Time to Write

Is Your Idea Any Good?

You've probably had the experience of suddenly having a seemingly great idea pop up in the middle of the night, while you're in the shower, or just walking down the street.

Eureka! This idea is going to make you a fortune, save the world or, ideally, both!

Then you revisit the idea later and most of the time you wonder what you were thinking.

But once in a while you still believe it might be a great idea, but you're too close to it to know for sure. What criteria can you use?

That's the question addressed in a book I've been reading: Chasing the Monster Idea - The Marketer's Almanac for Predicting Idea Epicness, by Stephen Mumaw.

Despite the author's fondness for puns and his annoying practice of pointing them out just in case you didn't notice them, the book has some excellent tips for evaluating ideas in terms of their likelihood of succeeding in the marketplace.

Of course, that's not the only criterion for a great idea; you may decide to pursue one that isn't likely to take the world by storm because you believe it's worth doing even if it reaches only a small number of people. Either way, though, you want it to be as good as possible. 

THE CRITERIA FOR A GREAT STORY

One of the topics the book considers is what makes a great story. Mumaw identifies these six qualities:

• A well-defined, singular theme
• Clear characterization
• A well-developed plot
• Stylistically vivid
• Dramatically told
• Audience appropriate

Yes, I know--each of these is a huge topic in itself. But at least this list is a useful starting point. Here are a few ways to address each element.

THEME

Can you identify in one sentence the theme of your story (or product or service, for that matter)? Plot is what the story is about, theme is what the story is REALLY about. 

CHARACTERIZATION

Is it clear what your protagonist wants, as well as the personal qualities that help them and the weaknesses that work against them? Is there a solid reason that the antagonist is opposing your protagonist? 

PLOT

Does the plot have a beginning, a middle, and an end that comes from the actions of the protagonist? Have you made sure that the middle doesn't sag? If your character changes over the course of the story, is that change lined closely to the events of the plot?

VIVID STYLE

In one way, "stylistically vivid" applies more to novels than to screenplays, since the style of the movie owes a lot to the way it's directed, but even the screenplay should be an entertaining reading experience for the people who will decide whether to buy or option it. One good practice is choosing vivid verbs: Instead of "George opens the door, obviously excited" try "George slams open the door, bouncing off the walls with excitement." (Note: use strategically--a script or novel written totally that way would be annoying).

TELLING DRAMATICALLY

Have you considered whose point of view will be most interesting? Have you piqued the audience's or readers' interest, then doled out the information they want, one piece at a time in a way that keeps them interested? Have you included some surprises?

AUDIENCE APPROPRIATENESS

Deciding what is audience appropriate is trickier than it used to be. There used to be pretty clear definitions, for instance, of what was a kids' film and what was an adults' film. These days the kids' films that are successful are careful to include content that may fly over the kids' heads but will keep their accompanying adults entertained. And when I go to the cinema, I often see kids in the audience even for films that have guidelines suggesting they're for adults. I asked a cinema manager about this once and he shrugged and said, "If the parents don't care, I don't care."

It's possible for a story to have all of these elements and still flop or to have delayed success, but if your idea or story does have these six characteristics, there's a very good chance it will succeed.

Need inspiration? Watch this!

If you're a writer, artist, or other creative type and need a little inspiration, click on the link below to see an amazing animation of the middle panel of Hieronymus Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delights"--be sure to watch it in full-screen mode.

There's a story in every character. The symbolism probably was obvious in the artist's time but now you get to make your own interpretation.

With this on our screen, who needs psychedelics?

https://vimeo.com/191632804

Four mistaken beliefs about writing

There are a few bits of writing advice that I run across a lot that I think are bogus and may be damaging your confidence:

"You must write every day."

It's great if you do write every day, but there are plenty of successful writers who don't. Some have periods during which they research and periods during which they write. Some write a lot for a few days, then take a couple of days off. Whatever works best for you is right.

"You're not a real writer until your work has been published."

Was Charles Dickens a real writer the day before his first book was published? I'd say yes.

It may be fair to say you're not a professional writer until you've been paid for your writing, that's just how we define "professional."

If you're writing, you're a real writer. Anybody who doesn't think so just has a different definition of real.

"Your success as a writer is determined by how many books or scripts you've sold."

You get to set your own definition of success.

Is the best-selling writer automatically a better writer than someone who hasn't sold as many copies? Obviously not. The former may just be a better promoter, or have a more powerful agent, or a big publisher pushing his or her book.

My definition of success for myself as a scriptwriter was (and still is), "Am I making a living from this?" That's because I devote full-time to it.

The first three years I wasn't successful because I didn't make enough from writing to support myself. Ever since, I've been successful--although of course there are many, many scriptwriters who have made more money and had more projects produced. I respect and, in some cases, admire them, but I've never found it helpful to spend much time comparing myself to others.

Another definition of success is, "the things I'm writing these days are generally better than the things I was writing a couple of years ago--by my own standards."

"You're an imposter and will be found out."

This is one a lot of people tell themselves. Not only in the arts, although it's likely that it's more pervasive in the arts than in, say, accounting. The odds are that you're not an imposter and if you are, probably you won't be found out.

A belief of mine that may be more useful: "I'm not as good as I think I am on the days I think I'm really good, and not as bad as I think on the days I think I'm really bad."

A couple of useful questions:

When you find yourself worrying about issues like these, ask, "Says who?"

Literally, who says that?

What makes them the expert?  

They may be an expert on what works for them, but does that makes them an expert on what will work for you?

Might the opposite be true?

If so, which one feels more constructive?

Try operating on the basis of that one.

 

 

 

 

 

AI is not a threat to writers yet (Unless you're William Borroughs)

Wired.com reported on a movie made by Artificial Intelligence (one called Benjamin). Here's an example of how Benjamin responded to the question, "What's next for you?":

“The staff is divided by the train of the burning machine building with sweat. No one will see your face. The children reach into the furnace, but the light is still slipping to the floor. The world is still embarrassed. The party is with your staff. My name is Benjamin.”

I guess that's not so different from a few quotes by actual directors while they were chemically enhanced (or the writing of Wm Burroughs, who was chemically enhanced most of the time) but it suggests that we writers don't need to worry about AI taking over quite yet.

There's a video about Benjamin and the film, as well as his two previous efforts, here. And you can view the actual film, Zone Out, which is pretty funny before it gets annoying, here.

What to write about

"Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you;

figure out what you have to say.

It's the one and only thing

you have to offer."

Barbara Kingfisher

 

Just in case you think writing humor is easy... (Jerry Seinfeld on writing a joke and on life)

This New York Times short of Jerry Seinfeld revealing how he wrote a particular routine is revealing:

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/161670e5c13b8eb8?projector=1

If you thought just because it sounds effortless, it is... well, you'll see!

You might also enjoy this compilation of Jerry talking about the elements of success as a stand-up comedian and other aspects of life as he's interviewed by, among others, Barack Obama:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNlW1TZwGro

My favorite is his conclusion that you have to "find the torture you're comfortable with." Meaning, everything worth doing has aspects that are not fun but to get to the good part you have to be willing to do the other stuff.

Also interesting is the fact that when he had a meeting about his online show, Comedians in Cars Having Coffee, they all told him it wouldn't work because nothing longer than five minutes succeeds. His episodes average nineteen minutes and the series has been a big success.

Marketing inspiration from quirky London bars

The idea that you need to do something different in order to stand out in today's crowded marketplace is obvious, but how do you do it?

Business Insider found some great examples of London bars that have embraced this notion:

BALLIE BALLERSON has an adult ball pit you can jump into--the UV balls glow in the dark. I wonder whether they occasionally find someone at the bottom at closing time...

At the spy-themed THE BLETCHLEY you crack codes to order cocktails, using simulated Enigma machines. They call it "escape room meets cocktail bar." CNN called it "the bar of the future." By the way, you can visit Bletchley Park, the actual home of the codebreakers, but you won't get any drinks there.

I'm not so sure about ALCOTRAZ, a pop-up prison-themed bar where you have to smuggle in your own booze and are given an inmate number and orange jumpsuit to wear. The Guardian wrote that it was  "accused of being in poor taste by charities and the latest in the 'fetishisation of misfortune' by critics." It looks like it'll be open through April, 2018.

Japanese bar SHOCHU LOUNGE decorated their ceiling with hundreds of cherry blossoms to mark the season. That's over but the decor looks pretty cool even without the blossoms.

SKYLIGHT at Tobacco Dock featured a rooftop ice rink and amazing views. It's done for the winter, but comes back  with croquet during the summer; bratwurst, pumpkins and cider in autumn, and the ice rink in November/December.

ABQ has a "Breaking Bad" theme. You 'cook up' your own cocktails inside an RV. It brands itself an "immersive molecular bar" and has no official relationship to the TV series. Because it's so small, it's best to book. You get 2 hours in the RV, with a welcome drink and two that you create yourself, for £30.

If you're not inspired yet for how to differentiate your product or service, go to one of these and have a cocktail or two.

 

 

An improv principle that can improve your year

The number one thing I learned when I studied with improv group The Groundlings and also with Keith Johnstone when he visited the UK is:

"YES, and..."

It has applications far beyond the improv stage, so let me give you a quick explanation of what it means, starting with an example:

Let's say you're on stage and another actor (one new to improv) comes in. You decide he's your dad, so you say, "Hi, Dad!"

The other actor says, "I'm not your dad!" thinking that's funny and it'll lead to conflict--after all, comedy and drama are based on conflict, right? Well, the right kind of conflict.

But in this case, now you have to come up with a reason why you thought this person is your when he actually isn't...or you have to say something like, "Dad, your dementia is getting worse!" In which case, I'm pretty sure the other actor would say, "I don't have dementia!"  

As you can probably imagine, this scene isn't going anywhere interesting.

Starting a scene by denying (saying no) to what you are offered is a dead end.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE ACTOR SAYS "YES, AND..."

Now imagine that the other actor accepts that you're his son or daughter. He says, "Hi, Brad/Janet, I just wanted to find out whether you've decided yet."

Now you accept (say yes to) the idea that you were about to make a decision and make one up, like "I have! I'm not going ahead with the wedding." 

If you're working with a group, that could be the cue for the bride or groom to come into the scene and say, "This is the happiest day of my life! I never thought I'd actually get married!"

Now you have some conflict that has potential to become a funny (or tragic) scene and the conflict is rooted in something real.

The "and" is the secret sauce.

If you just said, "I'm not marrying you!" and she said, "Yes, you are!" and you said, "No, I'm not!" etc. that doesn't go anywhere.

But if you say, "Darling, I'm not marrying you after all, but (this is the "and" additional material) I know someone who would be perfect for you!"

Rather than her screaming "No!" her more interesting response might be, "Oh...who?" (which is another form of "yes, and...").

OUR 'NO' MINDSET

For some reason, probably to do with evolution in some way, most of us seem to be primed to say 'no.' Of course we have to be able to do that, but often that leads to a dead end, whereas saying 'yes' and adding something often leads somewhere interesting.

ONE TIME 'YES, AND' PAID OFF IN LIFE

Some years ago I was in a class and chatted with a young woman who asked what I did. I told her I was a writer. She asked whether she could read something I'd written. 

Some people are very worried that if they show their scripts, the ideas or the scripts themselves might steal the material. You can say 'no,' and thereby guarantee your material will not be stolen, but you'll also guarantee that nothing good will come of showing the script, either.

In this case, I said, "Yes...and I'll bring in a copy next week." (These days I'd just email it to her, but this was in the dark ages.)

I gave her a copy of a spec comedy script I'd written. The next week she said she loved it and that her boss wanted to meet me.

I had no idea what kind of job she had, but it turned out that she worked for a producer. She read my script at her desk on her lunch hour and he heard her laughing. He asked her what was so funny. She told him it was a script by a fellow student and he asked to read it. He liked it, too, and wanted to meet me in case any comedy assignments came up at his company.

I wish I could say it led to a million-dollar assignment; it didn't but it was still useful to talk to him and find out about his company--this was in the days before I had an agent or any other way to get to people like him.

I like that story because it proves that you never know what seemingly random event might lead to something useful. 

WHAT ARE YOU SAYING 'NO' TO?

Naturally we have to prioritize because we can't do everything. But often saying yes and adding something doesn't take a lot of time.

It might be worth thinking about whether this year you'd like to try saying 'yes, and...' to more things and seeing what happens.

That could be in your career or your personal life.

DO YOU SAY 'YES, AND' OFTEN ENOUGH...TO YOURSELF?

It may be that the person you say no to most often is....yourself.

For instance, maybe you think, "Hmm, I wonder whether I could learn a new language this year." 

It's easy to say, no, I'm too old, or I don't have time, or I probably don't have a knack for languages, or, or, or... dead end!

What if you said, "Yes, and I'm going to try it out by..." using an app like Duolingo, or taking a sample evening class, or finding lessons online, etc.

If you don't like it, you can still say no, but at least you'll have given yourself a chance.

Can you think of something that it could be useful or fun to say 'yes, and' to? Feel free to share (or to keep it a secret).

 

 

Three Tips for Keeping Your Mind Sharp

Three tips via Medical News Today for staying sharp, remembering stuff, and avoiding stress and depression:

TAKE A WALK!

Recent research led by the University of California, Los Angeles shows that taking a short walk each day can help to keep the brain healthy, supporting the overall resilience of cognitive functioning. They recommend at least 4000 steps per day.

SPEAK UP

According to a new study published in the journal Memory, we are more likely to remember something if we read it out loud.

Repeat after me: "I did turn off the gas!"..."Next week is our anniversary!"..."This, too, shall pass!"

CUT THE SUGAR, GUYS

Researchers found that men who consumed more than 67 grams of sugar daily from sweetened foods and beverages were much more likely to develop anxiety, depression and other common mental disorders after 5 years, compared with men with a lower daily sugar intake.

Here’s how much sugar is in a few common foods and drinks:

Naked Pomegranate Blueberry Juice: 32 grams

Coca Cola Original (330ml): 35 grams

Frosties cereal (30 grams with semi-skimmed milk): 17 grams

Mars Chocolate bar (51 grams): 30.4 grams

As you can see, it doesn’t take much to reach that 67 grams.

Too stressed to write? Try stepping outside of yourself

When you're under pressure, thinking of yourself in the 3rd person can help you cope according to a recent study published in Scientific Reports.

Instead of thinking, "How can I possibly get this done!?", think, "How can [your name] possibly get this done?" The "I" mode tends to push you in the direction of your emotions, which in this case probably are negative; creating a bit of distance by changing the reference to your name tends to push you in the direction of possible solutions.

If that's still too close, try imagining that a friend of yours has exactly the same issue with the same circumstances. What would you advise him or her to do? 

You may find that if you imagine the problem as belonging to a friend you are much less judgmental than when you think of it as being yours. If so, it's time to be as kind to yourself as you are to your friends.

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-04047-3

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Need some constructive guidance in writing your book or script? Check out my book, Your Writing Coach, published by Nicholas Brealey/Hachette, and available from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller.

 

 

LET A ROBOT INSPIRE YOU (SORT OF)

Forget about Tony Robbins, now you can let a robot inspire you with images teamed with words of wisdom...or gibberish...which could be the same thing. Here are two of my favorites from my new friend, InspiroBot:

 

 

On ambitious dreams...and when to get help to make them come true

"I think it is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams. Since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition. In fact, there are so few people this crazy that I feel like I know them all by first name." 

Larry Page, quoted in Re-Invent Yourself, by James Altucher

One of the stories from that book is about how Mick Ebeling saw a report about a young boy in the Sudan who had both arms blown off by a bomb. Ebeling, without any relevant experience, got together a bunch of experts who helped him figure out how to 3D-print prosthetics for the boy. 

START BEFORE YOU ASK FOR HELP

He asked Intel to sponsor this work, but not until he'd gathered the necessary information and started experimenting. Altucher writes:

"Too many people say, 'I have an idea. Now I need funding.'

Don't do that anymore. Stop it!

Say instead, 'I'm already doing this. Here are the 10 or 20 things I've done so far. Here are the results. Are you in?""

WHY THIS IS DIFFICULT

That's great advice but I know it can be difficult to follow. If you're like me, you'd like somebody to endorse your idea right away. Then we feel more confident going ahead. But if we're reluctant to take the plunge on our own idea, I guess it's no wonder other people will be even more so.

Something to work on...

 

Four Ways Music Can Help You Write

Here are four ways music can help you write:

As a transition from your work day to your writing session.

If you find that you're having trouble shaking the concerns that you dealt with during your job time (or family time), listening to a music track can help you make the shift. 

Experiment with what works best for you. For some people an upbeat tune is most effective, others prefer a meditative track that helps them to calm down and re-focus.

To energize you when you feel too tired to write. 

A recent study looking at the use of music to empower athletes tested 31 clips and found the two that were most effective were "We Will Rock You" (Queen) and "Get Ready for This" (2 Unlimited), but you probably already have tracks that you know pump up your energy levels.

To evoke the mood that you want to create in what you are writing.

If you're writing a horror script or novel, it could help you to listen to a soundtrack from an existing horror film, for instance. (Some people find it too distracting to have music playing while writing, this is something you'll have to try and see whether it works for you.)

To tune in to the energy of your major characters. 

What song or music track would best represent your protagonist's energy or world view? How about your antagonist? Listening to these before you write a major scene can be useful.

Any more?

If you have any other ways you use music to enhance your writing or creativity, feel free to share them in the comments section!

The inspiring language of Joyce...in small doses

Although I admire his use of language, I've never made it all the way through James Joyce's Ulysses. How about you?

If you also found it too rich in larger doses, you might enjoy getting it in Tweet-size bits that allow you to savor his words.

The Twitter feed @UlyssesReader offers you the entire book, one short selection at a time. For instance:

"his eyes, from which he had suddenly withdrawn all shrewd sense, blinking with mad gaiety."

If you like warming up before you start a writing session, these Tweets might provide a good prompt. For instance, if the day's tweet was the one above, how would you describe the eyes of your protagonist? 

***

For writing advice from the great writers of the past and present, get a copy of my book, Your Creative Writing Masterclass, published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller.

The problem with easy solutions (in this case, for depression)

The Daily Mail and other publications have reported on a study of depression and saying 'thank you'. The Mail article starts:

"It is only two small words. But saying 'thank you' to others could be the key to beating depression."

Well...let's take a closer look.

THE STUDY 

The US study asked 352 people about their personalities in order to find out the degree to which they feel depressed or grateful, and how they deal with stress and other people.

They found that people who express gratitude are better at reframing negative situations and get depressed less often, and people who are frequently depressed find it more difficult to open up to others and express gratitude less frequently. 

Not that earth-shaking, is it?

If you have a positive outlook on life, you find more things to be grateful for and sometimes you express thanks when others do something nice. 

When you're depressed, the things you see as negative loom larger, there seem to be fewer things to be grateful for, and often you feel less like interacting with people.

THE CONCLUSION

And from this, the study concludes that "Expressing gratitude for small acts of kindness could be impactful to [the depressed person's] physical and mental health."

The problem is that the study didn't then get the depressed group to express gratitude more often and measure whether that made a difference to the extent or frequency of their depression.

CORRELATION IS NOT CAUSE AND EFFECT

The study established correlation, not cause and effect. That is, expressing gratitude and levels of depression are connected, but the study didn't show that changing the former will affect the latter.

This kind of unproven conclusion is very common, and publications, blogs, and websites love anything that smacks of an instant answer. The "Three tips for changing your life in the next five minutes without any effort on your part" kinds of posts get a lot of clicks.

GRATITUDE

Regardless of the weakness of the study, finding things to be grateful for and expressing that gratitude to other people or in a journal does seem like a good idea...just not a panacea. 

Thank you for reading this post. :)