Time to Write

Two tough questions about your new idea

On the Fertile Unknown site, Robert Richman, Product Manager of Zappos Insights (the division that helps other businesses use the methods that have made Zappos a billion-dollar business), talked about bringing ideas to life and the test he applies to ideas before he decides whether to proceed with them:

"1. If I know it will fail, do I still want to do this? If you answer no, then I'm sorry to say that you probably don't have what it takes to keep working on your idea when times get tough. You'll simply give up. But if you have an idea that would be worth the journey, worth the learning, no matter how it works out, then you have an idea that's worth pursuing. 

2. If I know it will be a huge pain in the butt, is it still worth it? Sometimes ideas sound fun, even if they'll fail.  But what if it takes you 10 times longer than you thought it would? What if it breaks all along the way and you need to fix it? What if you need to get a lot of help when you thought you could do it all yourself? Is it still worth it? If it is, then you have the passion to make it real. 

Second, if your idea has passed these two tests, the next thing you have to do is remove your need for permission. I'm not just talking about approval. I'm talking about permission. If you hear yourself saying any of these things:

• I need more time.
• I need an investor.
• People won't give me help.
• I don't have the right partners.
• My spouse won't like it.

Then you're looking for the permission from someone or something else. You're giving yourself an out if you do this. Instead give yourself permission, and fully commit to it. That's when the answers start coming, because you're looking from a place of commitment and belief, rather than looking for permission."

These are tough questions, but if you're the sort of person (like me) who has more ideas than time to make them all happen, using these two filters can be very helpful in deciding which of your many possible projects you will give your full commitment. 

(You'll find lots of useful techniques for getting things done in my book, "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done" - get the version with the yellow cover, that's the new, expanded edition, available at Amazon and other online and offline retailers.) 

Here's how to keep your brain alive

It's so easy to get into ruts, isn't it? My book, "Creativity Now!" has suggestions for how to stay stimulated (artistically, I mean), and so does this one:

"Keep Your Brain Alive" review from jurgen Wolff on Vimeo.

Julia Cameron talks about artist's dates

If you're a fan of Julia Cameron, you will enjoy seeing some interviews with her on this page. The topics she covers in separate sections are:

* Morning pages

* Artist's dates

* Prayer

* Walking

* The writing diet (Write Yourself the Right Size)

* Q & A from reader-submitted questions

Here's the one on artist's dates:

A big no-no for writers

I received an email the other week from someone who had written a screenplay based on a popular video game and was wondering how to market it. The answer was...you can't. Not without the permission of the people who own the game. I've come across other situationst in which authors based screenplays or novels on material for which they don't have the copyright. 

It's never a good idea! 

In some cases they were hoping that the copyright owners would be so impressed by their version that they'd be happy to buy it or let them try to sell it elsewhere. If this has ever happened, it's a very big exception. Most of the time--I'd say 99.9% of the time--you will have wasted your effort and be left with something you can't try to sell.

The exception is material in the pubic domain. That's why there was no problem writing "Pride and Prejudice With Zombies," for instance. 

Another thing to be careful about is a situation in which someone comes to you with an idea or maybe a book they've written and asks you to write a script on spec (no money now) and promises you a nice fee if and when it sells. If it's somebody who has great connections, it might be worth it. Otherwise, though, if they can't sell it, you end up with a script for which you have limited rights. You won't be able to sell it yourself without their full cooperation. I've gotten into those kinds of situations in the past and at least in my experience it's not a great idea.

Bottom line: stick to your own ideas. That way the rights and the control remain in you own hands.

(If you would like to write but aren't sure how to go about it, I suggest my book, "Your Writing Coach," which takes you from the idea all the way through to publication or production. It's published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and offline retailers.)

Today we are Russian

 I just got word that my book, "Your Writing Coach," is being published in Russia. This was due to the efforts of a very determined free-lance translator who did the translation on spec. It has also helped launch his career as a book translator and he says next he's determined to translate "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done" as well as my other books. 

Thanks, Dmitri!

Are you drunk on multi-tasking? Are you being rude?

 In the New York Times, Professor Christine Pearson wrote an interesting article about texting, rudeness, and multi-tasking. Some highlights:

"...neuroscientists tell us that dividing our attention between competing stimuli instead of handling tasks one at a time actually makes us less efficient. Still, the illusion that multitasking can aid productivity is powerful. And it’s abetted by the fact that splitting our attention between real and virtual worlds can produce a kind of neural intoxication, research shows."

Do you get annoyed when your friends or colleagues text or check messages while you're talking to them? Pearson says, "when people disappear from formal or informal meetings via their electronic devices, their colleagues interpret it this way: 'You are less important to me than my cellphone/P.D.A./laptop/latest gizmo.'" By the way, she says when she asks people who attend her lectures how many people find this rude, almost all of them say yes. When she asks how many do it themselves, about 2/3 admit guilt.

No big deal? Beware: "In my research, I’ve learned that when employees behave in an uncivil way, their colleagues may take retribution. They might withhold information — for example, by 'forgetting' to include the offender’s name on a final product. Or they might see to it that he or she ends up with a less desirable task next time. Or they might even refuse to work with the person again."

She has two tips: 

* Keep your own use of electronic devices at a minimum when interacting with others. If you have an urgent need to use one, let others know.

* If you are on the receiving end of an electronic disappearing act and want face-to-face attention, politely ask for it.

Amen.

(There are lots of tips on how to be more productive without being rude, in the free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin. To subscribe, just send an email to [email protected].)

Writers beware: realwritingjobs.com

The come-on is "start earning up to $375 per day writing for large companies." 

The pitch is that writing on the web is in big demand and you can earn up to $30 per blog post, up to $200 day for proofreading, etc. Plus when you join, you get an automatic novel writer ("Just put in some simple ideas, character names and the software takes care of the rest"--does James Patterson own this software?) as well as an automatic idea generator and automatic article writer. 

One of the FAQ is: "I'm not that great of a writer, can I still join?" (...of a writer?) The answer is, "Yes, certainly. These companies that want articles need for them to be written in a simple way so that everyone can understand them easily. If you can write at an 8th grade level or higher, you are qualified to start writing articles. We also have a lot of amazing tools to help you become a better writer and correct any grammar mistakes you may make in your article."

There is no person's name associated with the site, even though whoever is answering the FAQ says, "In the past I've made well over $10,000 in a month writing articles but this doesn't mean you will make as much. I worked very hard and wrote for many hours everyday (sic)." The fact that he or she doesn't know the difference between "everyday" meaning common or usual, and "every day," meaning once a day, does not bode well. The only information I could find is that they're based in Las Vegas. (Update: after I visited their website I had an automatic email from someone named Lisa Roberts, Director of Human Resources, World Survey Group, inviting me to return and get started.)

What's the cost of entry? A seven day trial period for $4.95, then a one time fee of $77 for a lifetime membership that's billed to your credit card on the 8th day. This seems to have changed--I saw some references a few months ago to a $47 per month membership fee. They do offer a sixty-day guarantee--if you send them the receipt. 

I can tell you the typical process relating to this kind of thing because I've done it myself (not with these folks, however): you order the item or service, you try it out, you know you have sixty days so there's no rush to cancel. Then you see the charge appear on your credit card statement and you decide you'd like your money back. Now...where is that receipt? Did I print it out? And who do I contact for the refund? Often the address is hard to find...and inertia takes care of the rest. They have your $77 (or whatever the fee happens to be) and you may have...nothing.

Or am I jumping to conclusions with this one? I used a Google search to find reviews and included the word "scam." What I found was a lot of articles that were in fact thinly-disguised promotions of the site, many of them very similar in not only content but wording. 

Here's an idea: if you want to keep legitimate reviews off the first pages of Google search results, generate dozens of blogs that hype the product in question under the guise of legitimate reviews. Just an thought.

Why would so many people be interested in promoting this site? Here's a clue: "75% Commission With Super High Signup Ratio Due To Low $4.95 Trial Price & We Rebill $77 More After 7 Days! Plus, We Keep Emailing All Interested Users With Your Affiliate Link In The Emails To Make Sure You Get Credit!" 

They reveal they get between a 3% and 4% conversion--meaning that for every 100 people they target, 3 or 4 sign up at least for the trial. 

Bottom line: is this legitimate? So far I've not found any evidence that it's an out and out scam, but all the warning signs are there. If you do try this one or anything similar print out your receipt and also save it on your computer, save the contact details, which often are easier to find in the offer than afterward, and make a note on your calendar when you will be charged or when the guarantee runs out. 

How creative people can be productive

Among publishers, Penguin stands out as being one of the leaders in using new media. Here's an interview from their site with Scott Belsky, CEO of Behance and author of "Making Ideas Happen."He talks about how creative people can also be highly productive. It takes a few minutes to get into the meat of the subject (total length is about 9 minutes--if you want to jump to the good stuff, click on the third heading below the video ("Beyond the Book: Making Ideas Happen") and play. (By the way, there's lots about how to be more productive, in my book "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done," published by Pearson. You can get it now at Amazon and other online and offline retailers.)

"Why?" as the source of passion (especially interesting for non-fiction authors & businesspeople)

Whenever you take on a new project, it's a good idea to start with "why" rather than "what" or "how." Here's an interview with Simon Sinek, author of "Start With Why," from the Penguin website: It is preceded by a Penguin business books executive talking about how he chooses which books to publish. The audio is about nine minutes long. 

Image streaming for increased intelligence, memory, being more observant

I don't know if this book will do everything it claims, but it's sure an interesting method and theory. See what you think...

"The Einstein Factor" review from jurgen Wolff on Vimeo.

The man behind the best-selling writers (including Norman Mailer)

The Believer has a fascinating interview by Suzanne Snider with Lawrence Schiller, a writer, researcher, photographer and director. He has collaborated with several well-known writers, including Norman Mailer, providing them with huge amounts of research on which to base a book. He provided Mailer with more than 15,000 pages of notes, interviews, and transcripts that the author used to write "The Executioner's Song," the story of murderer Gary Gilmore (Schiller owns half the copyright).

A few tidbits from Schiller's interview:

ON PHOTOGRAPHY: 

I never considered myself a good photographer. I still don’t. I thought of myself as a hard worker. My camera was a sponge and I had an instinct that athletes have—anticipation. Photography really represents an enormous amount of anticipation—understanding what might be there the next moment and being prepared for it.

ON COMING UP WITH BIG IDEAS AND COLLABORATION: 

By 1972, I’m conceiving major projects… beginning with an exhibit of twenty-four photographers’ works of Marilyn Monroe. I said to a publisher, “Get me Gloria Steinem or Norman Mailer to write the text and you’ll have the cover of Life and Time magazines the same week.” Of course, they got me Norman Mailer...It was not unusual for me after 1969 to seek out the most important writers I could to write books based on my ideas, my research, my interviews. Many people know of my relationship with Norman, because he decided to reveal it. I wasn’t interested in revealing it. There are many, many other famous writers that I have worked with.

ON HIS CREATIVE AND MARKETING PROCESS: 

First, find a story that has depth and general appeal. Pray you can find a writer who has the same interests as you do. Second, once you have a finished manuscript and, if you’re lucky, a best seller, you go looking for the right screenwriter. Third, with a good screenplay you have a movie.

ON INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES: 

When you’re being interviewed or you’re interviewing somebody else, you always have your voice two or three octaves lower than the other person’s voice. That produces a certain ambience, OK? Which is very powerful, OK? And that was taught to me by a great great lawyer called Edward Bennett Williams in Washington, D.C., when I was very young.

ON CHANGE AND WISDOM: 

I’ve been married three and a half times, so I changed my life four times. I reinvented myself four times. So each morning brings a little wisdom, and then you find out how stupid you were for most of your life.

One of Schiller's current projects is running Norman Mailer's former home as a writers' colony. The full interview is here.

Three ways to get over a creative block

The blog iso50 asked a number of artists and other creative people what they do when the ideas aren't flowing. Here are three I like:

EVEN/ODD - Nicolas Felton alternates years: one year he travels more and concentrates on personal work, the next year he puts more emphasis on working and making a profit (obviously this one is an option only for free-lancers).

FEED THE HEAD - Khol Vinh does lots of reading and sketching. He says, "The reading part is a long-term strategy: constantly consuming ideas, influences, details, angles, metaphors, symbols, etc. and storing them in the back of your brain so that later on--sometimes much later on--you have a rich catalog of starting points to draw upon."

GET INSPIRED - Chad Hagan says, "If I'm ever in a rut, the best thing to get me out of them is to put myself in places that engage the desire to be good...get out and be exposed to others creating...going to museums, galleries, shows, etc."

DREAM YOUR WAY OUT OF IT - The agency Airside suggested setting your alarm for 5am. "When it goes off either get up and enjoy the unique feel of that time of day or go back to sleep and have the craziest dream (REM sleep is easier to reach/remember) -- one of these experiences will give you inspiration.
 

In the comments, feel free to add you own ways of getting inspired or over blocks.
 

(There's also lots of inspiration in my latest book, "Creativity Now!" -- get it from Amazon or your other favorite online or offline retailer.)

The need to surprise (says George Lois)

I admit it, I love art director George Lois! He was the brains behind the sometimes shocking, always provocative Esquire covers back in the 60's and 70's (he did 92 for them). He's outspoken, sometimes grouchy, always thinking.

Years ago I was able to score an interview with him for my tiny "Brainstorm" newsletter when I was in New York and he's still around and in a guest post on the Just Creative Design blog, Ana Paula Rodrigues recounted attending an event at which he spoke recently:

Lois touched upon the state of editorial design by noting that 95 out of 100 magazine covers look alike each month and, “that’s fucking stupid,” he said. “Anything you work on should be a shocking surprise.” Lois believes today, “every design director and art director are handcuffed” because of the restrictions placed on them. “You don’t create a magazine for the readers or advertisers – you create it for yourself,” he advised. By following that mantra, Lois was able to increase Esquire’s circulation from 500,000 to 2 million during his 10-year reign. He also expressed he was, “sick of hearing magazines are dead,” and that he continues to enjoy his interaction with a magazine. “If you put a magazine on your lap, it’s like a lap dance.”

The lecture as in conjunction with the publication of a new book, "George Lois - The Esquire Covers @ MoMa." I thought his earlier books, "What's the Big Idea?" "George, Be Careful" were great for any creative person to read as well. They're both out of print but you can find used copies online. 

(I can't guarantee it'll make you as creative as George, but it couldn't hurt to get my book "Creativity Now!" It's published by Pearson and you can get it from Amazon or your other favorite online or offline retailer.)

Battle of the vegetarian authors

The results are in--Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry's wife) 1, MIssy Chase Lapine 0.

The court battle was over a copyright dispute. Lapine wrote "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals." A few months later, Jessica Seinfeld came out with "Deceptively Delicious : Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food."

 MIssy sued Jessica, and things got ugly when Jerry made fun of Ms Chase, saying she was accusing his wife of "vegetable plagiarism." This led to charges that Jerry's comment constituted a "malicioius, premeditated and knowingly false and defamatory attack." 

Jeez, it was a joke. Not a great joke admittedly but not attempted murder...

Anyway, a federal appeals court ruled recently that the books were not confusingly similar and that you can't copyright the idea of hiding healthy ingredients inside foods that kids actually like to eat. 

I wonder how many organic carrots those legal fees could have bought?

Seriously, though, it brings home the key point about copyright protection: you can't protect an idea, only the execution of an idea. If Lapine could show that Seinfeld had directly copied her recipes, she would have had a good case. I'm in the process of finishing up a report on "Protecting Your Material" that goes into copyright, trademarks, Creative Commons, and whether or not it's a good idea to use "the poor man's copyright" (mailing your manuscript to yourself to establish a date that it existed, and more. I'll post here when it's ready.
 

(For guidance on writing your own book, see "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available at Amazon and your other favorite online or offline retailers.)

How to grow a character (like Michael Connelly did)

 One more insight into how Michael Connelly writes, from an article in Writing Magazine. This one is about how he developed the character of Mickey Haller, the protagonist of "The Lincoln Laywer":

He says, "I had been inspired to write a character, who was a lawyer working out of the back seat of his car, by a real lawyer who works out of the back seat of his car. For about five years I had been thinking about that character and how I would write him. It wasn't something where I was taking notes or writing outlines, it was just that I knew I was gong to write about him at some point. Little by little I accumulated some anecdotal stories, some ideas about how he would work and talk and then finally, I started writing."

If you're not ready to start writing, at least let your characters live and grow in your head and the day will come when they insist on bursting out onto paper!

(For guidance in writing your book, see my book, "Your Writing Coach" from the usual sellers.)