Monday, May 13, 2013

Things to Remember about That Thing You’re Trying to Create

(My view of the creative process)
  1. The perfect is the enemy of the good.
  2. For a work to be good you have to start it.
  3. Everything has parts. To create a whole you must identify its parts.
  4. Write down the parts, even if you don't know about them.
  5. If you don't know about a part, research it. Then revise that part.
  6. Parts have parts. Go back to 4.
  7. No more parts? Are you sure? Go back to 4.
  8. Why this work? That's a part, go back to 4.
  9. Who else did work like this? That's a part, go back to 4.
  10. Does your work "work"? How do you prove it? That's a part, go back to 4.
  11. Pick the next part and start making it.
  12. If you hate the current part go back to 11.
  13. You hate all the parts? Too bad. Finish.
  14. Go back to 11 until you're done with all the parts.
  15. Ok, now you can make it good.
  16. You can't skip to 15. Go back to 11.
  17. All done? Make it awesome. Make it tell a story.
  18. You think it's awesome? No. It sucks. Show it to someone else.
  19. Did you listen to them? Good. Fix it. Go back to 18.
  20. Do you hate it yet? Yes? It's ready.