Photo Credit: Mike-Hamilton Photography via Compfight cc
Quote of the day
We usually think of ourselves as sitting the driver’s seat, with ultimate contro
l over the decisions we made and the direction our life takes; but, alas, this perception has more to do with our desires-with how we want to view ourselves-than with reality.
~DAN ARIELY, author of Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
WRITING
- 5 Techniques for amazing internal dialogue, Writers in the Storm | Tweet
If I took a survey asking writers what the most important elements of fiction were, I’d probably end up with a few consistent answers—plot, characters, dialogue, showing rather than telling. We might not automatically think of including internal dialogue on the list, but we should.
- 5 Tips for making writing a daily habit, Live Write Thrive | Tweet
What does it take to become a writer? Do you earn the title of author the moment your writing is published or the moment somebody pays you for it? Of course not! You become a writer when writing becomes part of your daily routine.
→Daily Rituals: How Artists Work
- Demystifying the outline with Kat Cantrell, Romance University | Tweet
So when writing a book, we have to think about our shopping list. What kind of book are you writing? If you just said “romance, duh”, I’ll steal a line from Captain Barbossa and reply, “Yes, we know that one.” I’m looking for major turning points.
→Take Off Your Pants!: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing
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
- 10 Tips for Successful Character Biographies, Script Mag | Tweet
Who are these people? What do they want? What do they need? Why do they exist in this story? Why should I care? What time’s lunch?
Is screenwriting a skill that can be learned?, The Bitter Script Reader | Tweet
Discounting scores of wannabes that lack the language skills and the real writing ability it takes to be decent…I’m curious about the gaps in talent that exist between a decent amateur writer, a writer on the verge of breaking in and an award-winning screenwriter (I’m assuming there’s no real gap in talent between ‘on-the-verge’ and ‘working / staffed’ writers). What gaps can be overcome and what gaps will forever exist due to a unique spark of creative genius and pure talent?
→Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need
SELF-PUBLISHING
- 7 Reasons why Twitter is awesome for writers, Social Media Just for Writer
s | Tweet
Now here are seven reasons why Twitter is awesome for writers.
→Twitter for Authors (Busy Writer’s Guides Book 6)
22 Ways a Blog Can Sell Books, The Book Designer | Tweet
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the role a blog plays in the evolution of nonfiction authors. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been writing aboutentrepreneurship for authors, balancing risk and opportunity when it comes to investing in online training, and making the leap from blogging to authorship.
MOTIVATION
At age 17, Dan Ariely suffered terrible burns—and began a life studying our choices and behavior.
→Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
THE BRAIN
- One head, two brains, The Atlantic | Tweet
How a radical epilepsy treatment in the early 20th century paved the way for modern-day understandings of perception, consciousness, and the self.
→Tales from Both Sides of the Brain: A Life in Neuroscience
NEUROSCIENCE
- A Neuroscientist Argues That Everybody Is Misunderstanding Fear and Anxiety, Science of us | Tweet
Humans and animals share roughly the same brain circuitry to defend against threats, and many animal studies are used to shed light on humans’ fear and anxiety.
→Anxious: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
- The lazy way to an awesome life: 3 secrets backed by research, Barking up the wrong tree | Tweet
We all want an awesome life. And very often you know what you need to do to improve it… but you don’t do it. I don’t blame you. Hey, some of that stuff is hard. (I should know. I write about it all the time.) Isn’t there an easy, passive way where your flaws start correcting themselves, you gain respectable goals and become much, much happier?
CHEMISTRY
We know that, scientifically speaking, brown sugar makes better song lyrics than white sugar, but what is the actual chemical difference between the two? Learn why brown sugar clumps up, how you can unclump it, and what it’s good for.