Your Hosts: Brandon, Victoria, Dan, and Howard
We’ve talked in the past about how ideas are cheap, and that it’s execution upon those ideas which is what really matters. In this episode we’ll talk about how we evaluate things over there on the side of the equation where things are cheap and plentiful. Because while we have no shortage of ideas, they vary quite a bit in their value to us.
Credits: This episode was recorded by Dan Thompson, and mastered by Alex Jackson
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:26 — 14.8MB)
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Keep a dream journal for a week. Put a notepad next to your bed, and write down everything you remember about your dreams as quickly as you can the moment you wake up. At the end of the week, peruse the journal for ideas.
TypecastRPG, a streamed role-playing game with Dan Wells, Charlie Holmberg, Brian McClellan, Mari Murdock, Ethan Sproat, and Howard Tayler
Thanks WE team and Brandon for the podcasts and YouTube BYU classes. You have given me the tools, and confidence, to write after many many years of only thinking about writing a novel not knowing where to begin.
Howard, could you share a sample of the checklist/diagnostic tool you use when you are stuck? It sounded like a very useful tool.
The victorious quartet, Brandon, Victoria, Dan, and Howard, talked about picking and choosing ideas. The six burner stove, with one cooking and the rest simmering, along with seasonings and spices and ingredients, helped explain how ideas get cooked to leave that wonderful taste in your mouth. Passion, excitement, learn how to force yourself to write, how to add exciting ideas and other spices to the pot. Make those flavors work together. Keep an eye on your goals, and have the ending and points that you are excited to write in mind to help you finish the book. Watch out for shiny new idea syndrome! Lots of tasty discussion, available in the transcript now in the archives.
The transcript is also available over here:
https://wetranscripts.dreamwidth.org/168394.html
Quite a lot resonates with me in this episode. I’ll tell you that joke about “Squirrel!” or “Oh, look at that shiny!” are spot-on, even if flippant as hell. I’ve got a nasty case of the ADHDs, and I’m drawn to novel (pun not intended (I swear)) ideas like a shark is to chum. I have yet to bring a novel-length idea to completion. (Thank the gods for short stories.)
Which brings me to the whole “write each chapter so it’s your readers’ favorite.” –or however what’s-his-name put it.
I love it! It speaks to me on a whole new level. I think it might actually be the work around four my broken, buggy brain.
I’m going try it tomorrow.