GOODIES
Some–just some–of our favorite things.
WRITE.
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction – the bible for writing clean and compelling prose, by writing prof William Zinsser
Greenlight Your Book: How Writers Can Succeed in the New Era of Publishing – necessary reading for authors-to-be from our colleague and She Writes Press publisher Brooke Warner
The Situation and the Story: The Art of Personal Narrative – a must-read for essayists and memoirists by the ever-masterful Vivian Gornick
The Best American Essays series – for writers of personal narrative looking to learn from the year’s chosen masters
Save the Cat! – a quick read on elements of plot and story, from screenwriter Blake Synder
Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence – the “why” behind good writing and how it works, by Lisa Cron
The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers – a wise and sympathetic take from savvy editor and literary agent Betsy Lerner
Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction, and Other Dilemmas in the Writer’s Life – the subtitle says it all, by Bonnie Friedman
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life – another book to help keep writers sane, by the insanely human Anne Lamott
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear – Bestselling novelist Elizabeth Gilbert digs into her own generative process to share wisdom and perspective about creativity. She rightfully calls for more curiosity, less suffering, more wonder, more joy.
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity – the 25th anniversary edition came out in 2016 and it’s still seminal, after all these years (thank you, Julia Cameron)
The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life – Twyla Tharp’s cross-disciplinary wisdom, which speaks to anyone with the creative urge
SUBMIT
Caring About Cover Letters (because nothing says “please reject me” like a terrible first impression) — a fabulous overview for those submitting pieces to lit mags and such, with examples of cover letter do’s and don’ts by our pal Chelsey Clammer
SPEAK.
TED’s Secret to Great Public Speaking (video) – there’s no single formula for a great talk, but there is a secret ingredient that all the best ones have in common. Here, TED Curator Chris Anderson shares this secret — along with four ways to make it work for you.
The Official TED Talk Guide Playlist – a list of the talks mentioned in TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking. Chris Anderson’s comments on each talk (in the grey italics) indicate why they were included in the book.
Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences – Nancy Duarte, who created the slides in Al Gore’s Oscar-winning An Inconvenient Truth, argues that building a presentation today is a bit like writing a documentary. Good tips here for creating visual content with passion, persuasion, and impact.
Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas for Presentation Design and Delivery – Garr Reynolds combines solid principles of design with the tenets of Zen simplicity to help readers along the path to simpler, more effective presentations that will be appreciated, remembered, and acted upon.
FAVES FROM THE GMV COACHING ARCHIVES
Public Voice Values Profile — Many of our clients are eager to jump right in and start working with us on their content. But we like to start with values. When we’re in touch with what we most deeply value in the realm of public voice, our voice—our very words—become that much more powerful.
The Fearless Writer Worksheet — Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Saboteur? We’ve all been there. Here’s an exercise to try when your Saboteur is crowding the airwaves.
Thought Leadership for Writers (video) — Otherwise known as Author Platform 101, this FREE She Writes webinar with Deborah, hosted by Brooke Warner, is an evergreen overview of what agents, editors, and publishers mean when they say “platform”.
Girl Meets Voice’s Tips for TEDx Speakers — A sampling of what we share with our TEDx clients.
Girl Meets Voice’s Tips for TEDx Applications — While each event is independently organized, there are some general guidelines we urge applicants to follow.