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[andrewducker]

Great article on how you need to get lots of idea out - including the bad, unworkable ones, before you can refine things to the point where they're any good.

The more I read about great masters in different fields, the more I see how there is a common thread in their work process. Every great writer, painter, architect, or director attributes the quality of their work to tireless discipline. When asked about their artistry, they don't point to magic or divine inspiration, but describe how many attempts they must make to create things of the quality they desire.

The rest is here.

Comments

[heron61.livejournal.com]

The more I read about great masters in different fields, the more I see how there is a common thread in their work process. Every great writer, painter, architect, or director attributes the quality of their work to tireless discipline. When asked about their artistry, they don't point to magic or divine inspiration, but describe how many attempts they must make to create things of the quality they desire.

This perfectly matches my own experience. I write between 200,000 & 250,000 words of RPG books a year. When someone asks me where I get my ideas, my response is always that ideas are extremely cheap. The important and challenging part of my job is being able to transform some of these ideas into interesting and workable prose.

I occasionally hear foolish young amateur writers (of both fiction and RPGs) talk about someone "stealing their ideas" and my response is always fairly dismissive.