The real magic, it seems, is not the sticky note itself, but the sense of connection, meaning, and identity that the sticky note represents. The person sending the survey is personally asking me in a special way (not just writing it on the survey) to help him or her out.
~KEVIN HOGAN, author of The Psychology of Persuasion
WRITING & SCREENWRITING
- The key to knowing if you’re ready for publication, Jody Hedlund | Tweet
Just like parenting, there are some writers who can let go, maybe even too easily. And others of us perhaps cling too tightly to our stories. How do we learn to have a healthy balance of not seeking publication too soon but also not letting fear hold us back from taking the next step?
- Choosing a genre–Anatomy of a Best-selling story, Kristen Lamb’s Blog | Tweet
Understanding structure helps us write cleaner and faster. Whether we plan every detail ahead of time or just intuitively have the architecture in our head, structure makes the difference between a workable first draft and a nightmare beyond salvage.
→WriteCraft: Choosing A Genre – Decide Which Genre To Use For Your Story
- How to navigate an episode of writer’s block, Jennifer Blanchard | Tweet
I love writing. I get to create new worlds and people. I love rearranging words, even punctuation. Yep, I’m a writing geek. Maybe you’re a writing geek, too? If that’s the case, why do we still get stuck with Writer’s Block?
→The Writer’s Block: 786 Ideas to Jump-Start Your Imagination
- A writer’s eyes are always open, Writer Unboxed | Tweet
Writers are made, not born. Writers are born, not made. Writers are born without maids. Whichever nature/nurture boxing glove you decide to swing in that battle, I hold that there are some distinct methods to cultivate a writer’s eye, and that those cultivations can result in sweet writerly fruits. (Please excuse that the last sentence mixed its metaphors with a waffle iron rather than a whisk.)
→On Being a Writer: 12 Simple Habits for a Writing Life
- Legally speaking, it depends: Writer’s Power, Script Mag | Tweet
What is power? For different people and different purposes power can mean many different things. A writer’s power could be expressed by his or her ability to create whole worlds out of nothing. It could be reflected in how much money someone is willing to spend to bring the ink blot marks on a page of paper into flesh and blood reality. It could be measured by how much the writer moves the intended (and even the unintended) audience emotionally.
→The Power of the Playwright’s Vision: Blueprints for the Working Writer
SELF-PUBLISHING
- What’s your book marketing plan? 6 crucial steps to include, The Write Life | Tweet
Every publisher and literary agent will tell you that responsibility for the success of your book rests heavily upon you, its author. Although traditional media campaigns still play an important role in the marketing plans for new books, they are no longer enough.
- Email marketing for authors, Social Media Just For Writers | Tweet
Remember when email marketing was big? Guess what? It still is. While business pages focus on social media trends, and blogs and workshops on the Internet abound with how-to information on nearly every social media network, email has been trucking along.
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SELF-IMPROVEMENT
- But do you want to get better?, Seth’s Blog | Tweet
It seems like a stupid question. Of course we want our organization, our work and our health to improve. But often, we don’t.
→Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
MOTIVATION
Imagine that you really need to convince someone to do something, such as following through on a task. You might be surprised to learn that one of the best ways to get someone to comply with your request is through a tiny nuance that adds a personal touch—attaching a sticky note.
CREATIVITY
- Your capacity to think creativity is a matter of the patterns you’ve built for doing so, Creative Something | Tweet
Research indicates that our innate intelligence plays a key part in being creative. Obviously we can’t be overly surprised by that notion. But we shouldn’t be fooled by it either: the impact of intelligence on creative ability is the same impact it has on everything else in our lives.
Everybody gets stuck. Here’s how some of the most innovative thinkers in business get themselves out of mental ruts and generate new ideas.
PSYCHOLOGY
- What motivates extreme athletes to take huge risks?, Science of us | Tweet
So it makes sense to think that people who engage in these activities are taking foolish risks purely for the exhilaration of it all. (Potter himself lost Clif’s sponsorship last year after a documentary showed him taking chances the company wasn’t comfortable with.) But this isn’t an accurate depiction of the individuals.
RELATIONSHIPS
- What do people say on a good first date?, Priceonomics | Tweet
Romantic attraction is one of the biggest mysteries of the human condition: What makes a person feel “connected” to another person? And how do you tell if they feel that way?
ENVIRONMENT
- A new solution: The Climate Club, The New York Review of Books | Tweet
Gernot Wagner and Martin L. Weitzman’s book, Climate Shock, tackles three notoriously difficult areas in climate-change policy: free riding, tail events, and geo-engineering. The fundamental political problem is free riding. Each country wants other countries to do the work, so nothing much gets done. The only answer is a club of like-minded nations strong enough to share the load and to penalise non-members.
→Climate Shock: The Economic Consequences of a Hotter Planet
TECHNOLOGY
Instagram is a highly popular photo sharing website which is increasing in popularity every month. With over 300 million monthly active users and over 55 million photos being shared every day, Instagram should be a vital part of your social media marketing strategy.
→Visual Social Marketing For Dummies
LEADERSHIP
How do you define a leader? It’s a question I’ve been asking myself for years now and one I try to ask the CEOs, business owners and managers I come into contact with. (Notice I didn’t sayleaders I come in contact with. A title doesn’t automatically confer leadership. Too often, it’s a quality we take for granted, assuming that authority comes with a position.)
→The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential