Brain Science For Writers 12/24/14

Mensch mit Schutzgeist Panama Museum Rietberg RMA 803.jpg

"Mensch mit Schutzgeist Panama Museum Rietberg RMA 803" by Photograph: Andreas Praefcke - Own work (own photograph). Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.


Top Pick:  How does the wealth of a society affect its religions? Thought provoking theory for worldbuilders to ponder.

Men are far likelier than women to experience accidental  injuries, as well as traffic collisions with =higher chance of death.Why is that?  Enter the Male Idiot Theory (MIT).

Is creativity genetic? (via Passive Guy)

Do women prefer to read about female characters?

What forms of creativity turn you on?



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Brain Science for Writers 12/17/14

Gray501.png
"Gray501". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Top Pick:  The mind-bending effect of feeling two hearts.  Fascinating article about how our sensations of internal organs affect how we process emotions.  (via Linda Poitevin)

Poorer kids may be too respectful at school.

Why do friendlier people lead happier lives?

The power of cute. A good reason to look at cute puppies before proofreading...

You can boost your creativity by looking at art. (via Passive Guy)

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Brain Science for Writers 12/9/14

Echo and Narcissus.  John William Waterhouse [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Top Pick: Kids These Days Really Are More Egocentric. Interesting study on how narcissism correlates with economic hardship

Electric shock study suggests we would rather hurt ourselves than others.

How People’s Political Passions Distort Their Sense of Reality

How the Color Red Influences Our Behavior

The Google misery index: The times of year we’re most depressed, anxious and stressed

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Brain Science for Writers Roundup 12/2/14





Brain science for writers roundup is a compilation of psychology/neuroscience articles of interest to writers.


Top Pick:  Kindness boosts status in Some Cultures

Top Pick:  How your facebook updates reveal your personality.  I thought this was hilarious.

Want To Be More Creative? Don’t Sleep via Passive Guy

Do men read books written by female authors?

How doctors determine the moment of death.

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Brain Science for Writers 11/25/14

Happy Thanksgiving week!  BTW, I'm closing down my Facebook page because of Facebook's continuing changing policies regarding Pages.  If you'd like to keep following me on facebook, please friend me at my personal author account here.

Top Pick: A really interesting article speculating in why smells are hard to name

Synchronized Walking Reduces Opponent's Perceived Size. This makes me think about ways synchronized movements can be used to show character relationships.

Interesting article about how Americans and Germans differ in their framing of grief.

More tips from Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker on how to be a good writer.

War really does foster a band of brothers.

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Brain Science for Writers Roundup 11/18/14

Brain Science for Writers is a periodic roundup featuring psychology articles of interest to writers.

Featured: Afraid asking for advice will make you look incompetent? Apparently asking for advice actually increases other peoples' opinion of you.

How sharing a toilet helps students make more friends.

Steven Pinker gives a psycholinguistic perspective on what makes good writing.

Is kindness physically attractive?

How does the psychology of ownership differ between western and eastern cultures?

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Brain Science for Writers Roundup 11/11/14

Brain Science for Writers is a periodic roundup features psychology articles of interest to writers.

Featured: An interesting analysis of how language has changed in certain films and movies over time.

Featured:  Ancient campfires led to the rise of storytelling.

Five biggest mistakes when writing mental illnesses.

How reminders of money affect people's expression and perception of emotion

Using literature to cope with grief.

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Marketing My Traditionally Pubbed Novel With a Self Pubbed Novella: Lessons and Observations


My debut novel Midnight Thief come out with Disney-Hyperion in July 2014. My primary strategy for marketing this novel was to self publish a prequel novella called Poison Dance in September 2013, about 10 months before the novel’s release. Now that it’s a few months after launch, I’m finally in a position to talk about what I did, what worked, what didn’t, etc. (And also, I’m taking Poison Dance off permafree in early December, so grab it now.)


Brain Science For Writers Roundup 11/4/2014

Brain Science for Writers Roundup is a periodic feature of relevant psychology articles for writers.

Featured: Great article about how diversity makes us smarter and better at our jobs

Featured: A fascinating article about the links between smell and emotion. Are you using smell imagery in your narratives?

Interesting article on how people view the victims of infidelity.

Apparently making eye contact makes us more aware of our own bodies.

Classifying city layouts. For you worldbuilders put there.



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Brain Science for Writers Roundup 10/3/14


Happy October! By the way, I recently published a short story at Inscription Magazine.  You can read it for free here.

And on to the brain science articles...

Does going on vacation make you more creative? (via Passive Guy)

Dogs get jealous.

Not surprisingly, the way you describe a crime and a criminal will affect how harshly the criminal is judged.

An interesting article on how one's propensity to feel disgust predicts one's political inclinations.

And finally, a mathematical equation to predict happiness.

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Brain Science for Writers Roundup 9/26/14

Brain Science for Writers roundups are sporadic collections of psychology and neuroscience articles that I find to be interesting and/or useful for writers. 

Featured Link: An awesome map of where emotions are felt in the body.

We use the same brain regions to process physical, emotional, and abstract distance.

Reading a story can change how you perceive yourself, but only if you're highly engaged in it.

Everybody wants to be happy, right?  Not at all.  In fact, many cultures fear or avoid happiness.

Need to improve reading comprehension?  Try acting it out.

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Brain Science for Writers Roundup 9/19/14

Top Pick:  A fascinating video on brain changes while people are listening to a story, and how those changes predict behavior.  I'm not quite sure I agree with their conclusions about any specific type of story structure, but still, very interesting.

When are jokes about a tragedy funny rather than offensive?

Apparently there's a link between hotter temperatures and increased violence.

An interesting article about a language in which smell is described much more specifically than in English. Takeaway for writers?  "Even if language doesn’t strictly limit the concepts you’re able to think about, it’s still easier to notice distinctions if you can put them into words. Which means that if you take the time to recognize the nuances of your favorite scents, you may find yourself developing a more elaborate smell vocabulary of your own."

One professor argues why digital reading is bad for a humanities education.  (via Passive Guy)



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Brain Science for Writers Roundup 9/12/2014

Moving into fall now!  I just turned in the first draft of the sequel to Midnight Thief, so I'm taking a few days to decompress and catch up on blogging :-)

An excellent article about creativity, from a neuroscientist who studies it. (via @artsylliu)

Men who are ashamed of their bodies are more prone to sexual aggression against women. Some useful character building ideas here -- the interaction between self image and aggression toward others.

We're more scared of things that are moving toward us. This definitely has applications in film, though there might be some creative applications in writing as well.

An interesting article about how your emotional state can influence how you perceive others.

Writing about love makes things taste sweeter. This love-sweet connection is a useful one to keep in mind.



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Different Viewpoints Different Worlds

Note:  Did I mention that Midnight Thief released a few weeks ago?  Well, it did :-)

And onto the topic of the day....
In my predominantly white/Hispanic middle school, we watch Disney’s The Little Mermaid and discuss the themes. I’ve drawn the conclusion that the story is a fairy tale about a young girl who’s rewarded for disobeying her parents. To my surprise, everybody else frames it as a positive story of Ariel following her dreams, breaking free of societal expectation and finding true love.

Fast forward several years and I’m in college, hanging out with a group of Asian American friends. The Little Mermaid comes up in conversation, and someone remarks that the story is a fable about selfish behavior paying off. This time, people nod in agreement and the conversation moves on without a hiccup. Apparently that conclusion is a no brainer for a group of people who grew up in a society that valued filial piety above all else.

I guest posted at Diversity in YA a few weeks ago about being an Asian American writer and what that means.  See the rest of the post here.

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Brain Science for Writers Roundup 7-5-14

Midnight Thief launches in three days!  Remember, I'm sending signed bookmarks and bookplates to people who preorder!  Details here.

And... on to brain science links.


Here's an interesting article on the components of creativity.

I love this thoughtful piece from Maria Konnikova analyzing the factors that turned Frozen into a hit.


Having a group brainstorming session?  Try standing up! 

Here's a useful character building tidbit. Men with wider faces are better fighters.  They're also perceived to be more dangerous by others.

A researcher in Germany is scanning the brains of writers while they're writing.  I agree with Pinker that this is definitely a very rough look so far, and it's unclear what it all means, but still interesting!



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Interview with MIDNIGHT THIEF's cover designer. And win a signed hardcover!

The bookstore at the Ontario Teen Bookfest. Do you see MIDNIGHT THIEF?

Note: I'm still giving signed bookplates to people who preorder.  See details here.

While I've always theoretically understood the importance of good cover art, but I didn't really appreciate it until the months before Midnight Thief's release.

Disney-Hyperion really hit it out of the park with this one.  As soon as the cover went up on goodreads, people started telling me they became interested in the book because of the cover.  And when Midnight Thief went on sale for the first time at Ontario Teen Book Fest (yes, we released 20 copies early for the festival!) I saw people crossing the room to pick up the book because the art caught their eye.  We sold out all 20 copies around lunchtime, and given that I was a complete unknown who didn't even technically have a book out yet, it can only be because of the cover art and description.

Today I'm thrilled to have my cover designer Tanya Ross-Hughes over to talk a little bit about the design process. And stick around after the interview because I'm giving away a signed finished copy of Midnight Thief!

In which I gush about readers and bribe people to preorder with bookplates


Less than a month until MIDNIGHT THIEF releases! The event page for MIDNIGHT THIEF’s official launch party is live :-) Between the mood swings, Amazon sales rank refreshing, picking up my newly printed hardcover to read a few pages and becoming convinced that IT’S ALL WRONG HOW DID I THINK I COULD EVER PUBLISH THIS CALL MY AGENT TO PULL THE BOOK NOW, I’m having a great time!

Hehe, I’m kidding. Sort of.

Seriously though, despite the crazymaking roller coaster, there are also some truly magical things about approaching the launch of my debut book. Or actually, it’s mostly one thing. Readers.

You know who you are. I love you so much, and my novel isn’t even out yet.

I’m at the stage in my career where it’s still possible for me to know by name a good proportion of the people who enjoyed my books. And while I know that maintaining a career as a writer requires working to move beyond that point, I’m also very aware that this is a special time, and hope I never forget how awesome it is to interact with people who have taken the time to jump into these imaginary worlds I’ve created and experience them with me. Thank you.

Generally, going forward, I hope to offer special deals and freebies to people who follow me via blog/social media/mailing list. With self published works, it will usually be a discounted price. With traditionally published books I can’t change the price, so it has to be something else.

Those who are familiar with the publishing industry know how important preorders are to a book’s success. Publishers monitor these numbers get an idea of how well the book will sell, and this in turn informs how they approach the marketing, print runs, etc.

From now until July 7th, if you email me proof of preorder for MIDNIGHT THIEF along with your mailing address, I’ll mail you a signed bookplate and bookmark. 

FURTHER DETAILS AND EXCEPTIONS:
1.  My email address is liviablackburne[at]gmail[dot]com. You can include a name if you want the bookplate signed to anyone in particular, and feel free to obscure any credit card/other sensitive info when you email your receipts.
2. Feel free to get MIDNIGHT THIEF at any vendor your prefer.  Though if you plan to attend any of my in-person signings in Los Angeles, Boston, or Albuquerque, please consider buying your book at the event in order to support that venue and ensure their ability to host future signings (no need to preorder in this case, though an RSVP to the event would be helpful!). And of course, I’ll happy to sign your book and give you a bookmark in person
3.  Update: Crystal brought up the good point that some people prefer to support their local indie, and not all independent bookstores do preorders.  So, for those folks, feel free to email me receipts up to July 21st.

Here’s a picture of the bookmark. (Thanks to Amber at Me, Myshelf, and I!).



 I haven’t settled on a bookplate yet, but I'm leaning toward this one:



Thank you again for your support!

Brain Science For Writers Roundup 5-31-14

And some more articles for your perusing pleasure...  Also, some feedback on this type of article roundup would be helpful going forward.  Is it worth continuing?


Teary Testimony From Children is More Credible.  Raises some interesting implications for how to portray children and/or victims in your story.  Certainly worth thinking about how different portrayals would affect the reader.

Don’t Believe What You Read (Only Once): Comprehension Is Supported by Regressions During Reading :  So, you know those speed reading apps?  They might be too good to be true. (Linked to abstract.  Subscription required for full article)

The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking
 I love taking notes on a laptop, but there's some evidence that it promotes lazy notetaking.  (Linked to abstract)

Creative juices getting stuck?  Try taking a walk. (via Passive Guy)

Can't decide what your male character should look like?  Check out this article on how the messages that facial hair sends to others.

And finally, a fascinating article on how communicating in a different language might affect your moral judgements. 



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Switching Points of View Without Losing Your Reader




I recently finished Laini Taylor’s Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #3) and I absolutely loved it! It has a more epic feel than the previous two books, using multiple points of view to tell a broader story. I was impressed by how well Taylor held my attention through all these different characters. I started trying to figure out what she did to make it work, and here are three techniques I gleaned:

Brain Science for Writers Roundup 04-13-2014

Hi All!  It's been an eventful few weeks, as the Midnight Thief launch approaches (3 more months!).  There's a goodreads giveaway going on right now for a Midnight Thief ARC.  The ARC is also available now on Netgalley. Also, I'm happy to announce that Midnight Thief has been named one of the top YA debuts of Summer/Fall 2014 by the American Bookseller's Association's Indies Introduce program.  :-)


 I'm trying out a new feature now, which is a roundup of neuroscience/psychology articles that might be of interest to writers.  We'll see how it goes!


Ebooks might interfere with reading comprehension in students and young children. (via Passive Guy)

Is internet reading destroying our reading comprehension?  This article argues yes, while this one says no.  My thoughts?  The brain optimizes itself to the type of tasks that we give it.  That is neither a good or bad thing in and of itself.

This article on how robot eye contact differs from humans might be useful for writing dialogue scenes.  (Again via Passive Guy)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, children who read stories about anthropomorphic animals are more likely to later ascribe anthropomorphic characteristics to real animals.

Here's a fascinating article about why people lie.


Okay, that's it for this roundup. Hope you find the links interesting!

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Making Book Themed Pinterest Boards

Poison Dance

It's one of those moments that make you go, "So that's why I became a writer."  A link from Pinterest showed up on my Google Alerts, and I clicked through to find a board inspired by my novella Poison Dance.

It blew me away.  The pinner had posted images for everything from characters to settings to the Minadan spices that play a key role in the plot.  As Poison Dance's author, I obviously have images of the story in my head, but there's something about seeing it presented visually that really brought it to life.

So... after I finished squealing, I tracked down the pinner:  Morgan Mittelbrun, an art student who loves to read books and dance.  Turns out that Morgan makes a lot Pinterest boards based on books she reads.  I thought they were awesome, both from the perspective of a fellow reader who loves to fangirl over my favorite series, and as a writer who might use boards like these for writing and marketing.  I invited Morgan to drop by the blog for an interview, and she kindly agreed.

Giveaway: Custom Business Cards or Bookmarks

I don't usually do sponsored posts, but Chris Mullen from Print Keg contacted me with a giveaway that I thought would be of interest to the writerly types who read this blog.  Print Keg will giveaway 1000 custom printed business cards or bookmarks to two winners. (I get 1000 printed cards as well for hosting this giveaway.)  

According to Chris, "PrintKEG (printkeg.com) prints flyers, posters, t-shirts, cards and much more. Our primary mission is to help designers and artists resell their work more profitably."

If you'd like to enter, simply use the rafflecopter widget below.  And Chris didn't give specifics, but I'm going to assume that this giveaway is for US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, a friendly reminder that From Words to Brain is on sale for .99 cents through Monday the 17th.


What is it that transforms a page full of words into a tale that entertains us, informs us, and ultimately leaves us changed? In her essay From Words to Brain, former MIT neuroscientist Livia Blackburne explores the brain basis of reading–a skill that is incredibly complex and integral to modern culture. Using the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood as a guide, Blackburne follows the story from its physical manifestation on the page, through the reader’s visual system, and ultimately into the reader’s imagination and beyond. Because the experience of reading a story does not end with the last page. That’s the point at which the real magic begins. From Words to Brain is 6700 words long, or roughly 27 printed pages.

Buy the essay from: Amazon |Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play

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A Brain Scientist's Take on Bad Reviews

"I’ve noticed a pattern in the blog posts of debut authors. Before the book comes out, there’s a flurry of activity about prelaunch preparations. Then there’s a celebration on launch day and a big promotional push. And finally, after things have quieted down there’s a philosophical post about bad reviews. This is mine."

 I'm at The Creative Penn today talking about bad reviews. 


Also, I got the rights back for From Words to Brain, and it's on sale for .99 cents until February 17th, 2014.  If you like the tour of reading in my guest post, check out the essay.



Buy the essay from: Amazon |Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play





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