writing

basecamp.com basecamp.com
Thoughtful ideas about team communication from Basecamp with a focus on writing vs. meetings:
"Speaking only helps who’s in the room, writing helps everyone. This includes people who couldn't make it, or future employees who join years from now."
It makes sense that they're down on chat (the competition!), but I don't agree that live chat is a mind-killer. Some decisions require quick consensus rather than lengthy position statements for the ages.
johnaugust.com
image from johnaugust.com
In this podcast episode screenwriter Craig Mazin of Chernobyl fame explains how he approaches writing scripts. His idea about having the main character push backwards on the theme until believing the truth of the theme is a great way to understand how character arcs work. You might expect high drama examples but Mazin uses Finding Nemo as the prime example throughout.
nytimes.com nytimes.com
image from nytimes.com
I’ve been meaning to post this article ever since it came out but I’m being compassionate with my past self about not doing it yet. My future self is used to disappointment so that guy should be pleasantly surprised it’s off his plate. Anyway, lots of good psychology here to help with productivity. Add reading it to your to-do list.
  • Steven Johnson talks about one of his favorite writing tools: rereading a continually updated file with half-baked ideas.
  • Interesting look at how MailChimp helps their employees write for different types of communication with customers. Their blog is laid back and funny. Their tweets are focused and to the point.
  • Excerpts from the style sheet of the Kansas City Star, where Ernest Hemingway worked as a reporter in 1917.
  • Yes, this. There's no easy answer. "So the dis­cus­sion is re­ally about whether, on one hand, you build your mo­bile app with JavaScript and HTML and CSS, or on the other, you ship com­piled code that talks to a frame­work like Co­coa­Touch or An­droid or Win­Phone7."
  • Turn terrible business jargon into plain English.
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