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Quote of the day
Happiness, properly defined, is a sense of well-being that comes from a great sense of knowing that you’re on the right path.
~MARK ANIELSKI, author of The Economics of Happiness: Building Genuine Wealth
WRITING
Embrace Your Writing Style: 9 Writing and Grammar Rules Worth Breaking, The Write Life | Tweet
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand that boundaries are necessary, especially in the realm of writing. But, what if people just bent the rules occasionally? Wouldn’t we have more diversity in style, tone and content?
The Only Grammar Book You’ll Ever Need: A One-Stop Source for Every Writing Assignment
To Prologue or NOT To Prologue? That is the Question, Kristen Lamb’s Blog | Tweet
The problem with the prologue is it has kind of gotten a bad rap over the years, especially with agents. They generally hate them. Why? In my opinion, it is because far too many writers don’t use prologues properly and that, in itself, has created its own problem.
Beginnings, Middles and Ends (Elements of Fiction Writing)
8 Rules of Writing Historical Fiction Research, Writer’s Digest | Tweet
I put together this list of eight rules for historical fiction research. For each I’ll give you an example of how I applied that rule of research to writing my novel.
- Seven Points To Consider When You Write An Epistolary-ish Novel, Writers Write | Tweet
I have been doing research into books that use letters, because I want to do something similar in my novel. It is interesting to note that it works better in some stories than in others.
SCREENWRITING
- FEMALE PROTAGONISTS: Whoa, Man… You’re Writing Her All Wrong!, Script Mag | Tweet
At some point, many male screenwriters throw up their hands and surrender. They stop bothering to imbue the same blood, sweat, bones and guts into their female characters that they do with their male characters. Instead, male-written screenplays feature the following pantheon of poorly conceived familiar character stereo/archetypes.
How to Write Great Characters: The Key to Your Hero’s Growth and Transformation
- The Mysteries of Writing Dialogue, Go Into The Story | Tweet
There are many intangibles about the craft of screenwriting. Much of that derives from the fact that story itself is organic. Stories — good ones, at least — are not formulas. They are not widgets. Rather they are living, breathing entities with a heart, soul, and even will of their own. They slip and slide as we develop and write them, creating a series of challenges as we try our best to solve their mysteries.
Dialogue Secrets (Screenwriting Blue Books Book 10)
SELF-PUBLISHING
- Simple Self-Promotion Series! Step #2, Author Marketing Experts | Tweet
If the idea of self-promotion online seems daunting, not to fear, self-promotion doesn’t have to be time-consuming or confusing. To help get you started, we’re sharing some of the most effective yet simple ways to start marketing yourself.
An Interview with Richard Nash: The Future of Publishing, Jane Friedman | Tweet
When I hear Richard Nash speak, I always remember it long after: the way everyone in the audience is completely alert from beginning to end, how his energy fills the room and crackles, and the way he gleefully uses a series of F-bombs to emphasize key points. After listening to Nash, I immediately feel smarter as well as more confident that publishing will be all right as long as he’s somehow in it.
CREATIVITY
You don’t have creative block, you have a creative barricade, Creative Something | Tweet
All you need to do in order to think creatively is to change one or more aspects of whatever it is you’re thinking about.
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
HAPPINESS
For many years people have puzzled over why countries that get richer don’t seem to get happier. Now, researchers have an answer.
The Economics of Happiness: Building Genuine Wealth
THE BRAIN
- What will I hear when my ears stop working?, Narratively | Tweet
When I was diagnosed with a rare hearing disorder I embarked on the unusual mission of preparing to go completely deaf—while archiving the sounds I never want to forget.
The Sound of Silence: The Selected Teachings of Ajahn Sumedho
PSYCHOLOGY
- Some advice on advice, Psychological Science | Tweet
We all need some advice sometimes, from getting help on a new project at work to making decisions about how to save for retirement. The problem is, we’re not always so good about taking other people’s advice.
COMMUNICATIONS
When giving a presentation or speech, you have to engage your audience effectively in order to truly get your point across. Unlike a written editorial or newsletter, your speech is fleeting; once you’ve said everything you set out to say, you don’t get a second chance to have your voice heard in that specific arena.
Public Speaking: Storytelling Techniques for Electrifying Presentations