Rules, Guides and Heuristics - Revision history

Adamcolton: /* Elmore Leonards Rules on Writing */

2013-09-19T17:34:17Z

Elmore Leonards Rules on Writing

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:34, 19 September 2013
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	# Don't go into great detail describing places and things		# Don't go into great detail describing places and things
	# Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip		# Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip

			== Adam Savage 10 Ground Rules ==
			# Get good at something
			# Getting good at stuff takes practice (lots of practice)
			# Get obsessed (everyone at the top of their field is obsessed)
			# Doing something well and thoroughly is its own reward
			# Show and tell
			# If you want something, ask for it
			# Have goals
			# Be nice
			# Fail
			# Work your ass off

Adamcolton at 12:44, 21 August 2013

2013-08-21T12:44:55Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:44, 21 August 2013
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	# You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?		# You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
	# What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.		# What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

			== Elmore Leonards Rules on Writing ==
			http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/16/arts/writers-writing-easy-adverbs-exclamation-points-especially-hooptedoodle.html
			# Never open a book with weather
			# Avoid prologues
			# Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue
			# Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said"
			# Keep your exclamation points under control
			# Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose"
			# Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly
			# Avoid detailed descriptions of characters
			# Don't go into great detail describing places and things
			# Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip

Adamcolton: /* Expertise */

2013-05-29T20:37:38Z

Expertise

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:37, 29 May 2013
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	== Expertise ==		== Expertise ==
	According to Malcom Gladwell in "Tipping Point" it takes 10,000 hours to become ~~an expert in~~ almost anything.		According to Malcom Gladwell in "Tipping Point" it takes 10,000 hours to become a master of almost anything.

	== Spotting the Future ==		== Spotting the Future ==

Adamcolton at 20:36, 29 May 2013

2013-05-29T20:36:07Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:36, 29 May 2013
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	# Remove practice barriers		# Remove practice barriers
	# Practice for 20 hours		# Practice for 20 hours

			== Pixar's rules of Story Telling ==

			# You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
			# You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.
			# Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
			# Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
			# Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
			# What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
			# Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
			# Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
			# When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
			# Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
			# Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
			# Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
			# Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
			# Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
			# If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
			# What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
			# No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
			# You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
			# Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
			# Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
			# You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
			# What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

Adamcolton: /* Gaining Trust */

2013-05-25T17:31:15Z

Gaining Trust

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:31, 25 May 2013
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	== Gaining Trust ==		== Gaining Trust ==
	From con-man [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Lustig Victor Lustig]		From con-man [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Lustig Victor Lustig]
	# Be a patient listener (it is this, not fast talking, that gets a con-man his coups).		# Be a patient listener (it is this, not fast talking, that gets a con-man his coups)
	# Never look bored.		# Never look bored
	# Wait for the other person to reveal any political opinions, then agree with them.		# Wait for the other person to reveal any political opinions, then agree with them
	# Let the other person reveal religious views, then have the same ones.		# Let the other person reveal religious views, then have the same ones
	# Hint at sex talk, but don’t follow it up unless the other fellow shows a strong interest.		# Hint at sex talk, but don’t follow it up unless the other fellow shows a strong interest
	# Never discuss illness, unless some special concern is shown.		# Never discuss illness, unless some special concern is shown
	# Never pry into a person’s personal circumstances (they’ll tell you all eventually).		# Never pry into a person’s personal circumstances (they’ll tell you all eventually)
	# Never boast. Just let your importance be quietly obvious.		# Never boast. Just let your importance be quietly obvious
	# Never be untidy.		# Never be untidy
	# Never get drunk.		# Never get drunk

	== Motivation ==		== Motivation ==

Adamcolton: /* Mine */

2013-05-25T17:30:55Z

Mine

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:30, 25 May 2013
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	=== Emergency Response Steps ===		=== Emergency Response Steps ===
	From [[Emergency Response Plan]]		From [[Emergency Response Plan]]
	#Roles		# Roles
	#Reaction		# Reaction
	#Location		# Location
	#Protocol		# Protocol
	#Data		# Data
	#Communication		# Communication
	#Objective		# Objective
	#Planning		# Planning


	== Gaining Trust ==		== Gaining Trust ==

Adamcolton at 17:30, 25 May 2013

2013-05-25T17:30:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:30, 25 May 2013
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	;Emergence over authority		;Emergence over authority
	;Learning over education		;Learning over education

			== How to Learn Quickly ==
			http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5MgBikgcWnY#!

			# Deconstruct the skill
			# Learn enough to self correct
			# Remove practice barriers
			# Practice for 20 hours

Adamcolton: /* How to Practice */

2013-04-05T20:07:46Z

How to Practice

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:07, 5 April 2013
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	=== How to Practice ===		=== How to Practice ===
	# ~~Use meta~~-~~research to prevent covering material~~ you already know or ~~material~~ you ~~are~~ not ready for		# Be directed - don't practice what you already know or what you're not ready for
	# ~~Find ways to practice~~ new skills so that ~~the outcome will not be ambiguous~~		# Practice new skills, but no so many that you won't understand your failures
	# Knowledge and skill should be reviewed only often enough to keep them fresh		# Knowledge and skill should be reviewed only often enough to keep them fresh
	# Make the decision to move into research consciously, and be aware that learning what is established in a field will almost always be faster than original research		# Make the decision to move into research consciously, and be aware that learning what is established in a field will almost always be faster than original research
	~~# A single exercise should employ as many new skills as possible with out becoming ambiguous and review as many old skills as possible that need refreshing~~

	=== Emergency Response Steps ===		=== Emergency Response Steps ===

Adamcolton at 19:49, 5 April 2013

2013-04-05T19:49:38Z

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 # Make the decision to move into research consciously, and be aware that learning what is established in a field will almost always be faster than original research
 # A single exercise should employ as many new skills as possible with out becoming ambiguous and review as many old skills as possible that need refreshing
 == Gaining Trust ==
@@ Line 41: / Line 53: @@
 == Expertise ==
 According to Malcom Gladwell in "Tipping Point" it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in almost anything.
 == Spotting the Future ==

Adamcolton: /* Joi Ito of MIT */

2013-04-05T19:48:26Z

Joi Ito of MIT

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:48, 5 April 2013
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	http://brucesterling.tumblr.com/post/45107871992/joi-ito-of-mit-media-lab-from-a-wired		http://brucesterling.tumblr.com/post/45107871992/joi-ito-of-mit-media-lab-from-a-wired

	* Resilience over strength		;Resilience over strength
			: Yield and allow failure then bounce back instead of trying to resist failure
			;Pull over push
			: Pull the resources from the network as needed, as opposed to centrally stocking and controlling them
			;Risk over safety
			;System over objects
			;Compasses over maps
			;Practice over theory
			: Because sometimes we don’t know why it works, but what is important is that it is working, not that there is some theory around it
			;Disobedience over compliance
			: No one gets a Nobel Prize for doing what they are told. Too much of school is about obedience, we should really be celebrating disobedience
			;Emergence over authority
			;Learning over education