Quote of the day
Writing with a word processor is a whole-brained experience. In the beginning, when you first get your computer, you need to take a left-brained, logical approach and follow the sequence of steps. But the longer you continue to approach it as a left-brained task, the more frustrating it becomes. Finally, you let go and recognize the computer for the truyly right-brained, spontaneous, and playful tool that it is.
~HENRIETTE A. KLAUSER, author of Writing on Both Sides of the Brain: Breakthrough Techniques for People Who Write
WRITING & SCREENWRITING
- 3 Ways to start your novel, The Write Practice | Tweet
Beginnings matter. We only get one chance to hook our readers, to pull them in, to guarantee theymust read on. That’s probably why so many writers panic over how to start writing those first few pages of a novel.
→Novel Beginnings (Essential Writing Skills Series Book 11)
- Silence your inner critic: How to defeat your writing demons, The Write Life | Tweet
Everyone has their own personal writing demon — and some writers have several of them.
- Women’s fiction or Romance? The differences, and five reasons why they matter, Writer’s Digest | Tweet
When I began writing The Memory House after a long career writing romance for various lines at Harlequin, I didn’t give the difference between women’s fiction and romance much thought. I had a story to tell about a woman battered by life, a complex story that required more pages than my usual romance novels. After reading my proposal, my agent insisted this new novel was not romance but commercial women’s fiction. This got me looking more closely at the two and why it’s important for us, as authors, to know the differences.
→Thinking Like A Romance Writer: The Sensual Writer’s Sourcebook of Words and Phrases
- Would you turn this bestselling author’s first page?, Writer Unboxed | Tweet
This novel was number one on the New York Times trade hardcover fiction bestseller list for May 13, 2015. How strong is the opening page—would this have hooked an agent if it came in from an unpublished writer? Do you think it’s compelling? Reminder: “compelling” is much different than “interesting”—it means that you areirresistibly urged to turn the page by what you’ve read.
→The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile
See, I became a screenwriter because I love movies, I love to tell stories, and I love to entertain. But a big problem with being a screenwriter is that most of the material you write never goes beyond the relative handful of people you submit it to.
→How to Write a Damn Good Thriller: A Step-by-Step Guide for Novelists and Screenwriters
- Daily dialogue: Road to Bali, Go into the story | Tweet
Road to Bali (1952), screenplay by Frank Butler, Hal Kanter, William Morrow, story by Harry Tugend.
- Writing for Hollywood without living there, John August | Tweet
Canadian screenwriter Ryan Knighton joins John and Craig to discuss how you sustain a career writing for Hollywood studios while living a flight away. Knighton’s first screenplay was the adaptation of his memoir about going blind. He’s since written for several studios, including a new project for Ridley Scott.
→Writing Movies for Fun and Profit: How We Made a Billion Dollars at the Box Office and You Can, Too!
SELF-PUBLISHING
- Tips for success on ACX, Elizabeth Spann Craig | Tweet
If you’re not familiar with ACX, it’s basically the audiobook option for self-published authors. And it can be free if you opt for the royalty-share option.
- Content or keywords? How to write a book subtitle or tagline that grabs readers by the throat, Creativindie | Tweet
If you do these right, they are the thing that tip readers over the edge and convince them to buy, so they’re important.
→Hook, Tagline, and Sinker: Writing Irresistible Book Descriptions (Beyond the Style Manual 1)
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MOTIVATION
Whether you’ve had your entire life planned out since you were 5 yrs old or are just winging it, we all need a jump start from time to time to keep us moving in the right direction—or any direction. Here are eight creative ways to motivate yourself to reach your goals.
→Motivation: Strategies to Positive Thinking, Discipline, Staying Motivated and Achieving Goals
CREATIVITY
- The differences between imagination, creativity, and innovation, Creative Something | Tweet
Like any toolbox, our minds have an assortment of tools available for us to utilize whenever we need to. Included in our mental toolbox are cognitive processes, clusters of which compose of three primary ones involved in ideation: imagination, creativity, and innovative thinking.
→Your Creative Brain: Seven Steps to Maximize Imagination, Productivity, and Innovation in Your Life
THE BRAIN
A new study shows that writing and speaking are “quasi-independent language systems” in the brain.
→Writing on Both Sides of the Brain: Breakthrough Techniques for People Who Write
RELATIONSHIPS
- The sad cycle of romantic rejection, Pacific Standard | Tweet
Sorry, guys: For women, being rebuffed by Dr. McDreamy doesn’t make Mr. McAverage seem any more appealing.
→How To Overcome Romantic Rejection: Healing After A Breakup
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
- Want to be successful entrepreneur? First you need to beat these 10 fears, Business Insider | Tweet
To be an entrepreneur in any field is not without risks, but making calculated risks and learning from your mistakes while still moving forward is very different to being crippled by fears and insecurities. Fear can be a form of self-preservation, but it’s also counterproductive.
→Successful Entrepreneur : 11 Tips On How To Become Millionaire And Escape 9-To-5