Quote of the day
It’s vital that we keep things in perspective. The next time you find yourself caught up in self-judgment over something you did or didn’t do, ask yourself, will this matter 10 minutes from now? Ten months from now? Ten years from now? If it’s not going to matter, let it go. If it will, figure out what you need to do about it. That’s much more productive than judging yourself.
~SUZY WELCH, author of 10-10-10: A Fast and Powerful Way to Get Unstuck in Love, at Work, and with Your Family
WRITING & SCREENWRITING
- 6 Simple tricks for building a strong writing habit, Write to Done | Tweet
Do you ever feel like your writing life would be so much easier if only you could stay inspired?
→How To Build Good Writing Habits
- Show, don’t tell: How to write the stages of grief, The Write Practice | Tweet
The power of story largely resides in its power to evoke emotions. Our favorite works all tend to follow that path. We read about a heroine who succeeds against impossible odds, and we are bolstered by her courage.
→Show Don’t Tell: The Ultimate Writers’ Guide
Sometimes being the author of a really long novel is no fun at all. It’s not something we talk about a lot, but it’s true, isn’t it?
→From Research to Manuscript: A Guide to Scientific Writing
- To outline or not to outline your novel, Jane Friedman | Tweet
For many writers (myself most definitely included) the hardest part of writing is starting. One thing that can mitigate this difficulty is planning ahead in the form of an outline, or at least jotting down notes on character and story.
→Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success
Fictionalizing your truth is the key to your success as a storyteller. Your story is your gold. It connects you with your audience. How did I come to this conclusion? After analyzing story for over 18 years, 15 of them spent at two major studios, I often get asked the questions, “What makes story stand out?” or “How does the storyteller connect to his audience?” These questions intrigued me.
→Three Act Structure: Screenplay Structure Simplified
- How do I know if it’s too much or too little scene description, Go into the story | Tweet
First off, you start with the invisible character who is ‘telling’ your story, what I call Narrative Voice. What is their personality, their descriptive style? They may write more prosaically to match the feel of your story’s genre. On the other hand, they may be of a leaner, tighter take on things.
→Description (Elements of Fiction Writing)
SELF-PUBLISHING
- Do authors really need a Facebook page?, Social Media for Authors | Tweet
Some people think about Facebook fans in terms of their monetary value. It makes sense. Facebook marketing is time-intensive, and if we spend money on advertising, we want to see a good conversion rate that won’t cost us more than $2/Like.
→Social Media Just for Writers: The Best Online Marketing Tips for Selling Your Books
- Keywords strategies with Joe Pulizzi, Author Marketing Experts | Tweet
If the idea of finding keywords sends your head spinning, check out this short clip of Joe’s talk at Digital Book World on keywords – why they are important and how you can use them for your own work.
→keyword strategy: drive tons of traffic using keyword strategy
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SELF-IMPROVEMENT
We spend much of our careers in a cycle of self-criticism and self-judgment. Here are three ways to stop.
→10-10-10: A Fast and Powerful Way to Get Unstuck in Love, at Work, and with Your Family
NEUROSCIENCE
- The neurology of lending, Huffington Post | Tweet
Back in 1976 a young professor in Bangladesh starting making dubious low-interest loans to the rural poor of his country. Muhammad Yunus had the crazy idea that even impoverished farmers — men and women without credit history or collateral or even steady employment — could be disciplined and trustworthy in repaying small loans, and he founded the Grameen Bank to finance that vision.
THE BRAIN
- The brains of super-multitaskers are different, Science of us | Tweet
Multitasking, we’ve been told constantly in recent years, is something human beings aren’t naturally good at. Even though technology has given us more opportunities than ever before to, say, work while checking in on an NBA score, or have a conversation while sending a text message, such multitasking works against the human brain’s natural strengths.
→Great Myths of the Brain (Great Myths of Psychology)
PHILOSOPHY
Personal identity is tied to memory, but sometimes we find peace, clarity and a true sense of completeness in the lapses.
BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS
- The fascinating connection between how much married people make and how likely they are to cheat, The Washington Post | Tweet
Why husbands and wives cheat is one of the most difficult, painful and unanswerable questions of society. But a new study suggests, if not a reason for infidelity, an important piece of context.
