Quote of the day
Our purpose in life isn’t to arrive at a destination where we find inspiration, just as the purpose of dancing isn’t to end up at a particular spot on the floor. The purpose of dancing – and of life – is to enjoy every moment and every step, regardless of where we are when the music ends.
~WAYNE DYER, author of Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling
WRITING & SCREENWRITING
- 4 Revision goals: Conflict, emotion, surprise, enrich, Fiction Notes | Tweet
For the next month, my writing goals for my work-in-progress novel trilogy are clear: conflict, emotion, surprise, enrich.
Writers don’t only have to decide which character’s point of view the story will be told in, they also have to figure out whether to then share that character’s narrative in first-person, third-person, second-person, or (*cue ominous rumbling*) omniscient POV.
- It’s all about your characters with Robin Gianna, Romance University | Tweet
By that I mean, who are my characters? Not what they look like, or where they’re from, or what they do for a living, though those things are important to know, too. But the most essential things to decide from the very beginning are what many craft books talk about – their Goals, Motivation and Conflict.
→45 Master Characters, Revised Edition: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters
- Emotional Wounds Thesaurus: Suffering from a learning disability, Writers Helping Writers | Tweet
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
- Writing for the soul: 5 (less conventional tips), Writers Digest | Tweet
Research shows the health benefits of spending even a few minutes deep breathing. It reduces stress and anxiety, and enables us to think clearer. As well, I find the time of pausing allows me to mentally take a step back and see the moment for what it is – simply a precious part of my bigger life story.
→Soul Writing: Conversing With Your Higher Self”
- Shark secrets to sharpen your writing, Script mag | Tweet
A producer who’s sold to all the majors, Barri Evins created Big Ideas to give aspiring screenwriters what it takes to break into the business by sharing methods she uses with professional writers.
- Jurassic World: Afte careful consideration, I’ve decided not to endorse your park, The Bitter Script Reader | Tweet
Jurassic World made $204.6 million at the domestic box office this weekend and $511.8 million worldwide, which means that anything I have to say in a review is mostly meaningless. It appears that if you had any interest in the film, you saw it this weekend.
SELF-PUBLISHING
- Social Media hacks for indie authors, Social Media just for Writers | Tweet
Social Media Hacks for a One-handed Writer.
→Social Media Just for Writers: The Best Online Marketing Tips for Selling Your Books
- Hannah R. Goodman on YA fiction, Jane Friedman | Tweet
She passionately defends YA fiction against a recently published negative opinion of adult readers of the genre, illustrates a time in which the element of luck inherent in marketing worked in her favor, and shares a list of earlier marketing and promotional efforts she undertook as a self-published author that will likely disabuse anyone of the notion that self-publishing is the easier route to publication.
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SELF-IMPROVEMENT
- The benefits of being a total zero, James Altucher | Tweet
“There are three types of people,” astronaut Chris Hadfield told me, “-1, 0, and +1″.
- 6 Questions to discover your most meaningful pursuits, Becoming minimalist | Tweet
Properly understood, it is easy to get caught up in the minimalist lifestyle. The idea of removing the meaningless to make room for the meaningful is attractive to many.
HAPPINESS
- How to find happiness: 3 secrets from research, Barking up the wrong tree | Tweet
Sonja Lyubomirsky is a professor at University of California at Riverside and one of the leading experts on happiness. She’s the author of two great books on the subject:The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want
and The Myths of Happiness: What Should Make You Happy, but Doesn’t, What Shouldn’t Make You Happy, but Does
CREATIVITY
- Why you should go for a walk when you need creative inspiration?, Lifehacker | Tweet
You know the scenario. You’re looking for a creative idea and it’s just not coming. Inspiration isn’t exactly cooperative. If you’re in need of an idea and don’t have time to set yourself up for inspiration, try going for a walk.
→Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling
WELLNESS
- Understanding stress and its signals, Boston Globe | Tweet
Lisa Feldman Barrett thinks we’ve long misunderstood how our brains work — and what’s going on when we’re stressed.
→The End of Stress: Four Steps to Rewire Your Brain
RELATIONSHIPS
- Friends, then benefits, The Economist | Tweet
Why friendship can help you play out of your romantic league
→The Truth About Dating, Love, and Just Being Friends
STARTUPS
Of the richest venture capitalists, all are worth more than $1 billion, and all are men. The majority of these have invested in Groupon, LinkedIn, Skype, YouTube, Paypal, Facebook and others. Chances are, you are legally barred from joining their exclusive investors’ club.
