This extremely funny TED video is of a talk by Author Dr. Sir Ken Robinson, who delivers this moving talk about creativity and education.

Dr. Robinson is the author of the book The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, which I’m dying to read. His stories here in this video are so encouraging, even as the points out the major flaws in our current educational system, and how creativity is as important as basic literacy. Yet, our educational system is designed specifically to destroy the natural creativity we are all born with – the challenge is to keep our creativity as we become adults.

Looking for ways to make your writing resolutions stick? I’ve compiled my list of the most influential books I’ve ever read, both as a writer and as a human being.

I found it impossible to sort these according to importance, with the possible exception of the first title, as all of them have had such great impact at different times of my life.

1. The Elements of Style, by Strunk & White

Reason it made the list: Satisfies the geekiest of urges to look up errors in grammar and punctuation. I get ridiculously emotional about this book.
Number of times read: I carry it in my purse at all times. No kidding.
What it will do for you: Hands-down easiest and best reference for grammar, punctuation, and language usage. Respected by everybody. It’s lighter than the Chicago Manual of Style, and faster to use. I cannot live without it, and read it like a novel.

2. How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie

Reason it made the list: Makes you think of your writing and yourself as part of a larger whole.
Number of times read: About 10, from age 12 on.
What it will do for you: Gives you the tools you need to communicate better with just about anyone, in any situation. Great gift for young adults, and a healthy reminder of valuable writing and speaking skills for a lifetime.

3. Nancy Drew and the Case of the Hidden Staircase, by Carolyn Keene

Reason it made the list: Reminds you to keep a level head, even when you’re chasing a ghost and your father has been kidnapped.
Number of times read: About 500 between the ages of 6 and 10. About 200 between the ages of 10 and 35. I used to own the entire series, but the bindings eventually collapsed.
What it will do for you: A great series of books for a curious little (or big) girl, teaching us to avoid letting emotions clog our rational processes. Includes many important useful tips, such as to always keep a flashlight in your purse, and how to use a bobby pin to pick a lock.

4. The Greatest Salesman in the World, by Og Mandino

Reason it made the list: Stop thinking this is a book about sales: it’s a story about a salesman who understood people.
Number of times read: Several.
What it will do for you: Falls into the category of classic motivational / professional development literature, whether you are in sales or not. A simple yet profound understanding of what motivates people. (This is sometimes found in the Christian section of your local independent bookstore, though the style is not overtly pastoral.) Note: Mandino wrote about something called “The Greatest Secret in the World” in 1975 – 31 years before Rhonda Byrne shared her “discovery” with anybody.

5. Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill

Reason it made the list: Before Tony Robbins, before Stephen Covey, and before Wayne Dyer, there was Mr. Hill and his 17 Laws of Success. This was the first of HIll’s books that I ever read. Given to me by my future husband on our second date, in lieu of flowers or candy. I knew then that he was the one for me.
Number of times read: I typically read it about once every 18 months or so.
What it will do for you: If you think it’s about being financially rich, you’re missing plenty. Hill was so far ahead of his time, which was the dirty 30′s, when we were recovering from that other depression. Don’t forget that Hill was a friend and protege of the wealthiest entrepreneur in the world at the time: Andrew Carnegie, an entirely self-made man. Fear of success? Fear no more.

6. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

Reason it made the list: Had I not been obsessed with this book when I was in my formative writing years – about age 12 – I would be less of a writer today.
Number of times read: Many, and I should probably read it again.
What it will do for you: In my less-than-humble opinion, despite the best efforts of Oprah, we do not read enough classics anymore, and we’re not passing them on to the next generation of writers. This book is an excellent example of the Second Rule of Writing, Write What You Know. Nobody knew romance, heartbreak and misery better than the Bronte sisters.

7. Eat Right 4 Your Type, by Peter J. D’Adamo and Catherine Whitney

Reason it made the list: It’s hard to write well when you feel awful, and the plan in this book drastically improved my overall well-being.
Number of times read: I refer to it all the time.
What it will do for you: Gives you a much better understanding of how your body works and what it needs to work well, including your brain. It also happens to be a great example of a well-written, non-fiction book with fun anecdotes and excellent typesetting. Includes an interesting section about anthropology, and personality profiles associated with your blood type. (Turns out, I’m a writer by blood – literally and figuratively.)

8. Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody Mystery #1), by Elizabeth Peters

Reason it made the list: If there is a past life, I lived it in turn-of-the century Egypt, as an Englishwoman Archaeologist and amateur Detective.
Number of times read: I own at least one edition of each in the series – 18 in all, plus a companion book – including autographed copies. I usually have one of these on the go.
What it will do for you: The language used in these books reflects the vocabulary and spoken English of roughly the 1890′s to 1920′s, which is refreshingly complex. Why doesn’t anyone use grammar and sentence structure like this today? Rich sweeping vistas and stories that suck you in and make you read until 3am.

9. STORY: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting, by Robert McKee

Reason it made the list: All the world’s a stage, and Robert McKee teaches the writer how to tell a story, fiction or not, that will engage your readers.
Number of times read: About 3 from front-to-back, and refer to it regularly.
What it will do for you: Understanding how a classic story works is a key part of one’s basic writing skillset. The fiction formula taught by McKee is really based on ancient story-telling techniques of classic literature, and has numerous modern applications, far beyond that of writing a film script. Read it with this in mind, and you won’t be able to put it down. Spurs your imagination to great heights.

10. Feel the Fear… And Do It Anyway, by Susan Jeffers

Reason it made the list: Another great communication reference, which talks very specifically about the one emotion that motivates just about everyone to do just about everything.
Number of times read: I’m afraid to say.
What it will do for you: Get past that writer’s block by understanding where it really comes from. Develop a sense of confidence about your writing that you’ve never had before, and if you need to make changes, this book will definitely help you do that. Don’t limit this book’s potential for you by calling it a “self-help” title, as it is a very basic approach to a universal obstacle for all healthy people.

Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone who listened yesterday to our live call-in show on BlogTalkRadio.com. I promised you more before we got cutoff, and I will deliver shortly. Alexa and I recorded an additional 37 minutes of content immediately afterward, which I will post as soon as I overcome some small technical issues. (Hopefully today – Thursday, November 6th. Just subscribe to my feed if you don’t want to miss it.)

Thanks again to Alexa Clark of MiniBookExpo.com, and to Renee Shupe for producing the show for us. This worked so well that all three of us agreed that we’d like to do more. Much more! Stay tuned to the player here on this blog for a complete playlist of all past and future broadcasts.

Teaching children to be writers teaches children to be readers. My clever 2-year-old hopped up the other day into her little recycled school desk, grabbed my desk calculator, and slammed it down on the desktop like a notebook computer. A moment later I heard her little fingers tickling the keys. When I asked her what she was doing, she smartly told me that she was “writing stories”.

Children can write stories as soon as they can hear them. There is a publishing program for children based in Virgina called “Book in a Day”, which was founded (and still run) by Kwame Alexander, who serves as the President.

As per the BookInADay.com site, “…Alexander has worked as a literacy trainer, creative writing teacher, poet-in-the-schools, and writer-in-residence. As an author, he has written eleven books, including Do The Write Thing: Seven Steps to Publishing Success. As a publishing professional, he has published more than 100 authors. Though Book-in-a-Day is a relatively new program, it is an extension of more than fifteen years of his literacy, literary, and publishing work. ‘Our goal is to tap into students’ emotional intelligences, connect with them in a powerful way. By publishing student work, we can open those doors,’ says Alexander.”

The BookInADay model can be used in any school or group for children, thanks to the documentation developed by the program. “In Book-in-a-Day, students learn how to write a wellcrafted poem, or piece of prose, and how to publish their own work for public consumption. This writing and publishing program is built on the belief that students become avid readers and writers when they assume complete responsibility for becoming authors. When students see the fruit of their labor and the response from readers, a permanent reading/writing connection is made that will transform the way they view and appreciate language and literature.”

As soon as my Dolly is able, I plan to use a POD like Lulu to help her publish her own book. In fact, I think she already understands the concept, because when a new book comes into my office, she always asks, “Mine?”

Here are three books that every author, fiction or non, should have in their library. And, at least one of them may not be what you expect.

If a grammar reference could have sex appeal, this would be the book. The Elements of Style is the definitive reference for writers of any type. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I carry this around in my purse. Makes for great reading during your lunch, in the ladies, in a taxi, etc. I don’t care how nerdy this makes me sound. At least I’ll know that I’m using proper sentence structure as I defend that accusation. The 50th Anniversary Edition is now on the way, and the illustrated version has become a cultural icon. You can even download it as an audio book. I’m not sure I could sleep at night if I didn’t know where my copy was.

This next one will seem a bit strange to some, because I’m primarily a non-fiction writer, and I’m about to recommend a book about screenwriting. But Robert McKee’s STORY is based on making content appealing, easily understood, have good flow, timing, and yes, also about using the dreaded plot diagram. All of these still apply, whether you are writing for business, a cookbook, or an instruction manual. Plus, it’s just a great read. This book is also the source of the beautiful quote, “…the story arts have become humanity’s prime source of inspiration, as it seeks to order chaos and gain insight into life.” Good reading no matter what.

The third book is my 12th-grade English text book, Adventures in English Literature, which I sinfully stole from the shelves of my Catholic school on the last day of class. I loved that class, and I loved my instructor, Mrs. Hargreaves. Her genuine love of literature, English and otherwise, was contagious (at least to myself) and I knew I’d use that book over and over again. In the end, I was billed for my missing book, so between that and a few minutes in the confession booth, my debt to society has been paid. It was worth the cost of an over-priced textbook, because it’s amazing how often I use it to look up a poet, their life story, and a summary of their work in 300 words or less. It’s still faster than Google. Authors all the way from Chaucer to modern poets still living are profiled, along with introductory material about each era and the current events that shaped the work of each writer. It’s an extremely useful cultural reference, along with a handy way to confirm the accuracy of quotes and source material. It’s amazing how many current works reference stuff in this volume.

OK, there’s one more, and it’s a recent addition. Teach Yourself Copywriting, by the modest J. Jonathan Gabay, who doesn’t even have his name on the cover, is a tight little volume about writing words that sell stuff. You’ve all heard me say it a million times, “every organization is a sales organization”, and this book is a great summary of how to craft words that tell people about your organization. Clear, to the point, and with extremely useful illustrations and diagrams, this book just doesn’t waste time. Gabay starts from the right place, the mind of the buyer, and ends in the very same spot. A great reminder of what motivates people, how to get them to understand things quickly, and how using fewer well-chosen words is always more powerful than many words used casually. Very enjoyable to read cover to cover.

Enjoy your back to school reading!

(Photo credit: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

When I witness a stunning achievement like the opening ceremonies in Beijing, it’s my nature to try and figure out what I can learn from such a performance.

I would never have thought such alignment, coordination and harmony were possible. If I was asked to coordinate any portion of these games, it would have totally freaked me out. (But I think I still would have given it a shot.)

Here’s what occurs to me as I watch the ceremonies. Tell me if any of this rings true for your company…
1) I’m not delegating enough. I need to hire more help.
2) I’m not doing a good enough job of communicating my vision to assistants, and perhaps even clients. I need to use more storyboarding, video, and other illustrative techniques.
3) I don’t need to micro-manage. If I share my vision well enough, people will believe in it, and they will figure out a lot of the details on their own.
4) While clarifying my vision for others, I may discover the fastest way to clarify it for myself – by thinking in harmony with others, and less thinking about my vision all by myself.
5) I should increase my vision of my company’s reach to be more global. Language barriers are not that big a deal.
6) Foreign markets are really, really hungry for North American products. They hate us, but they want to buy our stuff. It’s weird.
7) Not everything has to be accomplished using high-tech methods. If 2008 people can jump around inside cardboard boxes and make it look like a giant plate of movable type, I can be happy using my post-it notes and white boards rather than an electronic illustration.
8) Scale is really, really impressive. But it still has to look good close-up. Details matter.
9) I have to take more risks – even though there is the possibility that something can go horribly, horribly wrong, I need to put myself out there even more. It is never enough.
and…
10) Anything is possible if it can be imagined.

You would think that as an advocate of recycling and green practices in my own business, I’d be keen on eBooks instead of paper books. For several very good reasons, that is not always the case.

It’s not that eBooks don’t have their place – they absolutely do. I’ve written a few myself. But they don’t perform the same tasks or meet the same objectives as an old-fashioned, paper book.

The biggest reason for this is that the first thing many people do when they download an eBook is to print it. Not all of us are nerdy types (again, like myself) that carry a laptop everywhere they go, and frequently read from that. The world has not yet adopted the common daily use of handheld digital reading devices, although we’re getting pretty close. For example, Amazon’s Kindle reader is extremely cool, but not affordable for many, and until recently, it wasn’t even in stock. (They’ve had such a bad time combating market backlash over the lack of stock, that they’ve had to spend their marketing dollars all over again – like paying Martha to push it.)

The second big reason that eBooks are taking their time to take off relates to marketing. An eBook is a much tougher sell than a paper book in many markets. If your market is not already used to the concept, you need to sell them twice: first on the idea of your book’s content, and secondly on the idea of the eBook. Romance novels seem to have made an unexpected leap forward in this area, thanks to eTailers like FictionWise.com, who offer eBooks in multiple formats. Their site is very easy to understand and use, and the price for an eBook is much less than a hardback. They give the reader plenty of reasons to want to adapt.

Even when eBooks do take off, it’s extremely difficult to quantify what is being saved, if anything. With modern paper books, there are a wide variety of green options available to the publisher with a conscience. Paper books have a piracy rate of virtually nil, but security for eBooks is constantly improving and bringing this close to par.

The real barrier is psychology: people want a book in their hand. I’ve been a lover of books my entire life. I want to feel the texture of the cover, be it smooth and glossy or cloth and leather. I love the way they weigh down my hand or rest in my lap. I anticipate the sound of thick pages flipping, the way my antique bookmark sits against the spine stitching, and yes, even the way the paper smells. I make notes in the margins with my fountain pen, and I display my hardcover collection carefully on shelves around my house.

All of that being said, I was certainly grateful recently when I was stuck on a plane, and remembered that I had a copy of Jane Eyre on my cell phone. Oh well – at least the romance isn’t totally dead.

I’ve been waiting for years to visit the store that represents punctuation nirvana: The Writer’s Store on Westwood in Los Angeles, California. I can’t believe I was so stupid to set a $50 budget for my visit to a shop that carries not only books, but software, clever mousepads, mugs, famous writer action figures (!!), and yes, the hat that Michael Moore made famous. (I look extremely clever in mine, thank you very much.)

While I crept up and down every single shelf, the-best-husband-in-the-world kept a 2-year old busy in Peanut Butter Playground next door. This elegant children’s shop did such a good job of making my literary pilgrimage stress-free that I feel compelled to give them some sort of plug.

So what did I buy? Well, the hat, of course ($9.95). The Illustrated Elements of Style ($24.95); Zen in the Art of Writing, by Ray Bradbury ($13.95); Eats, Shoots & Leaves, by Lynne Truss (hysterically funny at $17.50); a self-hypnosis CD to encourage creativity for writers (surprisingly effective at $19.95); and a variety of other books about punctuation, writing style, and grammar that put my budget not just out of sight, but out of my mind.

To make myself feel less indulgent, I also purchased a couple of clever mousepads for friends that resemble old-fashioned typewriters, and a mousepad that looks like a film clapboard for a certain budding filmmaker that I happen to be related to.

I will be back.

This week, I’ve had a number of readers ask me questions that relate to blogging; setting up blogs, writers and blogging, and promoting through blogging.

In response to this, I’m preparing a short eBook that will be available shortly for download from this site, which is essentially a re-work of a class that I taught some time ago, titled “Blog Essentials for Self-Publishing Authors”.

The eBook will include information that was not in the original course, including a variety of updates and lists of resources, both free and paid. As usual, comments will focus on resources that are open-source in nature.

To be updated when this free eBook is available, please subscribe to my blog using the sign-up box at right.

To document.

Whether we are blogging as a promotional mechanism, to help spread useful information, or simply to be heard, all of that boils down to documentation.

Bear with me a moment while I give you some background to a point I’ll make another paragraph or two down. The movie “300” (2006), the classic story of how a tiny Spartan force of 300 defeated hundreds of thousands of Persians, was popular because it’s really a timeless story. It’s about clever strategy standing a real chance against evil and pure might. About how a single event can change the course of history for the entire world. About events that happened once, and which are repeated over and over again in small ways in every culture on the planet.

Not many realize that the events in that book and movie are based almost entirely on the single surviving account, written by a fellow named Herodotus. Herodotus is often called “the first historian”, because he didn’t write poetry, or about philosophy or religion. He wrote down that which he observed, and what was told to him that had been passed down through oral tradition. He was really the only one to attempt to document this time in world history.

Here’s my point: Herodotus was the first blogger.

He sold his material in his lifetime, and it was clear that he wrote for the masses. This is evidenced by the fact that he was granted, by public vote, public money to further his work. (How far do ten talents go these days, anyway?) His posts come from as far away as Pharaonic Egypt and back up to Western Europe. He was objective, and as accurate as he could have been at the time.

Being a political upstart, he didn’t think of himself as a reporter, because he was outside the realm of (his own) traditional media. He tells fantastic, inspirational stories from real life that have wide-reaching applications. He was a lifelong advocate for freedom, including in that of his own work, and that of others. And his work spread because of viral mechanisms – not sophisticated ones, but effective nonetheless: gossip.

Any of that sounding familiar?

Herodotus clearly understood the importance of documentation. In his main life’s work “The Histories”, he travels extensively to test the accuracy of what he is told by many local peoples. The first few lines of Book One read as follows: “Herodotus of Halicarnassus here displays his inquiry, so that human achievements may not become forgotten in time, and great and marvellous deeds – some displayed by Greeks, some by barbarians – may not be without their glory; and especially to show why the two peoples fought with each other.”

Not just how, where, and over what the Greeks and Persians fought, but why. He carefully notes that he will document the deeds of non-Greeks alongside those of his own adopted people. Sounds pretty fair to me, and what I aspire to in my own blogging efforts. Just as long as I don’t have to write it in classical Greek.