Posts on Current Forum | Archived Posts
|
|
|
||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
| Frequently Asked Forum Questions | |
|||
|
||||
|
|
|||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| Search Older Posts on This Forum: Posts on Current Forum | Archived Posts | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| Re: Advice on inspiration *OT* | |
| Posted By: ThorsHammer <Nate4D@comcast.net> | Date: 4/30/05 7:51 p.m. |
In Response To: Inspiration needed *Long* (Sangheili liberator) : HELP! I need inspiration. I am trying to put together a science fiction
[extended details snipped] : If you have seen the anime Rahxephon and its main source of inspiration, Neon
: I am open to any ideas. A few thoughts on creating: - Never use a half-baked idea. It's perfectly fine to spend five hours trying to crank something out and failing, of course; in fact, it's actually almost a necessity to doing something well. However, it's critical to recognize that you have failed, and that your current draft doesn't work. Don't throw out the old draft; put it someplace you won't lose it, and give it a once-over after a break (I find twelve hours is almost always long enough; sometimes much less, depending on the size and nature of the task). Sometimes coming back to it will let you see exactly what needs to be done. Sometimes it won't, but it's usually worth checking. - Having a boring job. If you do something that doesn't use your brain all day long, your brain will start to come up with things out of sheer boredom. If you don't have a job and getting one doesn't fit your schedule, let me suggest boring classes (I had some great ideas in Networking this semester, on a variety of topics). - Hikaru suggested background music, which I find useful when I'm drawing or working out a lot of complex details, but as far as getting a basic concept worked out, I find that actually sitting down and talking with friends who have a similar bent can be really useful when I'm stuck. If any of my work is ever published, I'll have to attribute a lot of it to Tyler Hogan, who has often served this function for me (though I've done the same for him). - Diametrically opposing the previous point, but just as important, don't let other people influence you too strongly (I feel this is something that happens to Bungie occasionally; Black Company series had a VERY strong influence on Myth, and the same thing [apparently] happened with Starhammer and Halo 1). Someone else's opinion can be great when you're working on details, or a plot point you're not sure you like, but fundamentally, it's your project. The bulk of the work and structure has to come from you. - Learn to get your ideas on "paper" rapidly and effectively. For most people, this means learning to write reasonably well and learning to type rapidly, but there are other options, particularly in different fields. I have reams of random writing I've generated on my hard drive. A lot of it sucks royally, but often something that sucks becomes the basis for something that doesn't. The more you write, the more likely you are to generate a good concept, and if you can type at 80 WPM, you'll generate more output to glean good ideas from every day. - Remember, most people only have a certain amount of mental effort they can expend every day. If you're using a lot of your energy on stuff besides writing/drawing/composing/whatever creative outlet you've chosen, you won't do as well at the creative hobby. That's not necessarily bad, it's just something to remember. If you want more good ideas, spend more time and energy on it, and less on the rest of your daily routine (this is one reason why it can be a good idea to take extended fasts from your normal hobbies occasionally). - Finally, and most importantly, spend time on it. Volume of time isn't as critical as consistency of time, actually. Set up a regular schedule that you're absolutely committed to following every week, as regards your project. My grandpa used to say that you can do anything in the world in fifteen minutes a day, and I think he wasn't all that far off. Note that these tidbits aren't just applicable to writing fiction; I've used the above techniques on everything from programming to composing. They're just a few approaches to generating good work, in whatever field you may pursue (NOT that I'm an expert on this, or anything; you asked, this is my best effort at helping). -Nate | |
|
| Replies: |
| Inspiration needed *Long* | Sangheili liberator | 4/30/05 5:28 p.m. |
| Re: Inspiration needed *Long* | Hikaru-119 | 4/30/05 7:03 p.m. |
| That's funny... | Saint [lpn] | 4/30/05 7:08 p.m. |
| Re: That's funny... | sh33p | 4/30/05 8:11 p.m. |
| Re: That's funny... | SumsophisticatedName | 4/30/05 9:43 p.m. |
| Re: That's funny... | zugy | 4/30/05 8:42 p.m. |
| Re: Advice on inspiration *OT* | ThorsHammer | 4/30/05 7:51 p.m. |
The HBO Forum Archive is maintained with WebBBS 4.33. |