Monthly Archives: January 2016

Publisher – Aggregator – Master Distributor

This article was posted on GoodReads by Hayley Igarashi on January 21, 2016. The link to her wonderful piece follows, but first I wish to pay small tribute. The passing of Bowie had such monumental effect on the world. So many people felt a connection to this person we had never met. Perhaps we saw him at a concert, but most just listened to his music or watched him on TV. Bowie embodied so many intangibles and was constantly searching for more. He shared this with us. He reached out to us, and like a good writer he connected with us. I will miss Bowie.

“Don’t you love the Oxford Dictionary?” David Bowie once mused. “When I first read it, I thought it was a really, really long poem about everything.”

Bowie, who passed away last week at the age of 69, was always hungry—for art, for knowledge, for music, for being “something more than human.” He achieved near-mythical status over the course of his career as a musician, actor, and cultural icon. He was also a bookworm. In 2013, he shared his 100 must-read books with his fans, showcasing his unsurprisingly eclectic reading taste. Modern classics like A Clockwork Orange and The Great Gatsby made the cut, but so did more obscure tales like Infants of the Spring and A Grave for a Dolphin.

In the wake of Bowie’s death, the list has gained new life, with fellow book lovers embracing it as a way to connect and to pay tribute. In fact, you can see the effect right here on GoodReads.

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Writing with Presence, Part I

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Publisher – Aggregator – Master Distributor

An interesting observation on both leadership and writing.

Posted at Editors Only on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 at 4:19 PM

Aiming for presence in your confidence, communication, and subject matter.

By Peter P. Jacobi

The dictionary says “presence” has two meanings: “fact or condition of being present” and “appearance or bearing.” Both can fit into a discussion about writing, the power and significance thereof.

But consider also social psychologist Amy Cuddy, who works at Harvard and has written and recently published an already much-discussed book titled Presence, a state she says we can achieve by accessing our personal power, by applying the right body language, a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident. Such a level of control has an impact on testosterone and cortisol levels that, she argues, directly impact our chances for success.

“When we judge others, especially our leaders,” Cuddy explains, “we look first at two characteristics: how lovable they are (their warmth, communion, or trustworthiness) and how fearsome they are (their strength, agency, or competence)…. Researchers agree that they [lovability and fearsomeness] are the two primary dimensions of social judgment.” And why are these traits so important? “Because they answer two critical questions: ‘What are this person’s intentions toward me?’ and ‘Is he or she capable of acting on those intentions?'”

Read the rest at Editors Only

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First Edition Design Publishing – a hybrid publisher

It is all about the words!

Monthly Archives: January 2016

20 Fantasy Story Ideas

Goodread’s “The Bowie Effect”

Writing with Presence, Part I

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