Yesterday I rang in 2018 by drafting a blog post that I had planned to publish by the end of the day. But when all was said and done, I just wasn’t feeling the love.

So today, I decided to channel that feeling of having accomplished a whole lot of nothing into something useful: translating another TED talk. That’s when I came across this video, which I just love:

I don’t know yet who Victoria Smith is, but I intend to find out. In just 4 minutes and 35 seconds, this beautifully crafted cartoon offers excellent writerly advice that draws on classic literature and cinema, from Oedipus Rex to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Even if you’re not a writer, you’re sure to find it entertaining.

So in lieu of a lengthy post, let this video be my New Year’s gift to you as a token of my appreciation for visiting my blog. Hope you enjoyed happy holidays and that your greatest moments of suspense centered around what wonderful things awaited you in brightly wrapped packages!