Quote of the day
Nothing in life is as important as you think it is while you are thinking about it.
~SONJA LYUBOMIRSKY, author of The Myths of Happiness: What Should Make You Happy, but Doesn’t, What Shouldn’t Make You Happy, but Does
WRITING & SCREENWRITING
- 6 Tips on what to do with those great writing ideas, Live Write Thrive | Tweet
Everybody has advice on where you can find ideas for your next book and what to do if you run out of inspiration, but what about the opposite problem? What if you have a pool of too many ideas, but none of them seems ready to go; they just feel very . . . thin?
- Emotional wounds entry: Victimization via Identity theft, Writers Helping Writers | Tweet
When you’re writing a character, it’s important to know why she is the way she is. Knowing her backstory is important to achieving this end, and one of the most impactful pieces of a character’s backstory is her emotional wound.
→The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws
- The other gender: Writing a man (or a woman) we can believe in, Romance University | Tweet
Neither all men nor all women are written equal. It’s inevitable: Some women struggle at writing male characters. Some men struggle at writing female characters. We’ve all seen it in one novel or another. I know I have, although of course, as a developmental editor, at some point I see almost everything. And because I do this for a living, one of the questions I receive is how—that is, how do I write a woman? How do I write a man? What should I do differently?
→Creating Fictional Charaters: The Essential Guide
- Hollywood success: Swallow the money, Script Mag | Tweet
If you’re on the outside looking in, showbiz can look like the land of luxe—a private club populated by only the rich and beautiful, not to mention a bunch of high school geeks who view financial success as the best revenge against prom queens who never gave them a second look. We’re lottery winners all, living large, driving shiny Teslas to and from privileged jobs in gilded towers all to provide entertainment for the masses.
SELF-PUBLISHING
- 9 Secrets to selling more books, Author Marketing Experts | Tweet
When so many people are writing books these days, how do you make yours stand out? Here are 9 secrets to help you sell more books!
→Sell More Books: 55 Free Promotions That Work (Writing Skills)
- Checklist for self-publishing a children’s picture book, Fiction Notes | Tweet
I am assuming here that you’ve written a fantastic children’s picture bookand the illustrations you’ve done or hired done are amazing. You’ve also assembled an amazing book using InDesign (recommended) or other software. This checklist takes up the process at the point where you have the files ready to upload. The checklist is useful whether you are producing a print book or an ebook, although some items may not apply in one or the other cases.
→Writing with Pictures: How to Write and Illustrate Children’s Books
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HAPPINESS
- How to use time travel to increase happiness, Barking up the wrong tree | Tweet
Anytime you need to be happier, just do some time travel. It’s that simple.
PRODUCTIVITY
- The six things the most productive people do everyday, James Altucher | Tweet
I decided to write down what six things I do every day that help me with productivity. I think I’m somewhat productive. I help run a few businesses. I’ve written a book or two a year for the past 11 years. I speak a lot. I write articles. I’ve also had more than enough time to ruin a marriage, find a new marriage, lose a house, and…other stuff.
CUISINE
- The Michelin woman, Lucky Peach | Tweet
Luckily, I was in a part of the world where luxury like that was within reach. There’s a constellation of Michelin-starred restaurants around Lyon, a grouping that my father, traveling with me, referred to as the “cream belt” until I threatened to stop speaking to him if he did so again.
→Roots. Essential Catalan Cuisine According to El Celler de Can Roca
EDUCATION
- The education myth, Project Syndicate | Tweet
In an era characterized by political polarization and policy paralysis, we should celebrate broad agreement on economic strategy wherever we find it. One such area of agreement is the idea that the key to inclusive growth is, as then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair put in his 2001 reelection campaign, “education, education, education.” If we broaden access to schools and improve their quality, economic growth will be both substantial and equitable.”
FILMMAKING
- 6 Filmmaking tips from Bad Bird, Film School Rejects | Tweet
Brad Bird cares about character development. He sets and specifies narrative stakes. He’s dedicated to meticulous world-building. He is amongst a steadily diminishing class of blockbuster directors: people who see themselves, first and foremost, as storytellers, not custodians of fleeting spectacle. That’s why, despite the mixed reviews that Tomorrowland is receiving, Bird’s is a cinematic voice that has earned sustained faith. After all, he’s one of few sources of optimism in contemporary Hollywood.
