![all creatures [great and small] by allcreatures](http://24.media.tumblr.com/avatar_827f13ebf9f5_40.gif){kind=avatar}
People read with their ears, whether they know it or not.
“our study provides experimental evidence that mental fatigue limits exercise tolerance in humans through higher perception of effort rather than cardiorespiratory and musculoenergetic mechanisms.”
Thinking can be physically exhausting.
But most of us do not yet understand that news is to the mind what sugar is to the body.
…mathematicians, novelists, composers and entrepreneurs often produce their most creative works at a young age. Their brains enjoy a wide, uninhabited space that emboldens them to come up with and pursue novel ideas.
Anything in excess backlashes. In the age of distraction, knowing what to read is a vital skill.
Define your interest and identify the sources help you. Ignore the rest; they’re just headlines.
“For Shared Worlds 2013, we have asked some of speculative fiction’s finest artists, editors, and writers to write advice on their own hands and send us a picture.”
A simple, effective way to remind someone that the work is in their hands. ”Never Give Up.”
Turning the pages of a paper book is like leaving one footprint after another on the trail—there’s a rhythm to it and a visible record of how far one has traveled.
I actually read faster and comprehend more on screen. I also feel like I have more control with a digital device, even if I’m one click away from Twitter.
Replicating the physical reading experience on the digital screen shouldn’t be the goal. Learning more is. You’re one click away from Wikipedia upon reading on a Smartphone or tablet. That’s more context that helps understand the bigger picture, how it all connects.
Digital reading is just a different style of consumption that will one day become the mainstream way to learn. It’s all about pictures anyway.
Since attention is finite, I don’t want to decorate my attic with stuff that doesn’t make me dream.
Avoid the unimportant, uninspiring, unhelfpful; only glean what matters.
Roberto Estreitinho also offers some great reading advice for the Internet era:
A short bonus regarding long reads: in case of doubt, skip to the conclusion. If it’s worthy of understanding how the author got there, read it all. If not, congratulations. You just avoided wasting time. (I owe this one to Jason Fried)
I often do this. I read the last paragraph of articles for the summary and reread the full article if it’s engaging. But you have to know what to look for.
Essential writing tips from author, writing coach Chip Scanlan:
Steps for Managing Your Stories
- Lower your standards.
- Get something down.
- Swallow the bile that rises in your throat when you write a first draft.
- Print out early.
- Read aloud.
- Apply very critical standards.
“Print out early” is my favorite. Your writing always looks different on paper.
Another tip I recommend is publishing a draft to a Kindle device or Smartphone/Tablet. It’s like looking at your work with a fresh pair of eyes.
- “Alice in Wonderland,” Lewis Carroll
Sam Sacks looks at the history of illustrated novels, and urges their revival: http://nyr.kr/13ttzsy
(via newyorker)
Mixed media or “transmedia” is entertaining but distracting and provides too many answers that predetermine the imagination.
I collect articles in Readability and Instapaper like pennies – and, like pennies, I do nothing with them.
Fantastic Creative Mornings talk by designer Simon Collison.
Actually, I like to blog about them and add my two cents.
The Fear of Bad Reviews
There’s an erroneous comment on my book page on Amazon which is negatively impacting my sales.
The person obviously misread the book, if even opened it up at all.
I originally ignored the rating. And then I responded to the feedback with some comments. And after it itched me some more, I researched the Internet to see if it was possible to get rid of a false review.
Apparently you can’t delete false reviews, nor will Amazon take them down upon request.
But at least I stumbled upon some practical reminders about creating and publishing art.
If you fear negative reviews, you shouldn’t publish.
And this one:
Anyone that creates a piece of art, in any medium (painting, sculpture, music, film, the written word), and decides to put their art out on display for all the world to see, has to take the good with the bad. Some people might love it, some people might hate it, some people might feel indifferent toward it, but they are all entitled to their opinions.
Everyone has their own perspective, their own bias, their own attention, and is responsible for their own actions.
I refuse to let the fear of criticism prevent me from publishing again. My second book will be out next month. Bring it.
Books Like The Sound of Music
When one brick and mortar dies, someone else is eating up the purchase.
This is the case with Amazon which replaced Borders and iTunes which replaced the record store.
What will be interesting to see is how much the book business copies the music business with Dropcards, QR codes, and variable pricing on digital products.
Undoubtedly, the price of digital music will eventually be zero. You will pay a monthly or yearly fee for all access. Downloads will still exist, especially in the direct to fan world, but they will be .50 or lower.
There are certain trends we can predict of the book business from the simple trial and error of the music business.
