The Power and Thrill of Naming: Books at World's End

Light Reading for the Universe's Heat Death.

December is here. Winter reigns with frozen talons. A time of reflection. A time of endings.

The Power and Thrill of Naming Things has been one of my favorite entry types. Also the least predictable. Now, at the winding down of the year, I have one last legion of lists for you.

Books at World's End

Saint Ganymede's Commentary on the Gospels
The Last of the Really Great Cepheid Variables
Solar Bill and the Naked Singularity
Black Dwarf Stars and How to Find Them
So You Want to Be a Proton Stabilizer?
Save the Last Last Dance for Me
The Philosopher and the Event Horizon
Three Hertzsprung-Russell Goats Gruff
Eternity Cops II: This Time It's Timespace
Beyond the Baryonic Gates
Subquantum Wormhole Computers for Dummies
Xrgyzz Breaks the Laws of Physics
The History of Earth 3.5

Comments

Creative Tool: Idea Mutation

It's mutating out of control! Here is another wild method of improving the creativity of ideas through the process of introducing random 'mutations'. I call it Idea Mutation. Method: Start with an idea. Add it to a circle on the far left side of a piece of paper. That is round 1. Make two branches off the first idea. Each branch has a new circle. That is round 2. For each branch, roll a 10-sided dice and select the 'mutation' from the table below. For each branch, create a 'mutated' idea incorporating that branch's mutation. Continue branching and mutation ideas for subsequent rounds (3, 4, etc.). Modifications: Include different mutations (ex. Add Thrill, More Collaborative, Clearer, etc.) Add null mutation (no changes for certain branches) Change probability of mutations (same mutation for more than one number) Examples:

Creative Tool: Idea Bracket

Let the Best Idea Win. How to generate great ideas? Why not create an Idea Bracket ? It is analogous to a sports league play-off. Ideas are pitted against each other, with the winning idea moving on to the next round. The last idea standing is the winner. I do have a few additional rules. The Three M's : Modify, Merge, and Markup. These rules allow for both idea modification and saving sub-winner ideas. Simple enough, right? Let's try it out on some examples. Story Beginning Location Floating City and Haunted Graveyard merged into Floating Graveyard Screaming Wastelands modified into Blasted Wastelands Winner was Floating Graveyard and Sundered Titan merged into Floating Graveyard of Titans Artistic Inspiration Shack Brainstorming and Review Idea/Notes merged to Shack Review Ideas TCG View modified to TCG Mashup Shack Review Ideas marked for later Monster App and Walk and Song merged to Walk and Song with Monster App Priming Winner was T...

The Mark Williamson Creative Universe

Search This Blog