A round-up of brain food and whip-ass for the holidays and new year.
I) Books
- The Artist's Way: A spiritual path to higher creativity by Julie Cameron
A lot of touchy-feely stuff, but worth a read. My favorite corny line: "Jump and the net will appear."
- The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp
Nuts and bolts about how to train your brain to perform. Whomever said "inspiration for amateurs" must have been channeling this book.
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Another good kick in the ass for whiny, namby-pamby writers (like me)
A lot of stuff you already know, but the chapter on taking manageable risks is particularly interesting. Yeah, we have to make a lot of big decisions without having all the data we'd like.
II) Blogs and Links
Great guest post on Chuck Wendig's Terrible Mind's blog.
A reality check for those (like me) who think that finding an agent and a big New York publisher is going to change your life. What really happens? You're flying high for a week. A year later, you've sold a few books. Guess what: you're a published author, but nothing has really changed. Get back to writing.
A published author says what most of us think but are too afraid to say -- on Slate.com.
- The Holstee Manifesto (double-click image to enlarge)
Tired of all this inspiration hoo-hah? Want to watch some mindless youtubes from my one-man show? (please click: I need the traffic)
- One Day in Front of the Medicine Cabinet or What Do Unemployed Writers Have for Breakfast?
- Why I'm still single: The Chronic Single's Lament
- Romance on a Greek Ferry: "You've got a great arm," I said as she tossed her purse into the Mediterranean.
