Endless Ideas: Master Bottomless Creativity by Sean M. Platt and Neeve Silver
A few weeks ago I picked up Endless Ideas, which I had first heard from on The Story Studio podcast.
Initially, I wanted to use it for my article writing more than my fiction writing as I don’t seem to have too many problems getting ideas for fiction. Articles, though — especially work articles where I don’t have a huge say in what I’m writing about — I can always use more inspiration and ideas for. The strategies in the book, however is too good not to use them for fiction as well, though. After all, is there even a thing like too many (good) ideas?
“Ideas come from a restructuring of the information that’s already in your mind.”
— Endless Ideas, Pratt & Silver
I really like the way in which Endless Ideas is laid out. Starting with reasons why you (yes, little ol’ you) really are creative even though you may believe differently when you pick up the book, it moves on to show you how to make sure that you have the right “stuff” in your mind to get ideas from.
That is also something that I have been neglecting; i.e. watching TV and Movies and reading fiction. I seem to have gone on a non-fiction binge (which included Endless Ideas, ha!) and really need to get back to enjoying some more fiction again.
“If you stir the pot just a little every day, you’ll open a faucet of ideas that doesn’t turn off.”
— Endless Ideas, Pratt & Silver
There are also exercises that you can start doing and pointers to help you not only conjure up a bunch of new ideas (that you can actually use) in a short time, but also to get you into the flow state while working. And I’m sure most of us can use more time in the flow state as well.
In conclusion I would recommend getting this book if you just want strategies to get more ideas, etc. and don’t care as much about what the brain is actually doing to conjure them up. Basically you need to know about the conscious and subconscious and you’re good to go. That was specifically what I was looking for and will therefore give the book five stars.
With the book you also get access to the Stone Tablet resources which is a great way to check out the other books in the series.
Hersenskim 