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Quote of the day
When I walk into [the studio] I am alone, but I am alone with my body, ambition, ideas, passions, needs, memories, goals, prejudices, distractions, fears.
These ten items are at the heart of who I am. Whatever I am going to create will be a reflection of how these have shaped my life, and how I’ve learned to channel my experiences into them.
The last two — distractions and fears — are the dangerous ones. They’re the habitual demons that invade the launch of any project. No one starts a creative endeavor without a certain amount of fear; the key is to learn how to keep free-floating fears from paralyzing you before you’ve begun.
~TWYLA THARP, author of The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life
WRITING
Does it Matter What Your Character Wears?, The Write Practice | Tweet
Does it matter what your character wears? I think so. Here’s why.
Writer’s Guide to Character Traits
10 Steps to Nail Your Story, Live Write Thrive | Tweet
Here are ten guidelines that will help a writer find clarity by beginning strong and carrying the novel all the way through to “The End” in a timely and efficient manner.
Writing Deep Scenes: Plotting Your Story Through Action, Emotion, and Theme
Knowing how to find book ideas doesn’t come naturally to every writer, but if you are out of fresh story iedas there are many ways you can jog inspiration and make the process of coming up with novel ideas fun. Here are fifteen ways to find ideas you can expand into short stories or novels.
Feminism vs Romance Novels by Eva Leigh, Romance University | Tweet
Attacks against romance novels are as inevitable as the changing of the seasons. Ever since books about romance and women’s emotions have been written, critics and the public have leveled condemnation against them.
Thinking Like A Romance Writer: The Sensual Writer’s Sourcebook of Words and Phrases
SCREENWRITING
- The Martian is the kind of film screenwriting classes with study, The Bitter Script Reader | Tweet
THE MARTIAN is the first film in a while where I felt truly emotionally engaged with the story. I think INSIDE OUT was the last new release to accomplish that for me, and for that, we have to reach back to June.
Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need
- Rod Serling on Writing: Part 1, Go Into The Story | Tweet
Serling ruminates on the question, Where do ideas come from?
Your Idea Machine (Screenwriting Blue Books Book 1)
SELF-PUBLISHING
5 Observations on the Evolution of Author Business Models, Jane Friedman | Tweet
After four days of immersion with this very experienced group of authors, I have a few observations about the business of authorship as publishing becomes increasingly digital-driven.
Take Charge of Your Creative Life, Davidjrogersftw | Tweet
What would you say is most significant about the writers and artists I’m going to describe? How are you like them? How are you different? What might you do if you wished to be more self-directed?
The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life
HAPPINESS
Time baffles us. While we can only live in the present moment, our brains constantly reflect back and lunge forward. Evolution has coded in us important unconscious reasons for this. Yet when we bring time into consciousness, being present with this moment now can seem a futile and impossible endeavor.
Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program
RELATIONSHIPS
- 5 Easy ways to improve difficult relationships, backed by research, Barking Up the Wrong Tree | Tweet
Sometimes your closest and most important relationships are also the most difficult. Why?
Friend & Foe: When to Cooperate, When to Compete, and How to Succeed at Both
PSYCHOLOGY
Is honesty for suckers? If by “suckers” you mean people who care about others and the social good, then yes, it is. If by “suckers” you mean people who care about the long-term aspects of their business (see the drop in stock price of VW) then yes, it is. And if by “suckers” you mean people who care about the meaning of their brand (I own a VW Golf and I don’t think I will ever be able to look at it again in the same way) than yes again.
The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone—Especially Ourselves
SCIENCE
- How not to win a Nobel Prize, Smithsonian | Tweet
A search through the Nobel archives shows how the history of the famous prize is filled with near misses and flukes.
The Nobel Prize: A History of Genius, Controversy, and Prestige
CAREERS
Psychologist Barry Schwartz explores the meaning and engagement that some workers feel about professions you might not expect to be fulfilling.
Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life