Welcome to the latest edition of our irregular, irreverent newsletter. In this edition, you’ll get: news about a new project, 6 writing tips, 3 writing books, 3 cool new books on other topics, and 10 articles worth reading.
Let’s go…
COMING NEXT MONTH: MY NEW TELEVISION SHOW
For much of this year, I’ve been toiling away on a cool (and somewhat stealthy) project: A new TV series called “Crowd Control” that premiers next month on National Geographic Television. The idea of the show is simple: we take problems — big (speeding) and small (people peeing in pools), significant (parking in disabled spaces) and vexing (double-dipping guacamole). Then, using principles of behavioral science and some nifty design and technology, we create solutions and watch what happens.
Later this month, I’ll be announcing the official air date for “Crowd Control” in this newsletter before NatGeo announces it anywhere else. And we’ll be sharing the first public clips of the show with you, beloved newsletter subscribers, before anyone else sees them.
Stay tuned for a special edition newsletter with all the details at the end of October.
6 RULES FOR WRITING
Meantime, I’m trying to get some writing done. And that’s never easy. (Whenever I hear people describe how much they *love* sitting down to write or how easily writing comes to them, I always assume they’re lying or delusional.) But in times of struggle, it’s worth returning to first principles. Awhile back, The New Yorker’s digital edition asked me if I had any “rules” for writing. I do. I went back to look at them last week, and I’m sharing them below on the chance they’ll be helpful to all you non-lying, non-delusional types:
1. Show up. Get to work even when you don’t feel like writing—especially when you don’t feel like writing.
2. Write every day. Regaining momentum takes three times as much energy as sustaining momentum. (Look it up: It’s a law of literary physics.)
3. Don’t do anything else until you’ve written five hundred words. I mean it.
4. Move. Some of my best ideas come when I’m climbing the stairs of my house or running in my neighborhood.
5. Once you’ve produced a semi-credible draft of a section or chapter, have someone read it to you aloud. Hearing your words can help, even if it hurts.
6. Remember that writing, though solitary, is also social. You’re making a promise to readers. Honor that promise.
3 BOOKS ON WRITING
Procrastinating writers love few things more than *reading* about writing. I urge you not to indulge this desire too much. But if you’re looking for books on writing that offer guidance and even a dose of inspiration, these three are good bets:
1. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamott)
The best writing advice in the history of humankind came from Lamott’s father, who offered the following counsel to her 10-year-old brother as he struggled to write a book report about birds: “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”
2. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Creative Battles (Stephen Pressfield)
Advice and butt-kicking for overcoming the nasty reality that the entire world is conspiring to prevent you from writing.
3. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work (Mason Currey)
How did Franz Kafka, Henri Matisse, Toni Morrison, Ben Franklin and more than 150 other amazing creators get stuff done? This book reveals who’s a lark, who’s a night owl, and who just needs a good stiff drink.
3 BOOKS ON OTHER STUFF
Fall is such a big season for books that it’s tough to know what’s out there, let alone find the best. Here are three fall books you shouldn’t miss:
1.The small BIG: small changes that spark big influence (S. Martin, N. Goldstein, and R. Cialdini)
The great Robert Cialdini teams with two other scholars to review the latest research in the science of persuasion and offer practical ways to put that research to use. This might be the first book I’ve read in which the passages I underlined outnumbered the passages I didn’t.
2. Powers of Two: Finding the Essence of Innovation in Creative Pairs (Joshua Wolf Shenk)
Creative breakthroughs aren’t a solo endeavor, says Shenk. Like the animals boarding Noah’s Ark, creativity is likely to come in pairs. Lennon and McCartney. Jobs and Wozniak. Marie and Pierre Curie. The Coen brothers. Find a partner and check out this fascinating book.
3. Dataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One’s Looking) (Christian Rudder)
One of the founders of dating site OKCupid mines data from his site and many others to offer some sharp insights into our views on beauty, love, race, politics, and other subjects on which our spoken views often differ from our actions.
10 ARTICLES WORTH READING
From my Instapaper account to your inbox, here are 10 articles that got me thinking:
The Secret of Effective Motivation
A new multi-year, in-depth study of West Point cadets suggests that intrinsic motivations drive achievement and that instrumental motivations “can actually be counterproductive to success.”
Dan Ariely’s 6 New Secrets to Managing Your Time
From the always-great Barking Up the Wrong Tree, one of the best posts on productivity I’ve read in long while.
Mega-Weddings: Why You Should Say ‘I Don’t’
The more a couple spends on its wedding and engagement ring, the less likely the marriage is to last, says this Wall Street Journal analysis.
You Are Not Too Late
A wise and inspiring Medium essay by the wise and inspiring Kevin Kelly.
How Tests Make Us Smarter
A Washington University professor explains that tests don’t simply measure learning. Done right, they can actually promote it.
What Kids Around the World Eat for Breakfast
A remarkable New York Times Magazine photo essay showing what children from Japan to Malawi to Iceland have for their first meal of the day.
Presence of Smartphone Lowers Quality of Conversation
You don’t even have to be using your phone for it to distract your face-to-face conversations, says Pacific Standard. For conversations that matter, turn off the phone and stick it in your pocket. (Unless you’ve got a phablet, in which case it won’t fit and I might not want to talk to you anyway).
The Difference Between How Men and Women Run Marathons is a Metaphor for Life
Men start out fast and overconfident, then slow down significantly. Women are steadier and more consistent. [Insert your own joke here.]
Regular Exercise is Part of Your Job
Going to the gym during work hours seems to boost performance, according to Harvard Business Review.
Studying May Make You Nearsighted
The more education you have, the more likely you are to need glasses. (Hmmm, says the nerdy writer with 20-450 vision.)
That’s it for now. As always, thanks for reading our humble newsletter. Stay tuned for our special “Crowd Control” preview newsletter at the end of October.
Cheers,
Daniel Pink