Being mindful means being aware of everything and certain of nothing.
~WENDY T. BEHARY, author of Disarming the Narcissist: Surviving and Thriving with the Self-Absorbed
WRITING & SCREENWRITING
In some ways, story descriptions are kind of the bane of the writing life. Descriptions of character and setting are integral to bringing to life any story. But there’s also a ton of strictures put upon descriptions. Don’t over-describe, don’t begin with descriptions, never use details that aren’t pertinent to the story.
→Writing Vivid Settings (Writer’s Craft)
- The connection between emotional wounds and basic needs, Writers Helping Writers | Tweet
So a character whose physiological needs aren’t being met is going to do whatever it takes to meet those needs. Once that goal is accomplished, she’ll move on to the next most pressing goal.
→The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Expression
- Staying in character: The convergence of POV and voice, Live Write Thrive | Tweet
Did you ever watch the TV show Frasier? There’s a scene where his new girlfriend invites him to go antiquing with her. Kelsey Grammer’s character responds, “I’m not one of those people for whom antique is a verb.” A funny line, but it tells us something—Frasier Crane’s writers knew who he was. Do you know who your characters are?
→Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View
- Scars and shame–The secrets of female characters, Writer Unboxed | Tweet
A male journey often takes place in the external world—in battles and tests against actual physical enemies. Women’s journeys are more often about the internal road to herself.
→The Woman in the Story: Writing Memorable Female Characters
- What is the best way to make sure readers love my characters, Go into the story | Tweet
That’s the thing about characters: They are the major conduits for a reader into the story’s emotional life. The more we dig into them, the more we understand the psychological dynamics at work in who they are and where their narrative destiny is taking them, the more likely we will be able to tap into their emotional nature.
SELF-PUBLISHING
- How Maslow can help your marketing, Men with pens | Tweet
Have you ever wondered why a certain product or service isn’t doing so well, even though you’re sure that it’s exactly what your target market needs?
→The Author’s Marketing Handbook
- Is self-publishing a viable option for Literary Fiction writers?, Jane Friedman | Tweet
Even though it’s become quite easy for writers to use Amazon KDP or other platforms to publish an e-book—and use print-on-demand technology to create a professional-looking print book—it’s still rare for literary fiction writers to self-publish.
→Amazon Publishing Manual: Exploring Amazon’s Tools To Help You Publish And Promote Your Book
AGING
- Why the oldest person in the world keeps dying, Five Thirty Eight | Tweet
Weaver was part of what is perhaps the world’s most wizened sorority, one open only to those who were once the oldest living person on Earth. When I looked into everyone who’d had that distinction, I found that more people than ever are clustering at the outer edge of human aging and that the tenure of the world’s oldest living person isn’t as long as it used to be. Better record-keeping and longer lifespans have helped lead to quite a crowd.
→Aging by Design: How New Thinking on Aging Will Change Your Life
LIFESTYLE
- Why do our clothes come with so many labels attached?, More Intelligent Life | Tweet
You know the scene. You’re trying something on in a shop, and as you look in the mirror you notice that it hangs better on one side than the other. One seam—usually the one on your left—sits slightly awkwardly, with a little pucker, so that the smooth line of the garment is broken. And you know before you even look: it’s because a label, or sometimes a whole sheaf of them, has been sewn into the seam.
→The Clothing Label Book: A Century of Design (Schiffer Design Books)
SCIENCE
The neuroscientist discusses her research on how and why people laugh and her part-time gig as a standup comic.
→Ha!: The Science of When We Laugh and Why
MINDFULNESS
- The place where you are, Zen Habits | Tweet
We rush through our days with so much to do, so much we should be doing, so much we’re missing out on … but how often do we stop to appreciate the place where we are right now?
→Love Where You Live: Creating Emotionally Engaging Places
THE MIND
New research places us on the cusp of brain-to-brain communication. Could the next step spell the end of individual minds?
→Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research and Everyday Experience
PSYCHOLOGY
- The 2 faces of narcissism, Scientific American | Tweet
Not everyone we think of as a narcissist shows both facets of the personality trait.
→Disarming the Narcissist: Surviving and Thriving with the Self-Absorbed
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Twitter is the most notoriously misunderstood social media platform. Among the demographics that misunderstand it, entrepreneurs loom large.
