Photo Credit: liz.glende via Compfight cc
Quote of the day
What are the best things and the worst things in your life, and when are you going to get around to whispering or shouting them?
~RAY BRADBURY, author of Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity
WRITING
Blow-By-Blow: Writing Action and Fight Scenes, Writer’s Digest | Tweet
Conflict, as we all know, is the lifeblood of a story. And nothing quite epitomizes raw conflict like a thrilling fight scene. If you’re like me, you crave those climactic moments in prose or on the screen, when, the hero and villain finally find themselves facing each other, circling, ready to duke it out and solve this thing, mano a mano.
Action!: Writing Better Action Using Cinematic Techniques
Writing “Personal” Description through Your POV Character, Live Write Thrive | Tweet
I love description. Yes, I know, lots of people quit reading in school because the books they were forced to choke down had “too much description.” And I like a fast-moving plot as much as the next girl. But even so, there is nothing I like better than to be immersed in another place or time through words.
Increase Creativity with Random Elements, Writer Unboxed | Tweet
A car mechanic, a midwife, and a 13-year-old Girl Scout walk into a bar… No, really. What are they doing there? Did they arrive together, and if so, why? If they met in the bar, why did they interact? What if they all spoke different languages? What if, while wrapped in their own concerns, each of them had been powerfully drawn to this place—what might each of them say or reveal?
Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity
- The True Roles of Protagonists and Antagonists In Your Story, Writers in the Storm | Tweet
The two most important characters in a novel are the protagonist and the antagonist. I’m going to define those terms as are many misconceptions about their roles in the story.
Plots and Protagonists: A Reference Guide for Writers
SCREENWRITING
- SCRIPT GODS MUST DIE: Light And The Sufferer, Script Mag | Tweet
This is a real-time journal written by my very own brother Chris Peditto as he directed his micro-budget film Light And The Sufferer for $50,000 a few years ago. This movie featured Paul Dano from 12 Years A Slave and There Will Be Blood.
The DIY Filmmaker: Life Lessons for Surviving Outside Hollywood (Reference Series)
- Rod Serling on Writing: Part 3, Go Into The Story | Tweet
Today Serling considers this question: Does espousing a cause lose character credibility?
SELF-PUBLISHING
Pay-What-You-Want Pricing: Does It Work for Books?, The Book Designer | Tweet
Once a book is ready to be published, the stress of writing it is taken over by the stress of selling it for the right amount, and the stress of engaging with as many readers as possible. Whether you are a fiction author, a poet or a fitness professional, selling a book impacts you in the same way: you struggle with implementing a sales and marketing plan and wonder why did you ever get caught up in this mess in the first place!
Everyone’s Reporting on eBook Sales But Who Is Telling the Truth?, Social Media Just For Writers | Tweet
Lately there’s been a huge buzz about how eBook sales have flattened— I read one report in Publisher’s Marketplace that claimed sales were down by 8%; another report claimed 10%.
CREATIVITY
Creativity Is Memory, Psychology Today | Tweet
Coming up with new ideas requires retrieving those ideas from your memory.
HEALTH
- A new study reveals where Americans have the most trouble sleeping, The Washington Post | Tweet
The average American gets about 8½ hours of sleep on a typical weekday. But we know from national surveys that plenty of folks are getting a lot less than that. People who work long hours often get less sleep, for instance. And poorer Americans — who often have to work the longest, oddest hours — get less sleep than richer ones.
MINDFULNESS
Boredom is not a problem to be solved. It’s the last privilege of a free mind, The Guardian | Tweet
Lean in to boredom, not your smart phone screen. You’ll learn more about yourself and the world around you than you think.
BUSINESS
The Rise of the Outrageously Long Commute, The Atlantic | Tweet
Some businesspeople are working half of the week in far-off countries or catching 3 a.m. trains just so that they don’t have to uproot their lives at home.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
15 Things Every Newbie Needs to Know About Starting a Business, Entrepreneur | Tweet
Starting a business is exciting — and scary. I’ve started more businesses than I’d care to admit. In my experience, it’s a bit like driving through a heavy fog where you are only able to see a few feet in front of the windshield — you don’t know what’s up ahead until it’s upon you. However, the longer you are an entrepreneur, the better you can navigate through that fog.
