Why do you tell stories?

How to tell a great story to motivate others

The ‘illusion of knowledge’ that makes people overconfident – BBC Worklife

Something to think about – at work if you’re still in the office world, in your creative work if you’re an author or artist.

If you’re a writer, how does this apply to your characters when they find themselves in situations where they think they know what to do?

Interesting discussions about world-building, from a diverse collection of writers – Alastair Reynolds, Nnedi Okorafor, M. John Harrison, etc.

The 16 facial expressions most common to emotional situations worldwide — ScienceDaily

“May the words in your mind crystallize into magic on the page.” – Brian Rathbone.

Things to keep in mind when worldbuilding.

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If you wonder why I tagged it with “markets”, our local bookstores are markets for our books, too. Especially if you’re self-publishing!

Tell the story that needs to be told, in the way it needs to be told, to the length it needs to be told.

Don’t poison a story by insisting it must be an apple when it’s really an orange.

Don’t stunt a story by forcing it beyond its natural growth nor by forcing it to grow in a box too small.

“Genres” and “standard story lenghs” are publisher’s artefacts, not part of storytelling.

Breakthroughs don’t come through abiding by conventions and working in boxes.

What publishers like best is what’s already been done.

Nobody broke through by writing the same things everyone else has written. Don’t let publishers’ small minds limit you!

You’ve just taken on a lot to write that scene: