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Public speaking is a great way to work on that muscle. When up on a stage or
in front of a class, just being up there makes people like you. The audience automatically thinks you are outgoing and friendly. The audience believes it takes a special person to do public speaking, as it’s one of the most common phobias. They think you are an extrovert.
~EDWIN PALSMA, author of Ambivert Journey: A Guide for Introverts
WRITING
- Spicing up a story with similes & metaphors, Jodi Hedlund | Tweet
Have you ever read a book that felt somewhat bland? Maybe it was a good plot with well-developed characters, but for some reason it just didn’t grab you. Obviously there are countless ways to add seasoning and flavor to our stories, but there are three easy-to-use spices: similes, metaphors, and personification.
→Skin Like Milk, Hair of Silk: What Are Similes and Metaphors? (Words Are Categorical)
- The Unexpected Reason You Struggle to Write (& the Solution That’s Right Under Your Nose), Finally Writing | Tweet
What happens when we do work that matters to us, is we tighten unconsciously, in the same way we might cross our arms when in new, vulnerable, or uncomfortable situations. Similarly we want to protect ourselves from the vulnerability and potential of creating. When we curl our bodies up, hold on to tension or discomfort, our writing tightens and slowly suffocates.
→Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly
- 4 Ways to Write a Likable Protagonist at the Start of His Character Arc, Helping Writers Become Authors | Tweet
Do you know what I struggle with more anything when it comes to character arcs? Creating a likable protagonist right from the get-go.
- How To Write Great Dialogue, My Bookish Life | Tweet
How to write great dialogue is a popular topic in my corner of the cybersphere. It’s not an easy task, but it is achievable – with time, practice, and a lot of patience. Personally, I find exposition much less challenging, and spend considerably more effort on the dialogue.
→How to Write Dazzling Dialogue: The Fastest Way to Improve Any Manuscript
SCREENWRITING
- THE CRAFT: Work Habits of the Pros, Script Mag | Tweet
Screenwriting is unlike any other professional endeavor. To survive its unique pressures and peculiarities and have a career, you’ll have to master a few fundamental disciplines.
Interview (Video): Oliver Stone, Go Into The Story | Tweet
This is a fascinating journey into the mindset of writer-director Oliver Stone, an interview directed toward a largely Chinese audience.
→The Untold History of the United States
SELF-PUBLISHING
- 10 Lethal Marketing Mistakes, Author Marketing Experts | Tweet
Pinterest is the social media site that has every wannabe chef and bride-to-be totally hooked. It allows users to “pin their interests” to create virtual scrapbooks filled with hundreds of inspirational images: recipes, vacation destinations, home decor, wedding details, etc. With about 70 million users, the idea behind the platform is to enhance the ingenuity in everyday life through organized interests.
CREATIVITY
- How to Inspire Creative Thinking: Details, Details, Pacific Standard | Tweet
New research finds recollecting specific aspects of a recent event can inspire creativity, as measured by a key test.
→How To Create New Ideas: A Comprehensive Course in The Art and Science of Creative Thinking
NUTRITION
It’s not just because these foods are tasty. It’s because they make us feel less alone.
→The Dairy Good Cookbook: Everyday Comfort Food from America’s Dairy Farm Families
PSYCHOLOGY
Sometimes social, sometimes solitary, ambiverts often make good sales people.
→Ambivert Journey: A Guide for Introverts
LEADERSHIP
Folk wisdom tells us it’s lonely at the top. This makes intuitive sense: To occupy the sole position atop a hierarchy, to have the sole authority for tough decisions nobody else wants to (or can) make, and to bear the sole responsibility for the consequences of those decisions is, almost by definition, to be alone. Power implies isolation.
→The Leadership Handbook: 26 Critical Lessons Every Leader Needs
ECONOMICS
- Bartender says he received this patronizing ‘Economics’ card instead of an actual tip, Grub Street | Tweet
What you see here is the card that a Seattle bartender says he received from a patron in lieu of the more traditional cash tip.
→Tips: Getting More: A Restaurant Insider’s Guide to Making More Money