Bookmarkable Wednesday: Resources for writers and other creatives
It’s mid-week and time to pass along some good reads that have come my way recently.
Distracted much? Creativity as a pathway to learning.
Just in time to share with my Creative Thinking students, Scott Barry Kaufman offers insight into “The Creative Gifts of ADHD“:
“To be sure, ADHD can make it difficult for students to pay attention in class and organize their lives. The importance of learning key attentional control skills should not be undervalued. But let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater. As the researchers note, ‘in the school setting, the challenge becomes how to create an environment in which creativity is emphasized as a pathway to learning as well as an outcome of learning.'”
As the morning goes, so goes the day.
If you read no other piece of productivity advice this week, be sure to make time for Scott Young’s “Build Your Morning Habits First.” Really good stuff. I find that the tone I set in the first minutes of my day carries through for hours. One of my strategies for November is to spend much less time on Facebook, especially in the morning. From Scott’s piece:
“I’m striving to be strictest on myself in the first couple hours after I wake up. Afternoons less so. And evenings I’m trying not to have much structure at all. Build the morning habits first and let them carry you to the end of the day.”
Stop reading right now!
Wisconsin writer Christi Craig offers superb advice for writers on her blog today:
“If you’re participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and you’re reading this, STOP READING RIGHT NOW AND GET BACK TO YOUR WORD COUNT. If you’re not participating in NaNoWriMo but (like me) you’re deep in the thick of rewrites and struggling to find the time to finish, STOP READING THIS RIGHT NOW AND GET BACK TO YOUR DRAFT.”
National [Fill in the Blank] Writing Month
Flavorwire offers a host of ideas for how you can capitalize on NaNoWriMo momentum with DIY month-long projects, even if you aren’t an official participant. My favorite:
“National Flash Month! Write or work on a short essay or story every day. Google ‘daily writing prompts’ to get started. Or spend the first two weeks writing, the second two revising.”
Unlearn bad writing advice.
Finally, in “Teaching as Unteaching,” Rob Jenkins discusses the ways he teaches his college freshmen writers to un-learn bad writing advice and habits. His tips are good for all writers, in or out of college:
“Students: Can we start a sentence with a conjunction? End with a preposition?
Me: To quote Winston Churchill, “That is nonsense up with which I will not put.” Seriously folks, the truth is that there’s nothing you can’t do in a piece of writing if you have a good enough reason.”
What bookmarkable resources have you found so far this week?
Happy writing!