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Quote of the day
We had a love affair with a technology that seemed magical. But
like great magic, it worked by commanding our attention and not letting us see anything but what the magician wanted us to see. Now we are ready to reclaim our attention, for solitude, for friendship, for society.
~SHERRY TURKLE, author of Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age
WRITING
Your Fiction May Be Failing for One Simple Reason: You’re Not Being Honest, Helping Writers Become Authors | Tweet
Writers talk a lot about “being honest,” “being vulnerable,” “pouring ourselves into our writing,” and “not being self-conscious” in our writing. But what does all that really mean? And how can flunking any of the above be the reason your fiction may be failing?
Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York’s Acclaimed Creative Writing School
- The importance of writing by hand, Books by Women | Tweet
For me, handwriting is everything. The simple tactility of handling the pen, cracking the spine of my notebook and smoothing the paper with my fingers. Tracing the lines with my fingernails and carefully controlling the flow of ink to page with precise movements of my hand. The inevitable cramp after a successful session, stretching my fingers as if exercising an over-worked muscle in my brain. This is all a pure joy.
Your Handwriting Can Change Your Life!
Dialogue Tags: What Are They and How To Use Them, The Write Practice | Tweet
Writers encounter dialogue every day, but too often recently I’ve seen great stories ruined by choppy, incoherent, and straight up weird dialogue.
Writing Dialogue #4: How to Use Tags
Having a writing process is crucial to finishing a novel. There are several reasons that you need to develop a writing process that works for you.
Writing Your Way: Creating a Writing Process That Works for You
SCREENWRITING
- Movie Analysis: “Casablanca” – Characters, Go Into The Story | Tweet
To be a good screenwriter, you need to have a broad exposure to the world of film. Every movie you see is a potential reference point for your writing, everything from story concepts you generate to characters you develop to scenes you construct.
- WHAT’S MY MOTIVATION: Getting an A-List Actor Attached To Your Script, Script Mag | Tweet
Today it’s a dicey proposition at best for an unknown screenwriter to attempt to get talent attached in the hopes it will move the needle for their project. We live in a perpetual state of heightened security, one that frowns heavily on sending anything unsolicited to anyone, let alone in-demand Hollywood talent.
SELF-PUBLISHING
The 6 Most Common Marketing Mistakes Made by Authors, Writer Unboxed | Tweet
Marketing is only a drag when it doesn’t work. When it works, marketing is a whole lot of fun, because it means new readers, more income, and taking one step closer to the day you can print up business cards that say, “Full Time Writer.”
Reader Magnets: Build Your Author Platform and Sell more Books on Kindle (Book Marketing for Authors 1)
John Adamus: Why editing (By an editor who isn’t you) matters, Terrible Minds | Tweet
One of my favorite things to do is talk about editing, and talk about how editing makes writing better, creating a mutually beneficial relationship between writer and editor that extends far beyond deadlines or paychecks.
SUCCESS
A Long-term Vision Is Your Greatest Tool For Success, George Amber | Tweet
Your attitude towards your time horizon has a significant impact on your decisions and actions. Two ways to take action on Dr. Banfield’s findings are as follows.
Vision to Reality: How Short Term Massive Action Equals Long Term Maximum Results
RELATIONSHIPS
We all have that friend: the beautiful, intelligent, driven woman who—like Katherine Heigl in every rom-com—can’t find a decent date. Every guy she goes out with is an asshole; she consistently dates “below” her league, and she’s on the verge of giving up on a committed relationship altogether.
Date-onomics: How Dating Became a Lopsided Numbers Game
COOKING
- Five Useful Cooking Techniques No One Teaches You, Lifehacker | Tweet
Most of us learn to cook through trial and error, the Food Network, or being forced to feed ourselves when no one else will do it. So naturally, no one’s born knowing how to sauté chicken, or blanch vegetables. Here are some basic (but useful) cooking techniques chefs use every day, but the rest of us rarely pick up.
Le Cordon Bleu’s Complete Cooking Techniques
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
I’ve been studying the psychology of online connectivity for more than 30 years. For the past five, I’ve had a special focus: What has happened to face-to-face conversation in a world where so many people say they would rather text than talk?
Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age
PRODUCTIVITY
Ever notice how some people come across as having their act together? They are able to get their work done on time, every time. They have the time and energy for 100 different things. Yet, they always seem non-frazzled, non-overwhelmed, and non-frantic.
