The World's Best Book Summaries
What book totally changed how E handles their personal finances? How does a book help them settle into a new place after they move? E can tell you all about it. Based in Colorado, they’re a peer editor on the writing team at Shortform. We interviewed them recently to learn a bit about their relationship with books.
Do you write creative nonfiction? What can you do to spice your nonfiction piece up? In his book On Writing Well, William Zinsser explains that nonfiction writing doesn’t have to be flat and bland. You can write nonfiction in ways that will grip readers as much as fiction writing. From interviews to memoirs to sports writing, here’s how to add some flare to your nonfiction.
Are you beating the competition in business? Are you winning at life? Best-selling author Robert Greene (The 48 Laws of Power, The Laws of Human Nature) asserts that life is a daily struggle—a war between you and the people, organizations, or other forces that work against you. To be successful in life you need to win the war, and to win the war you need a winning strategy. Read more to learn the basics of The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene.
What are Sun Tzu’s teachings about attaining victory? Can you really win a war without fighting? Much of Tzu’s teachings revolve around the concept that victory without direct fighting is the most advantageous way to win. Part of attaining this type of battle-free victory involves five factors of successful military operations: the Way, the weather, the terrain, the leadership, and discipline. Sun Tzu’s five factors can help you assess the likelihood of victory in any circumstance. Let’s consider each in turn.
Do you struggle to meet the needs of all your students? How can individualized instruction provide a better learning experience for students? In Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina recommends individualized instruction methods to accommodate each student’s unique way of learning. Two of these methods include smaller class sizes and flipped classrooms, which suit individual students. Learn more on the benefits of individualized instruction, and why it may be necessary for teaching.
Are you a sportswriter or want to be one? Are you looking for sports writing tips? Sports writing is a form of nonfiction that reports on topics involving sports, such as athletes, games, and competitions. Zinsser notes two problems sportswriters face: making the story about them and flaunting their knowledge. Here’s why you should avoid both.
What is Zappos’s company culture? How is it effective in creating a friendly environment for Zappos’s employees? According to Tony Hsieh, the founder and former CEO of the online retail store Zappos, a strong and healthy culture is what makes a company successful. In Delivering Happiness, Zappos’s culture can be defined in three major categories: friendship, support, and innovation. Read on to learn more about Zappos’s culture and its principles.
When resources run out on Earth, will humans move to another planet? Should they? What did famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking think? In his final book Brief Answers to the Big Questions, Stephen Hawking discusses space colonization. His conclusion was that humans need to colonize outer space because humans are running out of space on Earth, and because humans are at risk for extinction otherwise. Here’s why Hawking said humans should colonize space.
How does the devil wage war against us? What are his tactics, and what’s his goal? The “battlefield of the mind” is not a metaphor. Christian author Joyce Meyer explains that, whether we know it or not, we’re engaged in a constant and literal battle for the well-being of our minds. On one side of the battle is Satan, who tries to corrupt our minds and lives with his negativity. In fact, the two primary weapons of the devil are negative thoughts and a selfish mind. Continue reading for details on these ideas as well as Meyer’s suggestions on what
Do you struggle to keep consistent as you write? What are some things to consider to ensure your writing is consistent in terms of tone, argument, point of view, and tense? If you want to maintain consistency in your writing, you need to ask yourself these four guiding questions: What’s the main idea? What point of view will you use? What tense will you use? And what tone will you have? You must make these decisions ahead of time so you don’t lose focus part-way through. Here’s how to maintain consistency while writing.