SSP087 Idea Generation with Neeve

10/30/19 • 58 min

The Story Studio Podcast - Writing, Storytelling, and Marketing Advice for Writers & Business

Ideas are spooky. Where do they even come from? And what happens if they disappear forever? These questions have plagued creatives for years and has created a culture of self-limitation among authors. Today, we have Neeve on the show to talk about her new Stone Tablet, Endless Ideas, and how you can overcome creative block and become an idea machine.

We Talk About:

Neeve and her new book with Sean, Endless Ideas (https://sterlingandstone.net/endless-ideas).

Sean’s wife, Cindy, doing her first 10+ second handstand.

Johnny and Sean’s research trip to a legal cannabis farm.

Neeve listening to a podcast called Spooked (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/spooked).

Dave’s satisfaction with Mr. Robot’s new season.

Why processing is the magic of ideation.

Why Neeve starts with “no.”

A Tale of Two Authors and the spectrum of idea execution (https://sterlingandstone.net/twoauthors).

Conquering writer’s block.

An example of Dave reshaping an idea.

Neeve’s idea grading system.

We Talk About:

Neeve and her new book with Sean, Endless Ideas (https://sterlingandstone.net/endless-ideas).

Sean’s wife, Cindy, doing her first 10+ second handstand.

Johnny and Sean’s research trip to a legal cannabis farm.

Neeve listening to a podcast called Spooked (https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/spooked).

Dave’s satisfaction with Mr. Robot’s new season.

Why processing is the magic of ideation.

Why Neeve starts with “no.”

A Tale of Two Authors and the spectrum of idea execution (https://sterlingandstone.net/twoauthors).

Conquering writer’s block.

An example of Dave reshaping an idea.

Neeve’s idea grading system.

Previous Episode

SSP086 Who’s The Main Character?

A few weeks ago, we had an interesting discussion in the company when we tried to identify a movie with a true dual-protagonist setup. We came up with one (maybe three) between several of us. Could such a setup be so rare? Who the main character or protagonist is in a story is not always straightforward, especially in today’s era of serialized everything. Today, we wanted to talk about the potential ambiguities of primary characters in modern fiction.

We Talk About:

A Tale of Two Authors: https://sterlingandstone.net/twoauthors.
Dave enjoyed El Camino (https://www.netflix.com/title/81078819).
Johnny enjoying:
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0022VV0RC?tag=sswebpage-20) and
Quiet by Susan Cain (https://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Power-Introverts-World-Talking-ebook/dp/B0074YVW1G?tag=sswebpage-20).
Sean enjoying Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MJ3TDCZ?tag=sswebpage-20).
This started from a slack debate: can you have more than one, equality important protagonist?
What makes a main character?
Case Study: Stand By Me.
Our main characters.
Case Study: Titanic.
Every character is the hero of their own story.
Case Study: Better Call Saul.

Next Episode

SSP088 Steal This with Bonnie and Joel

Out of the madness of our story studio emerged an idea that we think those of you who take part in NaNoWriMo will appreciate: a universal outline we’re calling the Steal This project. Already several of the authors in our studio are tackling the story with their own unique spin, and today we wanted to bring on the architect of the outline and an author executing the idea, Bonnie and Joel, to share with you how we approached creating a universally applicable outline and how you can use this idea in your own creative process.

We Talk About:

One-Click Cover (https://sterlingandstone.net/oneclick).

The Aristocrats Joke.

The purpose of the Steal This project.

How Bonnie approached the outline.

How Joel fleshed out the outline.

Other writers attempting the outline.

Finding the spark that ignites excitement in the writer.

How Joel honed his idea superpower.

Applying this idea to your writing right now.