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: