Liz Kelly

“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know.” – Ernest Hemingway

Regular readers of the Brilliant Blog know that we have a massive writer’s “crush” on Ernest Hemingway. Not only was he an incredible author, but he also has a great way of sharing his writing advice with others. I recently came across this quote, which really hit home for me. So often, I find myself sitting down to write and struggling to get started. But if you follow Hemingway’s advice and start with one straightforward and honest sentence, the rest just flows from there. It’s really that simple.

Want to read more about ... Read more »

“My boarding pass has a huge headline saying ‘Continental.’ The flight attendant said, ‘Thank you for flying Continental.’” – Passenger on Continental flight 2816

Earlier this week, 50 passengers were stranded overnight on a Continental Airlines flight bound for Minneapolis. Due to severe storms, the flight was diverted to Rochester, Minnesota – just 80 miles from Minneapolis. Then, for reasons that remain unclear, passengers were forced to stay on the grounded plane for six hours. They were not allowed to leave the plane and enter the terminal, much less take a bus to their final destination. I shudder to think what it must have been like – trapped on a small ... Read more »

“While social media sites are both a source of unfiltered information and a venue for public discussion, we still look to CNN, the BBC and their ilk to add context and meaning to this flood of data. And when they fail us, we demand more of them.” – Pete Cashmore, Mashable

I’ve spent this week completely absorbed in the aftermath of Iran’s presidential election and the role social media has played. When the government began cracking down on foreign reporters, people inside and outside Iran turned to Twitter to get and share information about what was happening. And when CNN failed to prominently cover the protests, the Twitter community spoke ... Read more »

Here’s a quote for the day from Edward R. Murrow, one of the greatest journalists of our time. Although he said this decades before the age of Web 2.0, Facebook, Twitter and video news releases, his words still ring true – perhaps now more than ever.

“The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in the relations between human beings, and in the end the communicator will be confronted with the old problem, of what to say and how to say it.” — Edward R. Murrow

No matter how technology changes our job, the core of our work remains the same – translating our client’s business goals into key ... Read more »

“The one incontrovertible truth about this era: Only creativity and aggressive innovation  – in the face of hardships and layoffs and seriously tough choices – will fuel a turnaround.” — Robert Safian, Fast Company editor

The latest issue of Fast Company includes their annual list of the most innovative companies - a refreshing burst of inspiration in comparison to the relentless barrage of miserable news we’re receiving everywhere else.

You may have noticed that the Brilliant Blog hasn’t tackled the grim economic situation we currently face, and that’s no accident. First, there are plenty of people who are already dissecting the situation to death, so there’s no need for me to pile on to it. But more importantly, fear creates ... Read more »

“There’s a phrase in the culture, ‘we need to take note of,’ ‘we need to weigh in on.’ That’s going away. If we don’t have something original to say, we won’t. The drill of chasing the week’s news to add a couple of hard-fought new details is not sustainable.” — Newsweek editor Jon Meacham on why the magazine is planning to shift its layout and content to focus on commentary and in-depth analysis vs.  attempting to cover current events

The new format launches in May. Further reading: Newsweek Plans Makeover to Fit Smaller Audience

Twitter @lizkelly

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” — Charles Darwin

Happy birthday, Mr. Darwin, and two snaps in agreement.

“In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labour, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.” – President Obama

Full text of the inaugural speech here.

“Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.” – Gene Fowler

This quote kicks off an article that provides several helpful tips for beating writer’s block and other obstacles to putting pen to paper. Gene Fowler was a journalist who was apparently known for his many anecdotes and witticisms.

Further reading: 10 Effective Productivity Tips for Writers

“Reading is a brilliant tool for self-expression.” — Honor Wilson-Fletcher, director of the National Year of Reading campaign

This came from a recent BBC news article, which stated that nearly half of all men and one-third of women have lied about what they have read to try to impress others. This seems pretty risky to me – what if you get busted?