Video Find of the Day: Neil deGrasse Tyson and Neil Gaiman on Vision and Brilliance

What happens when two of the most prolific Neils in the world right now get together for a panel on vision and brilliance? Awesomeness, that’s what.

Answering the question “What makes someone visionary and brilliant,” both Neils talk about the importance of doing what you love and how basically the only people who are considered genius are ranked that way because they’re lucky enough to be able to do what they truly love every single day. Neil Gaiman sums it up quite nicely, saying that, “We get to look good because we get to do what we want.” The clip is only 3:22, so be sure to check it out!

Epic Quote of the Day: George R.R. Martin

Alright so as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m trying to power through George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. I gave myself 3 weeks to finish the last three books…and 2 weeks later I just finished A Storm of Swords. I may have underestimated just how much time it takes to read these books (just a bit). But I have finished A Storm of Swords, and for all you Game of Thrones fans who have been on the fence about reading the books in addition to watching the HBO series, get off the fence and go read the books. They’re worth it, even if they are monstrously long (Martin reeallyyy needs to get a more cut-happy editor…). And season 4 of the show is going to be intense. That’s all I’m going to say.

Anywho, because I’m still more than a little bit obsessed with these books right now, I’ve decided to throw in a quick and fun (yet also serious) Epic Quote of the Day by Martin himself before I go back to reading the last two books at breakneck speed. Enjoy!

Video Find of the Day: Where Good Ideas Come From

Sometimes even the most productive writers need to take a break from the written word and sit down to watch a good old fashioned Youtube video. Now, you could spend this break watching cats chase lasers or foxes jumping on trampolines, and this would be completely acceptable (because who doesn’t like animals being adorable?). Or you could take this time to watch something that inspires you to close the Youtube tab after you’re done and get back to creating.

Today’s Video Find of the Day does just that. Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson has been circling the Internet for a few years now as a promotional tool for Johnson’s book “Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation,” and offers a fascinating theory on the process of how people have been coming up with creative, innovative ideas over the last few centuries. It’s only four minutes long and applies to writers and non-writers alike, so if you haven’t seen it already be sure to check it out. And if you’ve seen it already, watch it again, if nothing else because the drawings in it are super cool.

Epic Quote of the Day: William Faulkner

Sometimes, the best way to get yourself through a sluggish Tuesday afternoon when the writing just isn’t flowing the way it should be is to look to the literary greats and see what epic words of wisdom they might have for you. And who is greater in American literature than William Faulkner? (Not a trick question, by the way. Seriously, who do you think is greater than Faulkner? Discuss, dear readers, discuss!)

Epic Quote of the Day: Neil Gaiman

Sometimes, a smart person somewhere in the world says something that is, for lack of a better word, just plain epic. And, thanks to the Internet age, this epic quote can now be  broadcasted to the entire world to make countless peoples’ days just a little bit better.

Today’s Epic Quote comes from acclaimed fantasy writer, Neil Gaiman, who manages to articulate exactly why fiction is one of the absolute best things in the world.

Evening Inspiration

Getting published is hard. Really hard. It’s easy for your work to get lost in the crush of the hundreds of thousands of manuscript submissions that are filtering around publishing houses and lit journals right now, and it’s even easier to get discouraged when rejection letter after rejection letter arrives in the mail. You might even think that you’re a bad writer and should just give up on your craft. But the next time you think this, read this article published at Writer’s Circle about 9 of the most famous authors in English literature who were initially rejected by publishers, often by many publishers. With names like Anne Frank, George Orwell, and William Golding making the list, it’s hard not to be inspired to keep on pressing forward and to never, ever, give up on your dreams.

9 Famous Authors Rejected by Publishers