Feel free to jump straight to the eight links on creativity and writing that are among the resources I tweeted this week. Per usual, I’ve included some commentary and photo captions that I assume you won’t read.

CREATIVITY

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  “‘Your Playlist Can Change Your Life’: Can Music Boost Your Brain?” Amina Khan, Los Angeles Times: When I was sixteen, while driving south on Arizona’s I-17 after staying up most of the night, I was playing a cassette tape of George Winston piano music when I dozed off. My mother’s 1983 Chrysler LeBaron kept going, right off the highway. Rude bouncing across an assortment of desert rocks jostled me awake, and I just managed to avoid taking out a perfectly innocent saguaro cactus. I kept myself awake the rest of the way home by cranking Def Leppard through the K-car‘s tinny speakers. Not sure that boosted my brain, but it got me home safe.

• “Trick-or-Treat: No Talking Tuesday,” Melanie Spring, Sisarina:  One way to avoid distraction and increase productivity.
• “3 Truths About Keeping our Focus in a Sea of Distractions,” Tanveer Naseer: This list is hardly complete, but it’s a good start. I’d add an addendum to #2, which recommends shifting to mundane tasks that you can cross of your to-do list when you’re stuck. I find that if I’m not careful, I lose an entire day snorting the quick hits of satisfaction I get from crossing out those tasks, while avoiding what really needs to be done.
• “3 Ways to Keep Social Media From Taking Control of Writing Time,” Jody Hedlund: Umm, notice a theme here?

WRITING

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  “Story Structure With a Hole In It,” Joe Bunting, The Write Practice: Joe hosts author PJ Reece–a valued contributor to the comments field of The Artist’s Road–to allow him to discuss an element of story structure. FYI, PJ has written a book on that topic, which he’s offering for free.

• “Lessons Learned Along the Way,” Charlotte Rains Dixon: My friend Charlotte has secured a publishing offer for her novel, and her thoughtful response is to pass on what she’s learned to her readers.
• “Mid-Month Reflections on Daily Blogging,” Kate Arms-Roberts: My friend Kate is doing one of those writing-challenge thingies that sounds like what Mork would have said to Mindy after too many shots of peppermint schnapps: a NaBloPoMo. She’s blogging daily, and invites feedback on what readers value.
• “15 Books That Should Be On Every Grammar Geek’s Bookshelf,” ResumeBear: A good but incomplete list; I’d add Grammar for Smart People by Barry Tarshis. Also, The Elements of Style has to be at the top, not #2. The site promotes a 2011 edition of Style; I’ll hold on to my well-worn 1979 edition, which has been my companion far longer than my wife and kids (I’m pretty sure I love the three of them more than Strunk and White).

Wow, you’re still reading? Thank you! A short programming note, in case you didn’t see it in Wednesday’s post: I am inviting readers to contribute guest posts here to The Artist’s Road in which you review any publication–literary journal, magazine, bathroom stall wall–that publishes prose and poetry. Just drop me a line if you’re interested.