literature

Best corporate culture and workplace literature to better your workplace experience. Journal's favorite stories.

Monolithic
A few months ago, I received a Facebook notification that one of the writing groups I was a member of was about to be deleted unless I would like to become an admin. It had no admin and only 32 members. That group was Creative Writers.
By Antony M. Copeland9 years ago in Journal
Flawed Characters and The Girl On The Train
With all the hype about this mystery thriller by Paula Hawkins and the author now releasing a new book, I finally got around to picking up a copy. I'm over a hundred pages in now and enjoying it immensely - but the more I read the more I find myself thinking about the concept of flawed characters. Hawkins writes skillfully, capturing the rough edges and blemishes of each of her characters perfectly. So, what exactly is a flawed character, how can you write one, and what can they contribute to your story? These are all questions which I'm going to talk about in today's post, with reference to Hawkins' infamous thriller.
By India Hendrie9 years ago in Journal
When Your Passion for Writing Loses Its Luster
I don’t think there is an artist out there who has not gone through the following impasse: “Why am I doing this, wasting my time trying to get folks to appreciate my work and putting so much blood, sweat and tears into something I no longer find enjoyable?”
By Vivienne Neal9 years ago in Journal
Lean In and Sandberg’s Faulty Feminism
Sheryl Sandberg is the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and in 2013 she published Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. Her book was met with both profound praise and critique—from women. She is, after all, a woman in leadership with significant power. As such, it seems that women should be excited to hear about her tips for success so that we can be just like her. However, her book is more of a self-help book than the feminist manifesto Sandberg herself touted it to be (Sandberg 2013; Taylor 2017). More importantly, it should not be considered the cornerstone of the new feminist wave. This essay will argue that Lean In is a net loss for feminism. I will first discuss the positive impact that Sandberg and Lean In deserve credit for. After, however, I will argue for the negative impact of her book with a discussion of Risman’s (1998) idea of the three levels of gender and the capitalistic incentives behind the marketing of Lean In. I will finish with some ideas on how Lean In could have been better, and how the new LeanIn.org community can perhaps correct some of the book’s mistakes.
By Markie M9 years ago in Journal
Rapid Book Releases
Before the surge of ebooks, the traditional publishing format allowed for one new book release a year. That's right, readers (me included) used to wait a full year for the next book in much beloved series - I still do, along with lots of other readers. That's the kind of devotion great stories bring out in people.
By Jessie White9 years ago in Journal
Free Writing
A simple web search for free writing reveals that it is a pre-writing technique wherein a person just sits and starts writing for a prearranged amount time. Everything is ignored—spelling, grammar, punctuation, consistency, topic—it’s meant to loosen the mind grapes; it’s meant to warm up the creative muscles, and without the obstruction of self-judgment, just write.
By Aaron Dennis9 years ago in Journal
Passive Writing
I was contacted by a potential client, who had mentioned something along the lines of wanting to hire an editor, but before she committed to anyone, she wanted to know something; she wanted to know the reason for avoiding the verb “was”.
By Aaron Dennis9 years ago in Journal
Why Doesn't Practice Seem to Help Me Get Better at Writing?
Why doesn't practice seem to help me get better at writing? This is about the best question anyone has ever asked me. In a way, I’ve been beating around the bush throughout all of my articles regarding the art of editing as to why practicing writing doesn’t help one to write better.
By Aaron Dennis9 years ago in Journal
Can Writing Daily Journal Entries Improve Your Writing Ability?
Can writing daily journal entries improve your writing ability? A fascinating question, and one posed to me not long ago. Before I lent this young man my assistance, I wanted some clarification, and this was his response:
By Aaron Dennis9 years ago in Journal
How to Write a Novel With Multiple Points of View
This question was posed to me once, and I figured since someone was interested enough to ask it of me, there may be more writers out there wondering over the same topic. Here’s how the question was posed in its original form, typo’s and all:
By Aaron Dennis9 years ago in Journal
How Do I Get a Book Published?
It’s easier than you think! First, it’s important to understand that there are various types of publishing platforms, so I’ll outline them, and then disseminate. Ultimately, the choice will be yours, and there’s no reason to stick with one platform throughout the entirety of your career.
By Aaron Dennis9 years ago in Journal
How Can I Become a Better Writer?
How does one improve their writing skills? The short of it is to learn proper editing. I define editing as the ability to transform a dry account of sequential events into a story worth reading, but nothing is ever simply black and white, is it?
By Aaron Dennis9 years ago in Journal