Check out this great fiction resource for writers.
NaNoWriMo 2010
National Novel Writing Month is upon us yet again.
Which means we all have another chance to write our big novel. Starting November 1st, participants have the collective Karma of thousands of novelists and aspiring novelists who all trudge away at the keyboard in pursuit of the 50,000 word mark.
Yes, that’s 50,000 words in 30 days.
Who is in?
Mary Oliver is a Blessing
I love so many of Mary Oliver’s poems, but this one has recently struck my heart.
Why I Wake Early
Hello, sun in my face.
Hello, you who make the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the
miserable and the crotchety—
best preacher that ever was,
dear star, that just happens
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkness,
to ease us with the warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light—
good morning, good morning, good morning.
Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.
from the poetry collection, Why I Wake Early, by Mary Oliver
Who says my poems are poems? My poems are not poems. When you know that my poems are not poems, Then we can speak of poetry.
- Ryōkan
Great Unconventional Books On Copywriting
Check out a post I wrote about great unconventional copywriting books over at Freelance Switch.
Here is my list:
- A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver
- ZAG by Marty Neumeier
- Story by Robert McKee
- A Lie That Tells The Truth by John Dufresne
- A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
What are yours?
Listen: Beautiful podcast about Zen & Art featuring John Daido Loori, Roshi.
John Daido Loori was the Abbot at Zen Mountain Monastery and a renowned photographer. His take on creativity is powerful and inspiring.
The Commodification of Yoga
Is yoga becoming just another consumption machine?
It’s a booming business to be sure as new brands pop up at an amazing rate. So what does this mean for yoga?
Will it get usurped by consumerism and lose it’s way in the process?
Or, is the commodification a good thing—a way to widen the audience, increase awareness and grow? Certainly the mainstreaming of yoga can lead to awareness as Oprah and other national sources have put an important light on the health and well-being benefits of yoga.
Others have suggested that the growth will lead to a watering down or stripping away of essential elements that make yoga what it is. At some point is yoga nothing more than another form of exercise akin to Pilates or Kickboxing? That remains to be seen.
Read the post I wrote for Elephant Journal about this topic. Below is an excerpt:
A New Post on the Merits of Having Your Very Own Manifesto
Very fantastic envato productivity site workawesome.com just published a new post I wrote on why everyone needs a manifesto. Give it a read and then write yourself one.
In Pursuit of Elegance
There is an elegant solution for everything. Matthew E. May makes this very argument in his fantastic book The Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing.
According to May, elegant solutions share four common characteristics:
- Symmetry
- Seduction
- Subtraction
- Sustainability
I loved this book. As it applies to aesthetics, we have a lot to learn in this cluttered world in which we now live. Elegance is an art. Knowing what not to say is as vital as what we say.
This is also about space: white space, the space between the notes and carving out a clean, clear space from which great ideas and manifest.
Awesome New Post On The Merits of Staring
I just published a piece over at the very cool productivity site, WorkAwsome. Here is an excerpt:
Imagine stopping in the middle of a busy work day, kicking up your feet on your desk, sitting back, arms cradling the back of the head in daydream mode. Now imagine that this is one of the best things you could do in the course of a busy work day.
It’s okay, let them stare. Because the truth is that your blank stare at the wall is just what the mind needs to slow down, clear out some of the clutter and give the creative brain the opportunity to open up to better thinking, greater creativity and maybe even the next big idea.
Stop by the site and give the post a read. Give the rest of the site a read, too. You’ll find Work Awesome to be full of great work productivity tips. Plus, it’s a fun read.