Quantum Storytelling

When I began working with a concept artist I discovered that all of my images and descriptions were not catalogued in any convenient way for someone else to browse and get a quick feel for my ideas. I created a reference page for the concept artist I was working with, although during the process of my first concept piece I realized that the reference page was not as good as it could have been.

That got me thinking, “Why not just create a full blown encyclopedia of my world?” Hardly an original idea, but one which is proving helpful to my slow process of building an intellectual property.

With that in mind, I have set about building a comprehensive reference to explain different locations, characters, vehicles, factions, and other nitpicky details to chronicle my vision. As I work on my treatments and drafts, this will help not only solidify my own ideas, but help me communicate them to others.

Do you have an encyclopedia for your universe?

If things shift, change, distort or otherwise look a little different that’s because I’m doing a little cleaning around here. My sidebar was loading way too slow so I had to get rid of a ton of junk, including my vanity. Also added a WordPress Popularity Contest plugin, which collects stats on each post and ranks them by percentage of most popular.

I aplogize in advance if any dust bunnies fly in your face. I’m kickin’ up a storm over here.

Got any spring projects in mind?

Overachievement is one of the better books I’ve read in a long while. If you’re like me, you often think that there’s never enough time in the day to get done all the things you’d like. Also like me, you probably search for ways to clear things off your plate to make time for the more important things, like writing.

But what if somebody told you all this plate-clearing was a waste of time? What if there was a better way?

John Eliot proposes to give you just such a better way.

Trusting vs. Training Mindset

One of the key insights of the book is the idea that there are two primary modes for any activity: Trusting, and Training. This is similar to the difference between Generate & Explore I discussed when explaining the geneplore model.

Training: Self-criticizing, evaluating, strategizing, self-improving.

Trusting: Confident, focused on task at hand, at your peak performance, getting things done.

More often than not we are stuck in the self-criticizing or self-improving frame of mind, which is the Training mindset. When you’re writing, you shouldn’t be editing, criticizing, evaluating, or trying to improve anything. You should just be writing. That’s it.

There is a time and place for self-evaluation and self-improvement after the performance, and before the next performance. But when you are performing, the only thing on your mind should be the target right in front of you.

Which leads to John Eliot’s other key insight in the book…

Target the Process as a Way to Focus

Just like a marksman must aim at his target, or the golf pro must line up her shot, a writer should target something too — the writing process. Targeting is a useful tool for focusing. When you’re writing, the only thing on your mind should be writing. Not your next trip to the grocery store or the things you’ve got going on at work. Your target for writing is writing. Nothing else.


Preparation Routines

The way to shift from a Training to a Trusting mindset, and into full targeting mode is through a prep routine. Some people crack their knuckles, pace around the room a bit, then sit down to write. Others may have a cup of coffee and stare out the window. It doesn’t really matter what your prep routine is, but whatever it is should get you into a Trusting mindset and ready to write. It’s more about what happens in your mind during the prep routine. You should be getting ready to think about writing and only writing.

There are many other insights in the book, and if you’re into this sort of thing I urge you to read it. I got a lot of mileage out of Overachievement, and I hope you do too.