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Merce Cardus

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MONDAY LINKS ~ Reads on Writing, Self-publishing & Better Living: Watching Reality TV Might Help Bring Out the Best in Us

in Reads on Writing & Self-Publishing on 11/05/15

Photo Credit: loungerie via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: loungerie via Compfight cc

 Quote of the day

In the same way that horror fiction is seen by some scholars as providing a safe way for us to rehearse and simulate dealing with mortal threats, perhaps we’re attracted to cringe comedy and reality TV as a way to hone our ability to appreciate and understand other people’s social tribulations.

~DR. CHRISTIAN JARRETT, author of Great Myths of the Brain (Great Myths of Psychology)

WRITING

  • How to write about your family…without getting disowned, The Write Practice | Tweet

As writers, we often draw from what we know to create our art, and the subject many of us often know the deepest is our family. But how do you write about your family without hurting them, especially if, like most of us, your family is less than perfect?

→Writing the Family Narrative

  • What to do when first-chapter fears paralyze us, Jody Hedlund | Tweet

The doubts and insecurities followed me relentlessly through those first chapters. Even though this is the twentieth full length novel that I’ve written. Even though I’ve tackled difficult historical time periods (some even more so). Even though I’ve handled equally important subject matter. 

→First Chapters

  • Whose head? Point of view in fiction, Live Write Thrive | Tweet

The commonly heard phrase “Well, from my point of view” expresses something central to human existence: our whole experience of life is bounded by the fact that we are trapped in our own heads. Life is all about point of view. Fiction, which emulates life, is too.

→The Power Of Point Of View: Make Your Story Come To Life

  • When your scene is dragging: 6 ways to add tension, Writer Unboxed | Tweet

But it does occasionally still happen that I’ll be working on a chapter or a scene and realize that it suddenly feels . . . flat. Or just “off” somehow. Nine times out of ten, the problem is that I’ve forgotten the cardinal rule about making sure that tension is an integral part of every single page.

→Scene & Structure (Elements of Fiction Writing)

  • The heart of a story: What is it, Where is it, and How do you get there?, HWBA | Tweet

Scan the Table of Contents in most writing manuals and you’ll see the familiar menu of story mechanics. All good! Setting, characters, plot points and pillars, crisis, climax and resolution—without these ingredients we probably don’t have a fully-cooked story. But one essential is almost always missing—the heart of a story.

→Story Structure Expedition: Journey to the Heart of a Story


SELF-PUBLISHING

  • The best way for writers to use Amazon’s Preorder future, Live Write Thrive | Tweet

Now that Amazon is allowing preorders, I see a lot of authors jumping on the preorder bandwagon, and while that’s great, there’s a lot to consider before you do this. First, if you aren’t familiar with the Amazon preorder, let me explain how it works.

→Kindle Amazon pre-order 101: Why it’s such a great motivational and marketing tool What are the Pros and the Cons

  • Interview with Jane: Understanding the business of authorship, Jane Friedman | Tweet

My most recent interview is now available with author and editor Ally Bishop, who runs the professional editing business Upgrade Your Story and its related podcast.

→Business for Authors: How to be an Author Entrepreneur

  • How to record your own audiobooks for ACX, The Creative Penn | Tweet

Audiobooks are a fantastic growth market for authors, narrators and producers alike, and I’ve been working with fabulous narrators for my fiction since ACX opened up in the UK in 2014.

→Audiobooks for Indies: The One-Stop Guide for Authors Looking to Make More Money Selling Audiobooks

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAPPINESS

  • How do you pursue happiness?, Big Think | Tweet

I’m writing for people who, like me, are living and working in relative material comfort in this early part of the 21st century. People who were brought up with the belief that happiness is a thing you can and ought to pursue.

→The Conquest of Happiness


NEUROLOGY

  • How watching reality TV might help bring out the best in us, Science of us | Tweet

Although it’s hugely popular, reality TV is often seen as voyeuristic screen-trash — a showcase for the seedier sides of humanity, for people’s vanity, vacuousness, and vulgarity. And while there’s more than a grain of truth to this analysis — just look at this roundup of awkward clips — a newbrain-imaging study in the journal NeuroImage paints reality TV in a slightly different light. 

→Great Myths of the Brain (Great Myths of Psychology)


MATHEMATICS

  • The mathematically proven winning strategy for 14 of the most popular games, The Washington Post | Tweet

From Risk to tic-tac-toe, popular games involve tons of strategic decisions, probability and math. So one happy consequence of being a data nerd is that you may have an advantage at something even non-data nerds understand: winning.

→The Mathematics of Games And Gambling

 

 

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Hi, I’m Merce!

Merce Cardus

Welcome to my site, the place where you can find useful information, insights, resources & inspiration for writing, self-publishing & living a better life. I'm an entrepreneur, ... View Post

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