Photo Credit: Jeff_Terrell via Compfight cc
Quote of the day
Why would we take time off unless we expected it to change us in some positive way, so that we could truly keep living the lifelong sabbatical, or at least reap the benefits from it?
~CATHERINE ALLEN, author of Reboot Your Life: Energize Your Career and Life by Taking a Break
WRITING
- What cliché is, Writer Unboxed | Tweet
Cheating.No really, the cheating factor is why so many people get irritated when they spot cliché. Leftovers are boring.
It’s Been Said Before: A Guide to the Use and Abuse of Cliches
- How to write vivid descriptions, Writer’s Digest | Tweet
The first step to vividly describing a place, person, or thing is to imagine it in your mind’s eye. Alternately, if it actually exists you may prefer to look at it or a photograph directly. Either way, you’ll start with some scene before you without dividing it into objects or attaching any words to it.
- The 10 Secrets Of Resilient Characters, Writers Write | Tweet
The key to surviving in this world – and any fictional world you create – is resilience. It is not the strong who survive, but those who can weather change, because life is nothing but change.
The Art of Character: Creating Memorable Characters for Fiction, Film, and TV
- Using The Heroine’s Journey for Inner Conflict, Writers in the Storm | Tweet
A lot of readers are thrilled when a story’s main adventure involves bullets, pirates, dragons or floods. Sometimes all of ‘em combined, plus more! There are plenty of stories for those readers to enjoy. But what about the readers who prefer excitement on a more internal, emotional level? How can we satisfy THEM?
Writing from the Inside Out: Transforming Your Psychological Blocks to Release the Writer Within
SCREENWRITING
- Top five tips on writing about family relationships, Script Mag | Tweet
Relationships between parents and children, siblings, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and grandparents, and so on, are wrought with misunderstandings, jealousy, poor communication, disappointments, as well as love, joy, and pride.
Writing Family Histories and Memoirs
- Interview: John Gary on The Hope Machine, Go Into The Story | Tweet
John is the person who coined the phrase The Hope Machine as it relates to the whole cottage industry of screenwriting ‘gurus’ and consultants.
SELF-PUBLISHING
- Six Book Marketing Mysteries Unraveled to Help You Get Great Reviews and Sell Your Book!, Author Marketing Experts | Tweet
Authors get frustrated and say, “I just don’t get it!” But sometimes, it might just be a matter of taking a closer look at your marketing strategy and analyzing it with a different lens.
Q&A Show On Self-Publishing And Book Marketing With Joanna Penn, The Creative Penn | Tweet
In the Q&A section, I go through Book translations, foreign rights sales and audio books. Here’s my roundup of translation posts, Getting into libraries and the advantages / disadvantages of KDP select. Here’s the Alliance of Independent Authors’ guide to libraries and more.
CREATIVITY
We all have heroes of our chosen craft. These are people we deeply admire, because their work moves us, and challenges us to be better at our own. They are unmistakable because their voice comes through loud and clear in their work. However, it’s tempting to fall prey to the notion that these remarkable few people emerged from the womb ready and able to produce brilliance.
Toning: The Creative Power of the Voice
FOOD
- Why the Way You Slice Meat Can Make a Huge Difference, Lifehacker | Tweet
You probably know that slicing meat against the grain makes sure it’s never chewy or difficult to eat. America’s Test Kitchen put that rule to the test, with some so-called “tough” and “tender” cuts of meat. Long story short, they found the way you cut can make any cut easier to chew, regardless of whether it’s “tough” or “tender.”
EXERCISE
It takes a lot of hard work to stay in shape, which is why it’s important to exercise on a regular basis. But it’s not always possible to remain active, and sometimes a few days off can turn into a more… extended hiatus. Here’s what happens to your body when you suddenly stop exercising.
SPORTS
Alex Rodriguez’s rejuvenation after his season-long suspension raises a question: Why don’t more superstars take time off?
Reboot Your Life: Energize Your Career and Life by Taking a Break
MOVIES
A centuries-old work of literature is set to be Warner Bros.’s next blockbuster, as the studio has inked a deal to bring Dante’s Inferno to the big screen.
