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Quote of the day
Her seductive power, however, did not lie in her looks […]. In reality, Cleopatra was physically unexceptional and had no political power, yet both Caesar and Antony, brave and clever men, saw none of this. What they saw was a woman who constantly transformed herself before their eyes, a one-woman spectacle.
Her dress and makeup changed from day to day, but always gave her a heightened, goddesslike appearance. Her words could be banal enough, but were spoken so sweetly that listeners would find themselves remembering not what she said but how she said it.
~ROBERT GREENE, author of The Art of Seduction
WRITING
- How settings affects your characters, Writers Write | Tweet
We may all be unique snowflakes, with our own little DNA stamps, shining our brilliance on the world. But that’s only part of it. We are also shaped by when we are born, where we are born, our socio-economic status, and the people who do or do not love us.
Writing Vivid Settings (Writer’s Craft)
- The second draft, Writer Unboxed | Tweet
In ancient times, when I was trying to leap the genre divide between short fiction and the novel, an editor turned down my first, full-length effort with this explanation: “You have a lot of activity in these pages, but I’m not discerning the action.” As a plot-challenged, right-brain lover of language and quirky characters, it’s taken me years to wrap my mind around the difference.
The FAVORS Glossary of Margin Comments: Revising the Second Draft (Mini Glossary Series Book 1)
- 100 Writing Practice Lessons & Exercises, The Write Practice | Tweet
If you want to write better, you need practice. But what does a writing practice actually look like? In this post, I’m going to give you everything you need to kick off your writing practice and become a better writer faster.
The 3 A.M. Epiphany: Uncommon Writing Exercises that Transform Your Fiction
- Emotional wounds thesaurus: Being mugged, 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. This negative experience from the past is so intense that a character will go to great lengths to avoid experiencing that kind of pain and negative emotion again. As a result, certain behaviors, beliefs, and character traits will emerge.
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Expression
SCREENWRITING
- The artist’s most important skill, Steven Pressfield | Tweet
What single skill is most critical to the artist? Is it profundity of insight, depth of compassion, understanding of human nature? A passion for truth? Capacity for hard work? The ability to overcome criticism and negativity?Is it talent? Imagination? Mastery of her craft?
- Use your five senses in your writing, Script Mag | Tweet
I’m a director who has mostly directed his own screenplays. Therefore, I tend to be a little more descriptive in my screenwriting than others. I’ve always been told not to “direct” in one’s writing, and I agree with that. However, it’s a balancing act… You do want your script to be a blueprint for the director, but before it can get to a director, it has absolutely got to grab the attention of the readers along the way—readers include assistants, development executives and executive producers.
Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting
SELF-PUBLISHING
- Negotiate like a pro, Writers in the storm | Tweet
Let’s look at tips for increasing your chances of success in the actual negotiation.
How To Be Your Own Literary Agent
- Understanding the new Kindle Unlimited Pricing model with Pat Haggerty, Romance University | Tweet
Kindle Unlimited, which rolled out almost exactly a year ago, is Amazon’s answer to streaming for books. The consumer pays $9.99 a month and gets unlimited access to all the books in the Kindle Unlimited program. Today, that’s somewhere between 800,000 and a cool million titles.
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
- American Idol: 65 years of admiration, CentrePiece | Tweet
Every year for over half a century, the US opinion pollsters Gallup have asked Americans to say which person they most admire. Alan Manning and Amar Shanghavi consider what their answers reveal about how public attitudes have and have not changed since the late 1940s.
On Admiration: Heroes, Heroines, Role Models, and Mentors
PSYCHOLOGY
Are You a Quitter? Time to Bulk Up Your Willpower, Psychology Today | Tweet
Quitting can leave you with that awful taste of guilt, but it’s actually less a problem and more of a bad solution. The real problem is the underlying obstacles and emotions that undermine your commitment and stick-to-it-ness. Here are the common interrelated culprits that can sabotage your follow-through
The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It
RELATIONSHIPS
- 5 Shortcuts to bonding deeply with a romantic partner, Barking up the wrong tree | Tweet
How do you get to crazy love — or get crazy love back when it’s gone away. Forget the silly relationship books, let’s look at the real science and get some answers. Here are 5 shortcuts to bonding deeply with a romantic partner.
RUNNING
- What do long-Distance Runners Mostly Think About?, Science of us | Tweet
Long-distance running can be a lonely hobby. You’re out there for hours, with only the voices in your head — whether your own or those pumped in through your earbuds — for company. What do runners think about during all those solitary hours on the road?
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner (Vintage International)
BRANDING
- The three tools Netflix used to build its world-class brand, First Round | Tweet
It’s hard to imagine a living room — or board room — where Netflix needs an introduction. Today, it boasts over 65 million subscribers across more than 40 countries. Even its culture document went viral to become part of startup canon. It spurs hundreds of cable cancellations daily.
