- Just Do the Work, and the Passion Will Follow, Science of Us | Tweet
Another reason to question the standard “follow your passion” advice: The cliché suggests that the correct order of things is to first identify something you feel strongly about and then get down to work. But somenew research suggests we may be getting this backward and that excitement about a project may in fact follow the work.
The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything
LITERATURE
A new translation effort aims to make all of Shakespeare’s plays comprehensible to today’s audiences.
The Friendly Shakespeare: A Thoroughly Painless Guide to the Best of the Bard
BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS
- Multi-tasking: how to survive in the 21st century, Tim Hardford | Tweet
Modern life now forces us to do a multitude of things at once — but can we? Should we?
The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done
LEADERSHIP
These leaders only learned essential lessons after years of experience, and they share them here so you can save some time.
The Leadership Handbook: 26 Critical Lessons Every Leader Needs
ENTERTAINMENT
The Three Types Of Anne Hathaway Movies, Five Thirty Eight | Tweet
Anne Hathaway is out this weekend with “The Intern,” a movie that also stars Robert De Niro in a delightful role-reversal: Hathaway plays a stressed-out boss, and De Niro an intern. That’s the extent of the joke. And judging by the trailer, the movie doesn’t get any more sophisticated than that.