Are you familiar with TED? It defines itself as ‘a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks’. Its mission statement is as follows:

TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world.

Among the 1,700 talks on the TED website one finds many interesting pieces on writing. I’ve pulled together a list of those that most inspired me. If you get a chance, take a look. You may be surprised how much inspiration can come from just a few minutes watching a TED talk…

• How to build a fictional world – Kate Messner
• The case against ‘good’ and ‘bad’ – Marlee Neel
• Mining literature for deeper meanings – Amy E. Harter
• What we learned from 5 million books – Erez Lieberman Aiden and Jean-Baptiste Michel
• How fiction can change reality – Jessica Wise

And for all my fellow romance readers and writers, I couldn’t resist sharing the following TED talk, in which Anthony John Peters ‘explains why Shakespeare’s coy use of metaphor was so effective – and may just help you get a date today’.