This is Week #9 of my Power Builders creative links. If you’d like to see last week’s, you can find it here.
I call this series “Power Builders” because that’s what these little items do for me. They make me more powerful in my art and in my life. I hope they do the same for you. Some of the links will be about how other creative people use their time, structure their work, find inspiration. Some may be videos, music, or podcasts to inspire you. Some of it will be directly quilt-related but much of it will not. What you see in Power Builders will depend on what I find. Feel free to link great things in comments, too.
Throes of Creation by Leonid Pasternak, from Wikipedia’s entry on “Writer.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writer
Do you need to be published to be a writer? No. You just need to write. Writers write. Here are a few links about writing, storytelling, and persuasion. I’m not sure if they are inspiring, but perhaps they’ll lead you to think about how we communicate with others.
1) Three truths about writing, from Parker J. Palmer, via On Being With Krista Tippett.
2) From vox.com, “Want to know the secret to all good storytelling — and even all good writing?” We’re treated to three more essentials, this time words, which lead to more effective writing. We’re also warned off from the toxic connector, “and then.”
3) I’ve started following Seth Godin’s blog. He “is the author of 18 books that have been bestsellers around the world and have been translated into more than 35 languages. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything.” His blog includes mostly short notes on how we convey information, tell stories, and sell ourselves and our products. Here is a very short post from last year.
4) Writers are always told, “Show, don’t tell.” Our brains are visually-oriented. This post from IFL Science (via ArtsJournal) describes research into how we process words on the page, as pictures. Perhaps we need to rethink the old advice and figure out how to make our words even more visual.
5) The picture superiority effect is the impact of pictures on memory retention. Words PLUS pictures leads to better retention.
6) But as for persuasion, the written word and pictures aren’t very useful in changing someone’s mind. You can confirm for them what they already believe, and provide examples and supports for that view. But if they have the opposite view from what is written, it will not convince them they are wrong. Facts just don’t matter. Instead, try a spoken conversation. Ask them to explain, in detail, why they believe what they do. What are the mechanisms by which their theory works? This video explains how to change someone’s mind.
What has inspired you this week? Let us know in comments.
Catbird Quilt Studio 
Just this once, I wasn’t motivated to follow your links–sorry! I’ve spent my entire adult life, as an academic in the field of Communication with pressure to “publish or perish,” thinking about writing and speaking effectively. At this stage of the game, I’m thinking about writing for satisfaction–satisfaction for me and, if I want to be read, satisfaction for my reader.
No apologies ever needed!
Thank you for writing this. “Do you need to be published to be a writer? No. You just need to write. Writers write.” captured my attention. The links give me some great information for one of my endeavors. Thanks Melanie!
PS I love reading both yours and Jim’s blogs.
Thanks, Teri!
I write a lot. It doesn’t seem to be storytelling. Maybe it is?
Teaching was always a challenge to tell my tales in the most engaging ways.
We do tell stories, and how we structure them matters. Apparently we also need pix, or people don’t pay attention! You’re good at that aspect.