ALLISON MARTIN

Most of the time when I read non-fiction, self-help-ish kind of books they are at worst a DNF and at best a way-too-long-winded reminder of things that I sort of already knew.

But every once in a while a book comes along that alters the course of my life.

Here are a few that have done that for me:

Breath

This book blew my mind to bits and then put it back together again in a different way. The author is a journalistic writer who pulls together science, studies, spirituality, & personal experience to write a book on how humans have forgotten how to breathe.

Big Magic

As someone with high anxiety, introducing fear into the creative process was big for me. The idea that fear is always there—will always be there—but you should do it anyway altered the way I thought about what it means to be inspired and to create with fear and excitement.

Slow Productivity

Cal Newport just speaks to me. I’ve ready every one of his books cover to cover. I love his writing style and more importantly I love how he walks his talk. He’s never had social media and has built a huge, successful career out of helping others to slow down and live more intentionally with technology. He doesn’t vilify it, but he’s honest about it’s negative effect on our culture. He’s also very privilege-aware, which really means a lot when reading about how his ideas could work even for people who don’t have the luxuries he (and some of his case studies) have.

Story Genius

Anytime brain science is included in anything, I’m game. And mixing my two favourite things in one book was a guaranteed hit. The author digs deeper than what happens in a story into understanding why things happen. Stories have been used since the beginning of time to teach, grow, and evolve as a species. Our brains are hardwired for it. Lisa Cron has brought the science of story to the process of plotting a story and it changed how I write.