Book of Ideas
Posted by Marc Shiman on March 5, 2006
Over the weekend I got an idea for writing a book. The book is called “Ideas” and the concept is basically how to get an idea nowhere into a solution with its own life.
I’ve always been good at coming up with ideas – in fact, this past week I’ve had a flurry of them. But I tend to work them out, even write about them, but soon it dies. It would seem to me that every idea has a life-cycle; or at least a structure that you can put them through the various stages of development.
So, my friend asked me “why you want to write this book” (paraphrased) and my answer was
“Because I want to read it”.
I was reading a book called “Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as a Cartographer” and the author, Peter Turchi, likened the process of writing with the process of exploration. I KNOW that there is a process for bringing an idea to fruition, I think I know what stages there are, but until I actually sit down and write the damn thing, I don’t know what that process is. If someone else has already written this then fine – I guess I should go read this.
But I like to do the discovery myself sometimes.
Matthew Cornell said
First, definitely go for it, Marc. Second, I love the reason you give. Reminds me of why I’m working on a humor portal with my brother – because we’re great at making ourselves laugh.
I’ve been forming ideas on what makes a great book, and so far:
1. Start with a story that
2. Has a surprise that
3. Raises an important and interesting question that
4. You then answer via more stories
Cheers!