My top 4 creative TED talks you must watch

Over the past six months, I’ve come across a few TED talks that have inspired and stuck with me. Check them out. 

1. Andrew Stanton: The clues to a great story 

Filmmaker Andrew Stanton ("Toy Story," "WALL-E") shares what he knows about storytelling and the shape of it. He gives a clear explanation for why we need to ‘show and not tell’ in our storytelling: “Give readers 2+2. Not 4.”

2. Elizabeth Gilbert: Your elusive creative genius 

"Eat, Pray, Love" author Elizabeth Gilbert talks about the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and the anxiety surrounding the “muse”. She reminds us to keep showing up to work, regardless.

 

3. Susan Cain: The power of introverts 

It’s exactly what it says on the tin. As an introvert, this talk was revolutionary and I bought the book afterwards (also fascinating). We are often told what is ‘wrong’ with being an introvert and about the stigmas attached to it. But Susan opens up the reality of introversion (not the same as being shy), and empowers it. A MUST for all, introverted or not.

 

4. Shane Koyczan: "To This Day"  ... for the bullied and beautiful

Poet Shane performs his spoken-poem about bullying, taken from his video that went viral. A fantastic poem, which touched me in so many ways (see my previous post here). If you ever need to read fiction to an audience, I would suggest watching Shane and how he brings life to words. He doesn't recite words; he lives them. Another favourite poem of mine is The Crickets have Arthritis.



What's your favourite TED talk? Are there any I've missed?

Find your pefect story in the Ether

I’m often stuck on a bus, in a queue, or have discovered a few minutes of uninterrupted bliss hovering in the palm of my hand, and it’s the perfect time to read a short story. But then, as I usually run to the bus stop, I forget to bring a book with me. But one day, I was saved by EtherBooks: the superhero to my boredom. It’s an app with all the flash fiction, short stories and articles I could find from my favourite authors in my nifty, little phone (which I NEVER forget).

There’s a range of stories from 300 words to 2000, which you can get for free or for a tiny fee from authors like Hilary Mantel. The old saying is true: to be a better writer we need to read, read, read. EtherBooks has picked me up and flown me to new heights. The stories I’ve read have opened my mind to what can be done in very few words. They've inspired me to experiment with my own writing.

So I got in on the action, and published a few stories on Etherbooks! I’ve had stories published online and in print before, and people have found my blog and contacted me to say they’ve enjoyed them, but those people really had to go out of their way to do that. There wasn’t an easy way to find out what people thought (except on twitter) or even to leave feedback about other stories yourself. Etherbooks has provided an app where it’s really easy to leave feedback on a story.

And it’s been great. It’s been exciting to have emails ping into my inbox, notifying me of someone’s review. So, you really should download the Etherbooks app. It's the future! Your stories will reach a bigger audience in an easy, accessible way, AND you’ll get to read so many brilliant authors, which left me laughing and crying in under 500 words (most of the time). WOW. They're worth reading to find out how they do it.

Read me on EtherBooks here. 
Download EtherBooks on your android here.
Download EtherBooks on your iphone here.

Is traditional publishing a disguise for my vanity?

My beautiful disguise

I’ve always wanted to be published ‘traditionally’, but as time goes on I keep hearing about these amazing success stories from the world of E-publishing and it calls to me.

Self-publishing (e-books) is forever sweeping past me and giving me a nudge. 'Your brother is a graphic designer' it says, 'he could do the front cover'. 'You could hire an editor or get your friend to proof read it,' whispers the self-publishing creature on my shoulder. (But I haven't worked out which shoulder it's sat on at the moment, good or evil.)

Maybe my aspiration (traditional publishing) is actually vanity publishing in disguise? Some of it is, and some of it is to do with confidence I think. I want that editor. I want that final approval to say, YES THIS IS READY FOR PEOPLE TO READ.

Because ultimately, I want people to read my book and enjoy it, I don’t want to publish something and find out years later that it wasn’t ready. But then I get this niggling feeling down in my stomach that tells me I’m missing the boat and that perhaps my novel's path to get in front of people noses is not the one that I want, or the one that I expect, but is the one that matters the most.

Because ultimately the reasons I want to publish traditionally is to do with me. My pride. So here I am, caught in a limbo, because perhaps these agents are doing me a favour in not taking me on, and what if I release a book too soon. But what’s the point in a book that will never be read?

Advice most welcome. Tell me, which shoulder do you think this self-publishing creature is sat on?