Huffpost ran a series listing what it felt was the best presentations by authors at Ted Talks, and since I’d been a fan of more than a few of them, I decided to post all of them (except for Rick Warren, as that this blog will not promote homophobia or those who champion homophobia … like Rick Warren) and next one up … Matt Ridley on how ideas have sex.
This comes from Scott and his invaluable blog Go Into The Story: “The 10 Best Books About Writing”.
From PasteMagazine:
Writing is hard. Not for everyone, mind you, but there are some people that land triple axels or swallow swords, and we don’t consider this the norm. Thankfully, these gifted writers have shared their secrets—often the same secret, that their best words weren’t a gift at all, but the fruits of frustrating, wearisome work. We treasure these following tomes, not because they necessarily reveal the tricks to making writing easier, but because they assure us that just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean we should give up. If you write, we’re assuming you’re already armed with style guides like the enduring Strunk & White classic, The Elements of Style, along with your AP Stylebook or Chicago Manual of Style. And that you have examples of great writing like Life Stories: Profiles from The New Yorker. We also skipped books that were specific to a certain genre, like Mary Oliver’s excellent Poetry Handbook. Instead, the following are 10 books about the craft of writing. We polled Paste writers, editors and interns to share their favorites and received scores of suggestions from Twitter and Facebook. We even asked Neil Gaiman about his “favorite book on writing and why?”
Gaiman’s response? “Stephen King’s On Writing. Because of the title.” Oh, writers.
Their list:
10. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
9. The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson
8. Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
7. On Writing Well by William Zinsser
6. Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark
5. On Writing by Stephen King
Click on “The 10 Best Books About Writing” to find out the top four, but to be honest, I’d have King as my number one. But that’s me.
Via my friend “Billy” … More geek-gasm goodies … this trailer is for a video game, but it’s as tight as any film trailer … watch it for yourself and see …
Huffpost ran a series listing what it felt was the best presentations by authors at Ted Talks, and since I’d been a fan of more than a few of them, I decided to post all of them (except for Rick Warren, as that this blog will not promote homophobia or those who champion homophobia … like Rick Warren) and next one up … Steven Johnson:
Thor trailer:
I just had a geek-gasm …
Huffpost ran a series listing what it felt was the best presentations by authors at Ted Talks, and since I’d been a fan of more than a few of them, I decided to post all of them (except for Rick Warren, as that this blog will not promote homophobia or those who champion homophobia … like Rick Warren) and next one up … Michael Pollan.
Huffpost ran a series listing what it felt was the best presentations by authors at Ted Talks, and since I’d been a fan of more than a few of them, I decided to post all of them (except for Rick Warren, as that this blog will not promote homophobia or those who champion homophobia … like Rick Warren) and next one up … Barry Schwartz, talking about the paradox of choice.
via Huffpost.
“1. Do not harbor sinister designs
2. Diligently pursue your chosen path
3. Cultivate a wide range of interests in the arts
4. Be knowledgeable in a variety of occupations
5. Be discreet in commercial dealings
6. Nurture the ability to perceive the truth in all matters
7. Perceive that which cannot be seen by the eye
8. Do not be negligent even in trifling matters
9. Do not engage in useless activity”
–Miyamoto Musashi
hat-tip to my friend Jennifer Gordon Thomas.
Huffpost ran a series listing what it felt was the best presentations by authors at Ted Talks, and since I’d been a fan of more than a few of them, I decided to post all of them (except for Rick Warren, as that this blog will not promote homophobia or those who champion homophobia … like Rick Warren) and next one up … Erin McKean.
