Letter from Renoir to Durand-Ruel, 1889:
The olive tree, what a beast! You can’t imagine how many problems it has caused me. A tree full of color, not too big, and its little leaves, how they’ve made me sweat! A breath of wind, and the whole tree changes its tonality, because the color isn’t in the leaves, but in the space between them. An artist can’t be great unless he understands the landscape.
~TOM MUELLER, author of Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil
WRITING & SCREENWRITING
Points out the potentially disastrous pitfall of false suspense in your story’s climax and how to spot it and fix it.
- Problematic POV–Character’s names, thoughts and senses, Live Write Thrive | Tweet
Writers tend to be voracious readers, with many having reading lists full of literary classics (who can blame us?). The classics authors wrote during an era when “omniscient” point of view was commonly used, so my writers followed suit and used an omniscient POV (meaning the story was seemingly told from the point of view of an all-knowing narrator).
- Why you need to be using the Oxford Comman, The Write Practice | Tweet
Most of the fun of writing is using your words to tell a story. They course across the page, delighting in the joys of Maureen finally finding her Henry, shuddering as Ingrid uncovers her third dead body of the day, or mourning with Carlos for his lost mother. But I’m not here to talk about words. I’m here to sing the praises of punctuation; specifically, the Oxford comma.
→Oxford Modern English Grammar
- Major Character Types: Mentor, Script Mag | Tweet
A mentor (sometimes referred to as the guardian) serves the purpose of providing physical training and/or wisdom to the protagonist in his or her efforts to achieve the outer journey of the story (the physical mission). Some brilliant script gurus lump the mentor in with other types of reflection characters.
SELF-PUBLISHING
- How do you know your book is ready to be published?, Author Marketing Experts | Tweet
Most of us think that our book is done when we’ve put the last line on the page. But that’s really only the beginning. No, I’m not talking about marketing. This comes much sooner. First off, did you write a book that’s saleable? This might be an odd question to ask yourself after you’ve finished writing the book, but better to ask now than when you’re in the throes of marketing it, wondering what you did wrong because books aren’t selling.
→Self-Publish Your Novel: Lessons from an Indie Publishing Success Story
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SELF-IMPROVEMENT
- Feeling determined to change, Zen Habits | Tweet
All of a sudden, you read something that motivates you … you’re ready to make the change! You’re determined. You’re going to make this happen. That’s amazing. The question is: are you going to convert this determination into actual lasting change? How will you do that?
→Change: What Really Leads to Lasting Personal Transformation
NUTRITION
- Eat quinoa and drink soy milk: What an innovative food pyramid looks like, The Washington Post | Tweet
Australian nonprofit Nutrition Australia is advising citizens about the harms of unhealthy eating, which has left the island country with one of the highest obesity rates in the world. The campaign centers around a modern day food pyramid, which is based on the country’s most recent nutritional guidelines. And guess what? It’s a whole lot more innovative than the American equivalent currently being used by the U.S. government.
FOOD
Why olive oil makes better muffins and a few other little-known facts about the good fat that’s even better than you think. Here are three recipes for cooking with olive oil, plus tips for buying and cooking with this versatile, healthy fat.
→Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil
PSYCHOLOGY
- The weird potency of self-esteen, Science of us | Tweet
Self-esteem is a concept most people grasp only superficially. It means feeling good about yourself and believing that you are a worthy individual. But what does that actually mean?
SUCCESS
There is always a clear cut difference between the successful and the unsuccessful. The difference in habits and decisions give birth to what is either being talked about or what is not. Adjusting and aligning your thoughts with successful people will start to have a profound effect on how people see you. It will also help in understanding the daily habits that successful people use to fine tune their values and standards.
→Successful People: What Successful People Do That You Don’t
STARTUPS
- 7 Founding sins seed-stage startups should avoid, Next View Ventures | Tweet
Over the past few years, I have been involved with and close to a number of both successful and unsuccessful startups. To me, the most exciting (and most perilous) times in a company’s lifecycle are the early first stages when it is just getting off the ground. At the seed stage, the founder’s or co-founders’ role in the company is essential and therefore carries a great deal of risk for missteps. Below, I’ve compiled what I’ve learned to be the seven “Founding Sins” – common mistakes which often divert entrepreneurs off the path towards success.
