Label: story
Story Abounds
I’m thrilled to have a new post up on Writer Unboxed: What is a Natural Storyteller? The answer is . . . your very own brain. Check out the four ways to pick your brain for storytelling tips. And, for more on how to harness your brain’s natural storytelling ability when it comes to writing a story, I’ve recently done a two hour video tutorial for the amazing tech website, Lynda.com. It’s called “Writing Fundamentals: The Craft of Story.” Click … More
Men With Pens . . . Or Are They?
Today I have the privilege of guest blogging about the seductive power of story on one of the most innovative, savvy and engaging writing sites on the web – Men With Pens. And you know what? There’s something very intriguing about the site that you wouldn’t know at first blush. Something that the brilliant person who runs it, James Chartrand, wanted to a keep secret. Which brings us to one of my favorite topics: neuroscience. One of the most thrilling … More
Today WIRED FOR STORY is Published!
I’m so thrilled that I can hardly stand it. I know Anne Lamott says the feeling of being published isn’t quite what it’s cracked up to be. I beg to differ. It’s worth the wait. It’s worth the work. It’s worth the (okay, yes, sometimes incessant) doubts that dog the steps of any writer worth their salt. To all you writers out there, hang in there. Don’t give up, ever. (But do take naps.) Learn to tell stories. We’ll listen. … More
Writer Unboxed: Unmasking the Muse
When writers mourn that their muse seems to have moved out during the night leaving no forwarding address, it always breaks my heart. Not because the muse ditched them. But because they believe that their talent, hard work and dedication alone can’t cut it. That is, not without the magical help of some unpredictable, fickle and unknowable “outside” force. I say it’s high time we unmask the myth of the muse, and give credit where credit is due. And I … More
THE SOMETIMES SCARY POWER OF STORY
It’s election season, which got me to thinking about the unparalleled power of story. Here’s the scary thing: story is much stronger than the power of facts when it comes to motivating us. But because story can seem like “mere” entertainment, we often miss the effect it has. So, here’s something it helps to keep in mind whether you’re writing a story or, just as important, reading, watching or listening to one: Whether we’re aware of it or not, once … More
The Making of a Modern Love Essay
Publishing a Modern Love essay in the New York Times has launched many a literary career. The competition is fierce, even long established writers continually try and fail. And so it was thrilling when my friend Michelle Fiordaliso called to say that her essay had been chosen — and to run on Mother’s Day, no less. It was doubly thrilling for me, because I’d had the honor of working with her as she crafted the piece. As with any story … More
The Most Potent Communication Tool in the World: STORY
This week I had the great good fortune to be interviewed (you can download it here) by renowned communications consultant Andy Goodman, a man who took his love and deep understanding of story and put it to the best use possible — helping good causes and nonprofits translate their message into the world’s most potent communication tool: story. It’s amazing how easy it is to lose sight of the irresistible power of story, considering that our brain is literally wired … More
Great Literature or Gibberish? YOU Decide!
Yesterday, the Pulitzer committee, for the first time since 1977, did not award a prize for fiction. Perhaps it was because literature today just doesn’t measure up to that of yesteryear. With that in mind, I’d like to give you a sentence from what many believe is the greatest novel ever written. Go ahead and read it, but first a word of warning. Not out loud, because unless you’re a star underwater swimmer, you’ll pass out long before you get … More
A GOOD STORY AFFECTS YOU, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT
Yesterday I was walking down Hollywood Boulevard with my half-sister, Judy. She’s 81, decades older than me, my father having married the first time just out of his teens, and the last time, to my mother, when he was pushing fifty. Judy led me to the window of a lighting store, and pointed to a dusty painting leaning against the glass. “I so love that painting,” she said, “sometimes I walk here just to look at it.” Judy battles osteoporosis … More
What Really Grabs Us When We Read
One of most revealing (and sometimes scary) things about brain science is how often it exposes the real reason we do something. You know, as opposed to the reason we’re absolutely positively sure we did it. Which translates to: we’re often very, very wrong. Just knowing that you might judge a stranger as either a warm or cold person, based solely on whether you’ve just held a cup of hot or iced coffee, sure can give you pause. The point … More
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“I’m willing to show good taste, if I can, in somebody else’s living room, but our reading life is too short for a writer to be in any way polite. Since his words enter into another’s brain in silence and intimacy, he should be as honest and explicit as we are with ourselves.” – John Updike
- Jennie Nash: The Making Of A Novel
- Nathan Bransford
- Laurie Abkemeier
- Pub Rants
- Ask Allison Winn
- The Rejecter
- Miss Snark, Gone But Not Forgotten!
- Rachelle Gardner: Rants and Ramblings
- Writer Unboxed
- Meg Cabot
- Caroline Leavitt
- Slushpile
- Karin Gutman: Spirit of Story
- Blog of a Bookslut
- Balls, Buzz & Hype
- Terrible Minds: Irreverent to the Max
