Merlin Mann’s talk from the most recent Macworld, Toward Patterns for Creativity, is up on YouTube. He references two books that have been on my shopping list for some time.

Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit

Stephen King, On Writing

Update (5/3/09): King tells a good story. And there are no shortcuts (of course). His method: Shut out the world while working, and practice every day.