This is the kind of video our novel writing friends have been craving!
Category: Productivity
What does a theater company do when it can’t make theater? Make a film.
If there ever was a time that demanded that we put our actions where our mouths were and do what we do best, this is it. Here’s a fine example of truly positive thinking.
by Peter Marks
In short order, Arena found 10 actors, 10 playwrights and 10 ordinary people from in and around Washington — among them, a nurse on a covid-19 ward; a high school senior; a pharmacist; a police detective; a climate change activist. On a single day — May 22 — each writer contacted their subject, spent two or three hours in conversation, and then set about the task of turning their words into five-minute monologues. All of which, too, would be filmed on a single day.
There will be a time after this when…
Nathan Bransford, one of TVWriter™’s favorite writers and writing consultants is here with some thoughts about how those of us who write for print media – especially books – can make a difference in these chaotic times.
by Nathan Bransford
This week! Books! Also justice!
We’ve had an incredibly distressing week in America, and I know a lot of people are wondering how to get involved and support this movement to end systemic injustice and brutality.
There are tons of exhaustive resources out there, from bail funds to proposals for reform to call scripts for contacting local representatives.
I’m going to focus on the book world. This is by no means an exhaustive list and please feel free to add your own suggestions. But here are some things you can do.
You can buy from this list of Black-owned independent bookstores.
You can donate to We Need Diverse Books, an organization dedicated to ensuring all kids can see themselves in print.
You can give these appalling statistics a long, hard look and do whatever you can to pressure book publishers to stop paying lip service to diversity:
You can read this essay and reflect on how Black authors have continuously been forced to engage with white expectations for how Blackness is portrayed and contend with the immense pressure of the white gaze.
You can read about how Celeste Ng and Shea and Larami Serrano and others are taking diversity in publishing into their own hands and think about how you can do something similar.
And you can SUPPORT BLACK AUTHORS….
Read it all at nathanbransford.com
Need help with your book? Nathan is available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching!
For my best advice, check out Nathan’s guide to writing a novel (now available in audio) and his guide to publishing a book.
And if you like this post: subscribe to Nathan’s newsletter!
There will be a time after this when…
Nathan Bransford, one of TVWriter™’s favorite writers and writing consultants is here with some thoughts about the fear many (all?) of us are living with right now.
by Nathan Bransford
One of the things I’ve noticed lately is that amidst the pandemic I’ve started worrying a ton about very small things.
Tiny intricacies of my business. Whether I should have used this or that word in an email. Whether I took too long to respond to a text.
I have plenty of big things to worry about! But for some reason these little nuisances are the things that keep me up at night.
It’s almost like my brain is grasping to find things to worry about that are actually within my control. All of my stress about the gigantic stuff that’s out of my hands is being dumped onto things that really don’t merit the weight.
On the one hand, this is a recipe for feeling super crazy. I know these aren’t things I would be worrying about in a more normal time and that disconnect can be maddening.
On the other hand… it’s actually kind of useful. It’s motivating me to make changes that will hopefully improve my business and make me a better person.
Fears can be useful
One of the things I learned when I was writing the Jacob Wonderbar series was that fear can be a really useful tool….
Read it all at nathanbransford.com
Need help with your book? Nathan is available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching!
For my best advice, check out Nathan’s guide to writing a novel (now available in audio) and his guide to publishing a book.
And if you like this post: subscribe to Nathan’s newsletter!
Grant Snider Asks, “What Sound Is Morning?”
Last week we talked about cartoonist/philosopher Grant Snider’s new book I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf. Today we’re telling you to run out and buy another of his hot new creations. Check it out.
by Grant Snider
My next picture book is out soon from Chronicle Books! It’s a brightly illustrated poem of morning sounds and a reminder to slow down and LISTEN. One sound I’ve noticed lately is birds singing at sunrise. They seem louder without the usual commuter traffic. It’s a small joy in a difficult time.
WHAT SOUND IS MORNING? will be published on May 12. You can pre-order it now wherever you get your books, and signed copies are available from my local bookstore, Watermark. It’s a perfect companion to my first children’s book, WHAT COLOR IS NIGHT?
See the sensitive and wise excellence of Grant Snider at Incidental Comics!
