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Everybody Could Use a Little Self Control, or an App That Does It for You

04.27.13 @ 6:50PM Tags : app, apps, internet, screenwriting, selfcontrol, writersblock, writing

Too often have I experienced the doubled-edged nature of the internet: it’s a great tool, but also a great distraction. We all need to buckle down sometimes and get to work, and the insta-grat (yes) of the internet can be crippling. In comes SelfControl, a free and open-source application that blocks your own access to chosen websites for a designated amount of time. Hit the jump for the details. More »

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Don't Let Your Imagination Get the Best of You: a Message from NY Times Editor Hugo Lindgren

01.5.13 @ 12:36PM Tags : bigidea, creativeprocess, creativity, writersblock, writing

Ideas are great, but in having ‘too many’ of them, you run the risk of overloading yourself, compounding your creative schedule to a point you can’t actually manage, or worst of all — never actually getting the thing written, or shot, or otherwise made — whatever the case may be. The editor of The New York Times, Hugo Lindgren, has just written a powerful self-case study about the many undeveloped story and concept kernels he’s had, why they never got off the back burner, and where all the time seems to have gone — in other words, a creative thinker’s worst nightmare. Whether you’re a writer, a shooter, a director, or a film editor, you might want to check out Hugo’s editorial, because you might see a lot more of yourself in his words than you may expect. More »

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Rian Johnson's Sci-Fi Film 'Looper': A Great Case Study of the MacGuffin

11.19.12 @ 2:00PM Tags : looper, rianjohnson, screenwriting, writers, writersblock, writing

You see Joseph Gordon-Levitt on the left here? He seems pretty confused. Now, it’s arguable that he’s contemplating the nuances of time travel. Or maybe pondering how he can elude male pattern baldness. But you know what? I think he’s thinking about something else entirely — his MacGuffin in Looper, written and directed by Rian Johnson, who also helmed and wrote Brick and The Brothers Bloom. Hit the jump for a great video by Isaac Niemand that looks at the MacGuffin in general, and a take on Looper‘s MacGuffin by boingboing’s Jamie Frevele that provides a great case study. Note the bottom portion of this post is SPOILER-ridden if you haven’t seen Looper yet! More »

15

Stop Staring at the Blank Page: How Creativity Works in Our Minds

05.22.12 @ 11:55AM Tags : bobdylan, brainstorming, creativeprocess, creativity, likearollingstone, screenwriting, writersblock

Every screenwriter gets stuck. Some call it writer’s block. Others don’t believe writer’s block exists. Either way, every writer runs into a problem that stops the writing process cold. Then despair sets in. Usually.  Science, however, now tells us this obstacle is a good thing. In fact, it is essential in the creative process for the mind to have a breakthrough.

Jonah Lehrer, a contributing Editor at Wired Magazine and frequent contributor to The New Yorker, recently published a book called Imagine: How Creativity Works, in which he describes how scientists have studied how the brain works when we engage in the creative process. Lehrer recently recorded an interview with Steve Paulson for the radio program To the Best of Our Knowledge where he summarizes how creativity works in our minds. You can listen to the interview here: More »