Are you a writer experiencing writer’s block? Try watching a cat video! There’s a study out from Japan that claims to prove that watching a cat video leads to more productivity in the work place. According to a news report on CNBC (Friday, October 12, 2012), “The researchers from Hiroshima University had about 50 college students perform tasks that required concentration, like removing tiny items from a hole using Tweezers. (Which, Live Science observes, is essentially playing Milton Bradley’s board game “Operation.”) Some of them were given cute animal pictures to view before their task. You know what’s coming next: The students shown the cute animal pictures performed better.” So in the spirit of true experimentation, I am giving to you a youtube of my favorite cute Japanese cat, “Maru.” Who knows? Maybe you will be inspired!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbiedguhyvM
(They tried pictures of pleasant foods and a whole bunch of other stuff but nothing was a match for cute animals.)
The Books in Moonrise Kingdom: Who are the Authors?
People read books a surprising amount in movies, and sometimes the books are library books that have yet to be returned! In the movie, Moonrise Kingdom Suzy, one of the main characters shows the books she’s brought to her runaway companion, Sam. We get to see the book covers as she shows them to Sam, explaining that she mostly reads fantasy books featuring girls. Sorry to say, the books aren’t real books. The book covers and snippets from the books that are read aloud were created for the movie. But they are inspiring, so for all you fantasy authors out there, here’s a peek at a book trailer that explains more. Maybe you’ll be inspired!
Did you know that you can communicate with some of your favorite authors? Through their website, through personal book review sites such as Goodreads and other online sources like Skype and Youtube, your favorites want to connect with you, their reading public. Here’s a few:
Lauren Myracle: http://www.laurenmyracle.com/contact
Libba Bray: http://twitter.com/libbabray
Sara Shepard: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/93970.Sara_Shepard
John Green: http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers
Christopher Paolini talks about finishing Eragon series…
Click here for advise for you, you aspiring author you!
This one’s for all you Pretty Little Liars fans. Author Sara Shepard “tells all” in this article about her writing techniques. Click on this “A” to find out more.