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MONDAY LINKS ~ Reads on Writing, Self-publishing, and Better Living: Don’t Spend Your Time Living Someone Else’s Life

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Jack Kornfield on regrets

Photo Credit: symphony of love via Compfight cc

Quote of the day

We are all fairly malleable, bendable creatures really. While we have the choice to think for ourselves and have free will to live the way our hearts guide us, our environment has a huge effect on us all, particularly until we start choosing life from a more conscious perspective.

~BRONNIE WARE, author of The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing.

WRITING

One writer’s dance with the principles of structure, and an honest self-analysis of the result.

→Writing : Novel Writing Mastery, Proven And Simple Techniques To Outline-, Structure- And Write A Successful Novel ! – novel writing, writing fiction, writing skills

Every person has a unique life path and therefore an interesting tale to share, and yet so many of us struggle with whether or not we have the right to tell our stories. We are silenced by the fear upsetting others, especially our family, in writing our truth.

→Writing About People, Places, and Things

Here are some adjectives that might befuddle you. Often writers interchange the words precise and concise, but there is a fine distinction in meaning.

→New York Times Dictionary of Misunderstood, Misused, & Mispronounced Words

  • 9 Ways to use point of view to strengthen your story’s, HWBA | Tweet

One of the author’s primary tools to create great characters is point of view (POV). The character or characters through whom the reader experiences your narrative will become the people they know best, and, if those characters are compelling, the friends they carry with them after the story is done.

→Point Of View: Understanding Which P.O.V. is Best for Your Story and Using it Effectively (Tip, Tricks and Tools of the Writer’s Trade Book 1)

SCREENWRITING

You still need to do the heavy lifting, but these apps might help.

I have gotten to know a lot of screenwriters through the years. In talking with or interviewing them, one thing I find they pretty much have in common: They know their genre. That is a lesson for all of us.

→Genre Screenwriting: How to Write Popular Screenplays That Sell

SELF-PUBLISHING

We live in a society that feeds us a lot of lies. The biggest one is about TIME. Oh, if I only had more time, then I could (fill in the blank). The truth is we are all given the same amount of time—24 hours a day. Of course the next big lie that’s easy to believe (and I’ve been guilty) is Well, if I only work HARDER, that will get me where I want to be.

→Time Management for Writers: Finding the time to Write

When you hear the word “platform,” do you feel dread or excitement? Do you see social media and blogs as forced self-promotion or as an opportunity for conversation with readers? It’s an important question these days.

→Build Your Author Platform: The New Rules: A Literary Agent’s Guide to Growing Your Audience in 14 Steps

SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Bronnie Ware is an Australian palliative care nurse who provides specialised medical care for people who are in the last 12 weeks of their lives. Whilst working with dying people, Bonnie recorded the dying thoughts of her patient on her blog Inspiration and Chai, which got so much attention the she wrote a book The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing.

HEALTH

  • Paying people to be healthy usually works, if the Public can stomach it, NYT | Tweet

Few people are comfortable with the idea of paying patients to do what we want them to do. That’s unfortunate, because there’s a significant amount of research that says this works.

SPORTS

The surprising performance and physics of the fish kick.

→Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way To Swim Better, Faster, and Easier

MARKETING

Religious billboards stand out, and they have left this non-religious author wondering whether they are meant as antagonistic messages to nonbelievers, or are somewhat misguided recruiting efforts.

→Ads for God: If you liked Mad Men, you’ll love Ads For God

TECHNOLOGY

In June, government talks about how best to regulate facial-recognition algorithms fell apart. But should a company need your permission before scanning your face? And does the technology really work?

→Handbook of Face Recognition

 

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