Book picks similar to
Minding the Muse by Priscilla Long


writing
non-fiction
art
self-improvement

The Creative Thinker's Toolkit


Gerard Puccio - 2014
    In turns out anyone can be creative. You just have to know how to think creatively.In today’s hyperactive world—where bold new challenges can seem to bring about the same stale answers—creative thinking is more important than ever. And it’s about more than just writing a novel or composing a piece of music. Creative thinking involves taking a broader, more imaginative approach to analyzing and solving the everyday challenges we all face, whether in the office or at home.Because creativity is a set of skills that anyone can improve, you can learn how to wield the same research-based tools and techniques that today’s creative people use in their own work. All you need is an open mind, a determination to succeed, and The Creative Thinker’s Toolkit. Award-winning Professor Gerard Puccio of Buffalo State–The State University of New York—an expert in creative thinking and a consultant to individual clients and large companies—has crafted 24 lectures that take you step-by-step through the creative-thinking process and that use real-world scenarios to show you this vital skill in action.Whether you want to overcome writer’s block, look at your career with a fresh perspective, solve a complex business problem, introduce a new idea to the marketplace, or figure out the best way to resolve a tense argument, Professor Puccio’s course will give you everything you need so that when other people are dodging life’s challenges, you’re uncovering the potentially successful opportunities they’ll have missed.

Live Your Truth


Kamal Ravikant - 2013
    It takes a conscious commitment to figuring out what we stand for - finding our truth. It begins by looking inside ourselves, because when it rises from within, we have no choice but to express it, to live it. That is when magic happens: fulfillment, happiness, relationships and success. The question is: How? With meditations on love, healing, entrepreneurship, overcoming failure, vulnerability, fear, the nature of the mind and the rhythm of life, "LiveYour Truth" is a guide to this crucial journey of self-exploration and personal discovery. The follow up to his runaway bestseller "Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It," Kamal Ravikant takes you on his journey, in the hope that it will help you find your truth and inspire you to live it. Prepare to be your best self.

Do/ Story/: How to Tell Your Story So the World Listens


Bobette Buster - 2013
    Whether you have a company mission to share, an audience to entertain or a product to sell, we're more likely to engage and connect if you deliver a well-crafted story with an emotional core. Bobette Buster is a story consultant working with major studios such as Disney and Pixar, an adjunct professor and a lecturer in top film programs all over the world. In this, her first book, she shares her 10 key principles of storytelling -- as used by some of the world’s best storytellers -- and helps you apply them to your own. Find out: How to source, structure and shape your story; Ways to discover its essence; Why forming an emotional bond with your audience can take a story from good to great. So, whats your story?

Inspired & Unstoppable: Wildly Succeeding in Your Life's Work!


Tama Kieves - 2012
    Your desire will take you all the way.” — Tama J. KievesWhat if everything you thought you needed to do to succeed was actually standing in the way of your success? Tama Kieves, Harvard-lawyer-turned-career-coach, has spent the last decade crossing the United States and Canada, speaking to tens of thousands of people and sharing her inspiring story of moving from a career that was killing her to a life that has uplifted her, chronicled in her first book, This Time I Dance!: Creating the Work You Love. She has mentored thousands of people who, with her help, have followed their passion, and now live their dream lives.And now she takes us to the next step in our journey…Within you is your purpose—your destiny—that will lead you to your greatest fulfillment, and your greatest success. What Kieves discovered in her own journey is that the way to success is an inspired path, not a linear one. She brings her mentoring ideas and actions together in her latest work, Inspired and Unstoppable. In this motivating book, Kieves teaches that it is only in unleashing this purpose that you can become truly happy and satisfied.Through these teachings, she will help you move into your “brilliant power.” She shares the mental and emotional impact of this journey—the fears, doubts, and boogeymen that arise—and how to become an unstoppable warrior for your life’s work and desires. This book will help you stay connected to your desires and shift your innermost thinking. When you do, inspired actions will seem to fall directly out of the sky, and onto your plate. You will naturally outpace anything any expert could ever tell you. You don’t need the steps, when you have the moves.Beautifully written, Inspired & Unstoppable also includes success stories from Tama’s life and the lives of others who have made their dreams their reality, as well as practices that will create positive momentum, and “Inspired Successisms”—delightful, quick bites of wisdom peppered throughout the book. It also includes guidelines on how to create your own “Inspired Success Circle”—a way of moving forward with the support of friends and loved ones.Practical, empowering, inspirational, galvanizing—Inspired & Unstoppable is the touchstone to (finally) living your wildest dreams and greatest desires.

Write Useful Books: A modern approach to designing and refining recommendable nonfiction


Rob Fitzpatrick - 2021
    

Man vs Ocean - A toaster salesman who sets out to swim the world's deadliest oceans and change his life forever


Adam Walker - 2016
    He took on arguably the toughest extreme sport on the planet - to swim non-stop across seven of the world’s deadliest oceans wearing only swim trunks, cap and goggles. It is not a test for the faint-hearted: swimmers face freezing temperatures, huge swells and treacherous currents, potentially deadly marine life (from sharks to Portuguese men o’ war), vomiting and burning off a week’s calories in a single swim.In 2007, Adam, then a toaster salesman, saw a fi lm about a man attempting to swim the English Channel and change his life in doing so. Inspired by this, he decided to try to emulate the feat. After a year of rigorous training without a coach - his first open-water swim was in 9 degrees and he nearly died from hypothermia - Adam achieved his goal in 11 hours 35 minutes, despite a ruptured bicep tendon leading to medical advice to give up long-distance swimming. In 2011, after two operations and a change to his swimming style to take pressure off his injured shoulder, he became the first Briton to achieve a two-way crossing from Spain to Morocco and back. In the process, he broke the British record one way.Shortly afterwards, the Ocean’s Seven challenge was born, a gruelling equivalent to the Seven Summits mountaineering challenge. At fi rst it seemed that injury would prevent Adam from participating but, ignoring medical advice, he developed an innovative technique - the Ocean Walker stroke - that would enable him to continue with the ultimate aim of completing this seemingly impossible feat. Whether man would triumph over ocean, or fail in the attempt, forms the core of this extraordinary autobiography.Always intriguing, sometimes terrifying, and occasionally very funny, Adam’s story is about sport in its truest form: rather than competitions between teams and individuals, it is about man against nature - and against his own failings.

Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting


Robert McKee - 1997
    Quincy Jones, Diane Keaton, Gloria Steinem, Julia Roberts, John Cleese and David Bowie are just a few of his celebrity alumni. Writers, producers, development executives and agents all flock to his lecture series, praising it as a mesmerizing and intense learning experience. In Story, McKee expands on the concepts he teaches in his $450 seminars (considered a must by industry insiders), providing readers with the most comprehensive, integrated explanation of the craft of writing for the screen. No one better understands how all the elements of a screenplay fit together, and no one is better qualified to explain the "magic" of story construction and the relationship between structure and character than Robert McKee.

The Faith of a Writer: Life, Craft, Art


Joyce Carol Oates - 2003
    Having written in a number of genres -- prose, poetry, personal and critical essays, as well as plays -- she is an artist ideally suited to answer essential questions about what makes a story striking, a novel come alive, a writer an artist as well as a craftsman.In The Faith of a Writer, Oates discusses the subjects most important to the narrative craft, touching on topics such as inspiration, memory, self-criticism, and "the unique power of the unconscious." On a more personal note, she speaks of childhood inspirations, offers advice to young writers, and discusses the wildly varying states of mind of a writer at work. Oates also pays homage to those she calls her "significant predecessors" and discusses the importance of reading in the life of a writer.Oates claims, "Inspiration and energy and even genius are rarely enough to make 'art': for prose fiction is also a craft, and craft must be learned, whether by accident or design." In fourteen succinct chapters, The Faith of a Writer provides valuable lessons on how language, ideas, and experience are assembled to create art.

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life


George SaundersGeorge Saunders - 2021
    In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, he shares a version of that class with us, offering some of what he and his students have discovered together over the years. Paired with iconic short stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol, the seven essays in this book are intended for anyone interested in how fiction works and why it’s more relevant than ever in these turbulent times.In his introduction, Saunders writes, “We’re going to enter seven fastidiously constructed scale models of the world, made for a specific purpose that our time maybe doesn’t fully endorse but that these writers accepted implicitly as the aim of art—namely, to ask the big questions, questions like, How are we supposed to be living down here? What were we put here to accomplish? What should we value? What is truth, anyway, and how might we recognize it?” He approaches the stories technically yet accessibly, and through them explains how narrative functions; why we stay immersed in a story and why we resist it; and the bedrock virtues a writer must foster. The process of writing, Saunders reminds us, is a technical craft, but also a way of training oneself to see the world with new openness and curiosity.A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a deep exploration not just of how great writing works but of how the mind itself works while reading, and of how the reading and writing of stories make genuine connection possible.

Quick Cheats for Writing With Dragon: Hidden Tricks to Help You Dictate Your Book, Work Anywhere and Set Your Words Free with Speech Recognition (Dictation Mastery for PC and Mac)


Scott Baker - 2016
    No confusion. Just solid, fail-safe tips for writers to take their dictation to the next level. From the author of "The Writer's Guide to Training Your Dragon", this mini-guide will help you choose the right microphone, transcribe on-the-go with Dragon and put you on the path to sky-high word counts. You will also learn little-known tricks, such as:- Dictating into programs Dragon doesn't support - such as Scrivener;- Preventing a crash from taking your dictated text with it;- Creating a "Quiet Profile" for when you need to dictate without disturbing others;- Using the same profile on multiple computers - and keeping it updated;- Running your desktop Dragon app on an iPad or Android tablet - anywhere, anytime.Designed to get you up-and-running with this powerful software in no time, "Quick Cheats for Writing with Dragon" may make you want to never look at a keyboard again!

Authorpreneur: Build the Brand, Business, and Lifestyle You Deserve. It's Time to Write Your Book


Jesse Tevelow - 2018
     Jesse has self-published two books, which are both #1 bestsellers on track to generate $30,000 per year in passive income. Beyond book sales, Jesse has leveraged his books to build a business that earned over six figures in its first year. Other part-time authors are doing far better, earning six, or even seven figures per year. Many have leveraged their books to build multimillion-dollar business ventures. This wasn't possible ten years ago, but the publishing industry has changed. People are finding unparalleled freedom and wealth through writing, and you can too. Authorpreneur will show you how. Inside Authorpreneur, you’ll learn: Why writing a book is the new PhD How a book can make you rich, credible, and immortal The three critical traits to succeed as a writer Why everyone is a salesman The 50% Rule The three approaches to finding a marketable topic to write about How to find contractors for quality book production How to choose a title that doesn’t suck How to get reviews before launching When to launch, and what to do AFTER it’s over ...plus so much more. What are you waiting for? It’s time to write your book.

Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation


Parker J. Palmer - 2000
    These issues have been corrected, but if you purchased a defective copy between September and December 2019, please send proof of purchase to josseybasseducation@wiley.com to receive a replacement copy.Dear Friends: I'm sorry that after 20 years of happy traveling, Let Your Life Speak hit a big pothole involving printing errors that resulted in an unreadable book. But I'm very grateful to my publisher for moving quickly to see that people who received a defective copy have a way to receive a good copy without going through the return process. We're all doing everything we can to make things right, and I'm grateful for your patience. Thank you, Parker J. PalmerWith wisdom, compassion, and gentle humor, Parker J. Palmer invites us to listen to the inner teacher and follow its leadings toward a sense of meaning and purpose. Telling stories from his own life and the lives of others who have made a difference, he shares insights gained from darkness and depression as well as fulfillment and joy, illuminating a pathway toward vocation for all who seek the true calling of their lives.

Author Publicity Pack: Resources to Help You Take Your Book Marketing To The Next Level


Shelley Hitz - 2013
    Join us and take your marketing to the next level by publicizing your book.What is included in this book:* 29 Places to Promote Your Book For Free* 8 Free Press Releases Submission Sites* 4 Places to Get Book Reviews* 25 Book Awards For Which You Can Submit Your Book* 7 Media Sources for Authors* 36 Paid Advertising Resources* 6 Virtual Bookshelves and ForumsAnd More!Because we have personally published many Christian books, we have also included 39 additional resources specifically for Christian authors.And in the back of the book, you get access to our bonus 20-page PDF, "Places to Submit Your Free KDP Select Promotion." We have been using the KDP Select program since January 2011 and have seen our book royalties increase tremendously. This PDF shares the process I take for each of my free promotions.Join us and take your marketing to the next level by publicizing your book!

Your Inner Critic Is a Big Jerk: And Other Truths About Being Creative


Danielle Krysa - 2016
    Silencing that stifling voice once and for all, this salve for creatives introduces ten truths they must face in order to defeat self-doubt. Each encouraging chapter deconstructs a pivotal moment on the path to success—fear of the blank page, the dangers of jealousy, sharing work with others—and explains how to navigate roadblock. Packed with helpful anecdotes, thoughts from successful creatives, and practical exercises gleaned from Danielle Krysa's years of working with professional and aspiring artists—plus riotously apt illustrations from art world darling Martha Rich—this book arms readers with the most essential tool for their toolbox: the confidence they need to get down to business and make good work.

The Book of Qualities


J. Ruth Gendler - 1984
    J. Ruth Gendler's evocative book has as its cast of familiar characters our own emotions, brought to life with a poet's wisdom and an artist's perceptive eye. In The Book of Qualities' magical community, Excitement wears orange socks, Faith lives in the same apartment building as Doubt, and Worry makes lists of everything that could go wrong while she is waiting for the train. In portraying the complexities of the psyche, Gendler uses the Qualities to bridge the distinctions between literature and psychology, and has created an original work that challenges us to look at our emotions in new and inspiring ways.