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Accidental Genius: Revolutionize Your Thinking Through Private Writing
When it comes to creating ideas, we hold ourselves back. That¡¯s because inside each of us is an internal editor whose job is to forever polish our thoughts so we sound smart and in control and so we fit into society.
?
But what happens when we encounter problems where such conventional thinking fails us? How do we get unstuck?
?
For Mark Levy, the answer is freewriting, a technique he¡¯s used for years to solve all types of business problems and generate ideas for books, articles, and blog posts.
?
Freewriting is deceptively simple: start writing as fast as you can, for as long as you can, about a subject you care deeply about, while ignoring the standard rules of grammar and spelling. Your internal editor won¡¯t be able to keep up with your output¡ªyou¡¯ll generate breakthrough ideas and solutions that you couldn¡¯t have created any other way.
?
Levy shares his six secrets to freewriting as well as fifteen problem-solving and creativity-stimulating principles you can use if you need more firepower¡ªseven of which are new to this edition. Also new to this edition: an extensive section on how to refine your raw freewriting into something you can share with the world.
?
But what happens when we encounter problems where such conventional thinking fails us? How do we get unstuck?
?
For Mark Levy, the answer is freewriting, a technique he¡¯s used for years to solve all types of business problems and generate ideas for books, articles, and blog posts.
?
Freewriting is deceptively simple: start writing as fast as you can, for as long as you can, about a subject you care deeply about, while ignoring the standard rules of grammar and spelling. Your internal editor won¡¯t be able to keep up with your output¡ªyou¡¯ll generate breakthrough ideas and solutions that you couldn¡¯t have created any other way.
?
Levy shares his six secrets to freewriting as well as fifteen problem-solving and creativity-stimulating principles you can use if you need more firepower¡ªseven of which are new to this edition. Also new to this edition: an extensive section on how to refine your raw freewriting into something you can share with the world.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
247 people are currently reading
3,260 people want to read
About the author
Mark Levy
39?books34?followersMark Levy is the founder of Levy Innovation LLC, a positioning and branding firm that helps consultants and other thought leaders increase their fees by up to 2,000%.
His clients include:
a former department head in the White House
a speaker to the United Nations
CEOs of major organizations
a former head of the Strategy Unit of the Harvard Business School
performers on network TV and from the New York and Las Vegas stages
New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling authors
TED and TEDx speakers
Before devoting his work fulltime to Levy Innovation, Mark served as Chief Marketing Officer at an Inc. 5,000 experiential branding organization whose clients include Bank of America, Gap, Samsung, Time Warner, Tivo, and Harvard and Stanford Universities.
Mark has written for the New York Times, and has written or co-created five books. His last book, ¡°Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content,¡± has been published in ten languages.
Mark has also taught research writing at Rutgers University.
In addition to being a positioning consultant, Mark creates magic tricks and shows. His work has been performed in Carnegie Hall and Las Vegas, and on all the major TV networks. He also co-created the off-Broadway show, ¡°Chamber Magic,¡± which has played for 16 years, and is the longest-running one-person show in New York City.
Mark Levy¡¯s Biography #2
Mark Levy was born in Flushing, Queens in 1962, and lived in spitting distance of Shea Stadium. He was frightened of public school, loved playing baseball and football, ran home to watch ape films on the 4:30 Movie, listened to The Jam and The Buzzcocks, and read magic trick books.
At 18, he went to Queens College ¨C- a school whose most notable scholar is Jerry Seinfeld. Mark enjoyed college, because he got to pick his own subjects. Instead of Math, he took a course in which he analyzed monster pictures. Not surprisingly, Mark received excellent grades, and graduated with a Magna Cum Laude writing degree in 1985.
Outside of college, no one cared that he could analyze monster pictures, so he became a bookstore clerk. That started his long affiliation with the book industry. He moved from retail to publishing, and from publishing to wholesaling.
Along the way, he was steadily promoted, and became a sales manager, a director of special projects, and helped his companies sell over one billion dollars worth of books. He was nominated three times for The Publishers Weekly Rep of the Year Award.
Why was Mark so successful at selling? One of his colleagues said it best (and she didn¡¯t mean it as a compliment): ¡°When you think a particular book is important, you¡¯re messianic about it. You won¡¯t stop.¡±
In 1997, Mark was having dinner with his friend David Pogue, author of ¡°Macs for Dummies,¡± when David said it might be fun to work on a book together. Since Mark knew nothing about computers, they settled on writing a book about the only subject they had in common: magic. Both Mark and David were amateur magicians. They created ¡°Magic for Dummies,¡± and Mark got the bug for bookwriting.
Mark¡¯s next effort was solo: ¡°Accidental Genius: Revolutionize Your Thinking Through Private Writing.¡± Lots of luminaries loved it: Tom Peters, Ray Bradbury, Al Ries, Jay Conrad Levinson, and Ace Greenberg. Mark did a publicity stunt for the book (freewriting for the public for four consecutive hours in the window of America¡¯s largest bookstore), which did wonders for its sales. To date, it¡¯s been translated into ten languages.
(By the way, did you know that certain American phrases don¡¯t translate well into other languages? It¡¯s true. None of the translators could make sense of the phrase ¡°Accidental Genius.¡± The Spanish changed the book¡¯s title to ¡°Writing and Creativity.¡± The Germans called it ¡°Genius Moments.¡± But the Japanese version is Mark¡¯s favorite: ¡°Everything Will Go Well As You Write And Thi
His clients include:
a former department head in the White House
a speaker to the United Nations
CEOs of major organizations
a former head of the Strategy Unit of the Harvard Business School
performers on network TV and from the New York and Las Vegas stages
New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling authors
TED and TEDx speakers
Before devoting his work fulltime to Levy Innovation, Mark served as Chief Marketing Officer at an Inc. 5,000 experiential branding organization whose clients include Bank of America, Gap, Samsung, Time Warner, Tivo, and Harvard and Stanford Universities.
Mark has written for the New York Times, and has written or co-created five books. His last book, ¡°Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content,¡± has been published in ten languages.
Mark has also taught research writing at Rutgers University.
In addition to being a positioning consultant, Mark creates magic tricks and shows. His work has been performed in Carnegie Hall and Las Vegas, and on all the major TV networks. He also co-created the off-Broadway show, ¡°Chamber Magic,¡± which has played for 16 years, and is the longest-running one-person show in New York City.
Mark Levy¡¯s Biography #2
Mark Levy was born in Flushing, Queens in 1962, and lived in spitting distance of Shea Stadium. He was frightened of public school, loved playing baseball and football, ran home to watch ape films on the 4:30 Movie, listened to The Jam and The Buzzcocks, and read magic trick books.
At 18, he went to Queens College ¨C- a school whose most notable scholar is Jerry Seinfeld. Mark enjoyed college, because he got to pick his own subjects. Instead of Math, he took a course in which he analyzed monster pictures. Not surprisingly, Mark received excellent grades, and graduated with a Magna Cum Laude writing degree in 1985.
Outside of college, no one cared that he could analyze monster pictures, so he became a bookstore clerk. That started his long affiliation with the book industry. He moved from retail to publishing, and from publishing to wholesaling.
Along the way, he was steadily promoted, and became a sales manager, a director of special projects, and helped his companies sell over one billion dollars worth of books. He was nominated three times for The Publishers Weekly Rep of the Year Award.
Why was Mark so successful at selling? One of his colleagues said it best (and she didn¡¯t mean it as a compliment): ¡°When you think a particular book is important, you¡¯re messianic about it. You won¡¯t stop.¡±
In 1997, Mark was having dinner with his friend David Pogue, author of ¡°Macs for Dummies,¡± when David said it might be fun to work on a book together. Since Mark knew nothing about computers, they settled on writing a book about the only subject they had in common: magic. Both Mark and David were amateur magicians. They created ¡°Magic for Dummies,¡± and Mark got the bug for bookwriting.
Mark¡¯s next effort was solo: ¡°Accidental Genius: Revolutionize Your Thinking Through Private Writing.¡± Lots of luminaries loved it: Tom Peters, Ray Bradbury, Al Ries, Jay Conrad Levinson, and Ace Greenberg. Mark did a publicity stunt for the book (freewriting for the public for four consecutive hours in the window of America¡¯s largest bookstore), which did wonders for its sales. To date, it¡¯s been translated into ten languages.
(By the way, did you know that certain American phrases don¡¯t translate well into other languages? It¡¯s true. None of the translators could make sense of the phrase ¡°Accidental Genius.¡± The Spanish changed the book¡¯s title to ¡°Writing and Creativity.¡± The Germans called it ¡°Genius Moments.¡± But the Japanese version is Mark¡¯s favorite: ¡°Everything Will Go Well As You Write And Thi
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
October 10, 2012
Here is the core of the idea: free-writing is good.
That's really it. With no Science to back it up, it just turns into a book of anecdotes and techniques on more free-writing.
Do not get me wrong. Free-writing makes sense. I simply do not understand the purpose of publishing a book when it could be summarized in a blog post.
That's really it. With no Science to back it up, it just turns into a book of anecdotes and techniques on more free-writing.
Do not get me wrong. Free-writing makes sense. I simply do not understand the purpose of publishing a book when it could be summarized in a blog post.
October 8, 2024
Freewriting is a valuable exercise. Particularly for combating writers block or unlocking new solutions to an old problem. There--you've read the book.
August 22, 2013
Freewriting as a way to tap into your creativity. Writing fast as a way to get around the internal editor. Your inappropriate thoughts are where the action is, where the originality resides. Using time limits to encourage the creative process, and lots more.
September 30, 2012
I love this book because it connects the dots for me with what I have been learning in my training in the Professional Coach Training of Wellcoaches. That is, there are different ways to gets things done, and when we do something physical, like the act of writing by hand or even typing, we are accessing a different part of our brain than when we just "think". I learned that if you get up off the chair and walk to a different space, such as a huge ruler/scale of 1-10 on the ground and pace off the steps to indicate how you feel about something it will make a difference in how you report. On a scale of 1-10 how satisfied are you with your finances. Imagine being in a big parking lot and walking the lines on the ground to indicate where you are on such a scale. The range of 1-10 feels a lot different from just "thinking" when you see the scale stretched out on the ground and take the actual steps and move yourself along the scale to feel just what number best represents your "place".
So this book, Accidental Genius, just gets you to move your fingers and write... and if you can't think of anything to write you can... make dots or repeat keystrokes or just go on and on about whatever or nothing that comes into your head. And pretty soon you are accessing ideas you didn't even realize were in your head.
Yes, that's it. I get it. You are in a state of flow. Good book. Good energy. Good science.
It will turn you in to a writer if you are not already writing, and it will unblock you if you are jammed up and need your battery charged.
So this book, Accidental Genius, just gets you to move your fingers and write... and if you can't think of anything to write you can... make dots or repeat keystrokes or just go on and on about whatever or nothing that comes into your head. And pretty soon you are accessing ideas you didn't even realize were in your head.
Yes, that's it. I get it. You are in a state of flow. Good book. Good energy. Good science.
It will turn you in to a writer if you are not already writing, and it will unblock you if you are jammed up and need your battery charged.
January 23, 2011
I normally shy away from books, blogs or even conversations about writing, as I'm not exactly educated in the ways of writing. I've never taken a creative writing, english or even journalism class, though I've written blogs, one book and tons of journalistic articles.
Perhaps I'm worried that books like this will use grammar and writing terms that I won't understand, which will make me feel stupid, which makes me want to make fun of the book.
But Mark Levy didn't do that hear. The book wasn't a quick read, nor do I think he meant it to be. It functions as more of a workbook-type piece, that's easily referred to when you're stuck.
I also realized that most of what I do is very close to free writing (Twitter, mostly), but actually setting some time aside to write unencumbered is always a good idea.
Oh, and the author gave me this book for free, but it was on my wish list anyway, so I'm not writing this review out of any obligation.
I did pass this on to D. Patrick Lewis, as a book like this does very little good sitting on my shelf.
Perhaps I'm worried that books like this will use grammar and writing terms that I won't understand, which will make me feel stupid, which makes me want to make fun of the book.
But Mark Levy didn't do that hear. The book wasn't a quick read, nor do I think he meant it to be. It functions as more of a workbook-type piece, that's easily referred to when you're stuck.
I also realized that most of what I do is very close to free writing (Twitter, mostly), but actually setting some time aside to write unencumbered is always a good idea.
Oh, and the author gave me this book for free, but it was on my wish list anyway, so I'm not writing this review out of any obligation.
I did pass this on to D. Patrick Lewis, as a book like this does very little good sitting on my shelf.
January 16, 2015
Was required to read the book for a seminar course and, while the book is far outside of what I would normally read, I approached it with as open a mind as possible. I was disappointed.
The book is at least 2-5 times as long as it needs to be. Often entire chapters are accurately and completely recapped, without loss of information, in the last paragraph despite the 10+ pages that the chapter occupied. Reading the same idea over and over again was frustrating, to say the least.
Surprisingly, for a book about writing, the writing was terrible. Often times the author would repeat himself (and make a note that he was repeating himself) or say something was important but he wasn't going to discuss it. Rarely was the writing particularly focused. This might be okay in "free writing" but it is not acceptable in published materials (that, in theory, have been edited and revised).
The author presupposes that "writing" is the way you solve problems. If you don't solve problems by writing (e.g., your thought process works best when sketching/coding/mowing the lawn), well, you must be mistaken because "free writing" is the best way.
Finally, this I found most troubling, the author assumes that the answer to any given question is "in your head" already. You already know the answer --- you just don't know that you do. This might be the case in marketing or some areas of business, but it is definitely not the case in most of life. If I want the answers to many of the questions I deal with on a day-to-day basis, I'm far better served to go find someone (or a reference) that knows more about the problem than I do. I don't know the answers already and in many cases the answers are impractical (if not impossible) to self-"discover."
I might recommend this book to anyone who writes (and the truthfulness and rigor of their writing is secondary, such as fiction but not scientific writing), enjoys writing and thinks "free-writing" might be helpful to them. For anyone else, I suggest they avoid this book. Life is short, read something better.
The book is at least 2-5 times as long as it needs to be. Often entire chapters are accurately and completely recapped, without loss of information, in the last paragraph despite the 10+ pages that the chapter occupied. Reading the same idea over and over again was frustrating, to say the least.
Surprisingly, for a book about writing, the writing was terrible. Often times the author would repeat himself (and make a note that he was repeating himself) or say something was important but he wasn't going to discuss it. Rarely was the writing particularly focused. This might be okay in "free writing" but it is not acceptable in published materials (that, in theory, have been edited and revised).
The author presupposes that "writing" is the way you solve problems. If you don't solve problems by writing (e.g., your thought process works best when sketching/coding/mowing the lawn), well, you must be mistaken because "free writing" is the best way.
Finally, this I found most troubling, the author assumes that the answer to any given question is "in your head" already. You already know the answer --- you just don't know that you do. This might be the case in marketing or some areas of business, but it is definitely not the case in most of life. If I want the answers to many of the questions I deal with on a day-to-day basis, I'm far better served to go find someone (or a reference) that knows more about the problem than I do. I don't know the answers already and in many cases the answers are impractical (if not impossible) to self-"discover."
I might recommend this book to anyone who writes (and the truthfulness and rigor of their writing is secondary, such as fiction but not scientific writing), enjoys writing and thinks "free-writing" might be helpful to them. For anyone else, I suggest they avoid this book. Life is short, read something better.
November 16, 2024
This, along with SEVERAL other books I've read recently (a couple from Matthew Dicks, Tiago Forte, and the Austin Klein trilogy) are slowly convincing me to capture my thoughts even better. Since reading David Allen's Getting Things Done almost 20 years ago, I have tried to keep as much OUT of my head as possible, but this book takes it a step further and encourages you to write in order to think. I guess I do some of that already, but, now it's systematized.
This is more than a book of journaling prompts, although there is some of that. And it's more than formula¡ªthere's a hint of that, but the whole point is to NOT really follow a formula. The point is to WRITE. Not for production, but for you to be able to articulate your thoughts, and follow them through to... somewhere.
I like these book reviews, for example, because they're more for me than for any other reader. I want to be able to capture the essence of a book for my future self, and I want to remember which ones I need to work through again! This is one.
I liked the style of writing and the examples throughout. Some might criticize the author for including them, but I like when people show what they're working on. This is a great book not just for writers but for everyone who has to think.
UPDATE: If I've come back to any book the most, this is it. I like books that hook me for almost an entire year, if not a lifetime, and the habit of writing out your thoughts produces powerful results. I don't remember this book for its organization or crafty wording, but I loved its emphasis on getting your thoughts out. For me, this is a great book.
This is more than a book of journaling prompts, although there is some of that. And it's more than formula¡ªthere's a hint of that, but the whole point is to NOT really follow a formula. The point is to WRITE. Not for production, but for you to be able to articulate your thoughts, and follow them through to... somewhere.
I like these book reviews, for example, because they're more for me than for any other reader. I want to be able to capture the essence of a book for my future self, and I want to remember which ones I need to work through again! This is one.
I liked the style of writing and the examples throughout. Some might criticize the author for including them, but I like when people show what they're working on. This is a great book not just for writers but for everyone who has to think.
UPDATE: If I've come back to any book the most, this is it. I like books that hook me for almost an entire year, if not a lifetime, and the habit of writing out your thoughts produces powerful results. I don't remember this book for its organization or crafty wording, but I loved its emphasis on getting your thoughts out. For me, this is a great book.
October 20, 2017
i had to skim through the book as it was boring , takes toooo long to get to the point you can read the summary of each chapter and you'll gain as much informations as someone who completed the book. plus the examples given aren't backed with any scientific researches and are daily life situations with a basic analysis that anyone can make, other than that I left 1 star because it reminded me of how important free writing is, not worth buying anyways
May 10, 2020
Honestly i expected much more, so many recommendations but i am a bit disappointed. Free writing is a strong tool but book is messy and not clear
Read
August 15, 2022Notes from the book (most of them may be quotes)
"You are what you focus on"
The act of writing stimulates thought, so when you cannot think of anything to write, start writing anyway.
Freewriting is one of the most valuable skills I know. It¡¯s a way of using your body to get mechanical advantage over your mind, so your mind can do its job better.
You could call freewriting a form of forced creativity.
- Sharing your unfinished thoughts
- talking documents
- ¡°Notice Stories Everywhere¡±
-¡°Build an Inventory of Thoughts¡±
Freewriting temporarily forces the editor into a subservient role, so you can get to thoughts that are raw, truthful, and unusual. It¡¯s from thoughts like these that big ideas are more likely to come.
The conversion of your thoughts into a paper product is important because it:
? Keeps unproductive daydreaming to a minimum
? Allows you to hold your main idea at the forefront of your mind
? Permits you to follow your associative line of thinking back to its origin
? Gives you something solid to criticize and create from
? Enables you to study your thinking from one day to the next
Books:
- Barbara Fine Clouse, Working It Out: A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers
- Peter Elbow¡¯s Writing with Power.
Learning
1. Writing for yourself (freewriting) is different from writing for others.
2. When you write for yourself you have a lot of context. So you don't need to restate manythings that you already know. To make it understandable to others, you need to provide the context and make explicit several assumptions.
3. Freewriting's purpose is to curb the internal editor in you and discover lots of ideas.
4. In freewriting you write as fast as you can and write like the way you think. When writing for others you write deliberately and write the way you speak.
5. Freewriting is easy. Most of the time, it is a brain dump with a mixture of facts, feelings and opinions.
6. In free writing you jump around as your mind takes you. The mind is certainly a monkey and thougts do pop up.
7. Freewriting isn't writing per se; it's a means of watching yourself think.
8. Use the improv ethic (note to self: learn it first)
9. Agreeing and extending with previous thoughts.
Try This:
Write about a problem situation for five minutes, and put it aside. Now, in a second five-minute session, try recalling all the details and digressions you made during the first five minutes. What did you leave out the second time? What did you inadvertently add?
Writing Prompts:
¡°Yesterday I saw a curious thing ¡¡±
¡°I¡¯d really impress myself if, starting today, I ¡¡±
¡°If I didn¡¯t have to work, I¡¯d ¡¡±
¡°My idea of a boring time is ¡
¡°If I woke to find myself ten feet tall, the first thing I¡¯d do is ¡¡±
¡°I¡¯d like to tell you a story ¡¡±
¡°I threw a stone and it landed ¡¡±
¡°I remember ¡¡±
Portland's workshops
- start with a few prompts
Prompt: I love
The smell of freshly brewing coffee in the morning. I can sit down and let my thoughts flow, uninturrupted with no editing, no judging and no restrictions. When I am freewriting, I am not writing for others. I am writing for myself. I want to look back on this a year from now or may be even a ten years from now and want to feel the way I feel now.
Life is one of leisure. It is not without challenges but most of the challenges are interesting ones. How do we create a world class product, how do we keep the team learning all the time and how do we find and keep customers for life. For the life of the product, I mean.
I love talking to people. Some are enthusiastic. Some have muted reactions. But all of them want to talk and as long as you are talking about them, their problems, their business, you are not likely to bore them. You can gently lead them to understand their reactions to your suggestions. In the end, you have an enjoyable experience but also some insights.
I am yet to hone the skill of keeping the focus on the person I am talking to, and resist the temptation to inturrupt, share my part of the story, agree or disagree.
I think good writing is ultimately the simplest expression of your authentic self. When someone reads what you write, I want them to say "Hey, Dorai writes just like he speaks". He rambles on a bit but that is him. He gets very excited and talks a lot about certain things but very brief about some of the others.
But this writing is difficult. It is almost like you can hear him thinking. Like someone plugged in a sophisticated probe into his brain which translates the cacophony of confusing thoughts, converts them into English and dumps them on papers. Yes. Dumps them. Because there is no coherence. I can see him task switching, going on different paths with different thoughts. There is not much rhyme or beauty of even his usual brevity. But it does make interesting reading. When I read him, I almost feel as if I am thinking along with him.
prompt ideas
A few things I can never forget
These are the few of my favorite things
If I don't have to earn, I would...
IF I have the complete freedom to do what I want, I would...
I would love to learn about...
The simplest thing I can do to make a difference would be
I am scared by
"You are what you focus on"
The act of writing stimulates thought, so when you cannot think of anything to write, start writing anyway.
Freewriting is one of the most valuable skills I know. It¡¯s a way of using your body to get mechanical advantage over your mind, so your mind can do its job better.
You could call freewriting a form of forced creativity.
- Sharing your unfinished thoughts
- talking documents
- ¡°Notice Stories Everywhere¡±
-¡°Build an Inventory of Thoughts¡±
Freewriting temporarily forces the editor into a subservient role, so you can get to thoughts that are raw, truthful, and unusual. It¡¯s from thoughts like these that big ideas are more likely to come.
The conversion of your thoughts into a paper product is important because it:
? Keeps unproductive daydreaming to a minimum
? Allows you to hold your main idea at the forefront of your mind
? Permits you to follow your associative line of thinking back to its origin
? Gives you something solid to criticize and create from
? Enables you to study your thinking from one day to the next
Books:
- Barbara Fine Clouse, Working It Out: A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers
- Peter Elbow¡¯s Writing with Power.
Learning
1. Writing for yourself (freewriting) is different from writing for others.
2. When you write for yourself you have a lot of context. So you don't need to restate manythings that you already know. To make it understandable to others, you need to provide the context and make explicit several assumptions.
3. Freewriting's purpose is to curb the internal editor in you and discover lots of ideas.
4. In freewriting you write as fast as you can and write like the way you think. When writing for others you write deliberately and write the way you speak.
5. Freewriting is easy. Most of the time, it is a brain dump with a mixture of facts, feelings and opinions.
6. In free writing you jump around as your mind takes you. The mind is certainly a monkey and thougts do pop up.
7. Freewriting isn't writing per se; it's a means of watching yourself think.
8. Use the improv ethic (note to self: learn it first)
9. Agreeing and extending with previous thoughts.
Try This:
Write about a problem situation for five minutes, and put it aside. Now, in a second five-minute session, try recalling all the details and digressions you made during the first five minutes. What did you leave out the second time? What did you inadvertently add?
Writing Prompts:
¡°Yesterday I saw a curious thing ¡¡±
¡°I¡¯d really impress myself if, starting today, I ¡¡±
¡°If I didn¡¯t have to work, I¡¯d ¡¡±
¡°My idea of a boring time is ¡
¡°If I woke to find myself ten feet tall, the first thing I¡¯d do is ¡¡±
¡°I¡¯d like to tell you a story ¡¡±
¡°I threw a stone and it landed ¡¡±
¡°I remember ¡¡±
Portland's workshops
- start with a few prompts
Prompt: I love
The smell of freshly brewing coffee in the morning. I can sit down and let my thoughts flow, uninturrupted with no editing, no judging and no restrictions. When I am freewriting, I am not writing for others. I am writing for myself. I want to look back on this a year from now or may be even a ten years from now and want to feel the way I feel now.
Life is one of leisure. It is not without challenges but most of the challenges are interesting ones. How do we create a world class product, how do we keep the team learning all the time and how do we find and keep customers for life. For the life of the product, I mean.
I love talking to people. Some are enthusiastic. Some have muted reactions. But all of them want to talk and as long as you are talking about them, their problems, their business, you are not likely to bore them. You can gently lead them to understand their reactions to your suggestions. In the end, you have an enjoyable experience but also some insights.
I am yet to hone the skill of keeping the focus on the person I am talking to, and resist the temptation to inturrupt, share my part of the story, agree or disagree.
I think good writing is ultimately the simplest expression of your authentic self. When someone reads what you write, I want them to say "Hey, Dorai writes just like he speaks". He rambles on a bit but that is him. He gets very excited and talks a lot about certain things but very brief about some of the others.
But this writing is difficult. It is almost like you can hear him thinking. Like someone plugged in a sophisticated probe into his brain which translates the cacophony of confusing thoughts, converts them into English and dumps them on papers. Yes. Dumps them. Because there is no coherence. I can see him task switching, going on different paths with different thoughts. There is not much rhyme or beauty of even his usual brevity. But it does make interesting reading. When I read him, I almost feel as if I am thinking along with him.
prompt ideas
A few things I can never forget
These are the few of my favorite things
If I don't have to earn, I would...
IF I have the complete freedom to do what I want, I would...
I would love to learn about...
The simplest thing I can do to make a difference would be
I am scared by
September 11, 2017
§¹§Ö§Þ §ç§à§â§à§ê§Ñ§ñ §Ü§ß§Ú§Ô§Ñ §à§ä§Ý§Ú§é§Ñ§Ö§ä§ã§ñ §à§ä §á§Ý§à§ç§à§Û? §ª§Ý§Ú §à§ä §ß§Ö §ã§Ú§Ý§î§ß§à §ç§à§â§à§ê§Ö§Û? §¥§å§Þ§Ñ§ð §é§ä§à §Ü§à§Ý§Ú§é§Ö§ã§ä§Ó§à§Þ §á§à§Ý§Ö§Ù§ß§à§Û §Ú§ß§æ§à§â§Þ§Ñ§è§Ú§Ú §ß§Ñ §Ö§Õ§Ú§ß§Ú§è§å §ä§Ö§Ü§ã§ä§Ñ: §ã§ä§â§Ñ§ß§Ú§è§í, §Ñ§Ò§Ù§Ñ§è§Ñ §Ú§Ý§Ú §ã§ä§â§à§Ü§Ú. §Á §ß§Ö §Ú§Þ§Ö§ð §Ó§Ó§Ú§Õ§å §ç§å§Õ§à§Ø§Ö§ã§ä§Ó§Ö§ß§ß§å§ð §Ý§Ú§ä§Ö§â§Ñ§ä§å§â§å, §ç§à§ä§ñ §Ú§ß§à§Ô§Õ§Ñ §ï§ä§à §Ü§Ñ§ã§Ñ§Ö§ä§ã§ñ §Ú §Ö§×.
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§°§ã§ß§à§Ó§ß§Ñ§ñ §Þ§í§ã§Ý§î ¡ª §Ó§í§á§Ý§Ö§ã§ß§Ú§ä§Ö §Ó§ã§× §é§ä§à §Ó§í §Ù§ß§Ñ§Ö§ä§Ö "§ß§Ñ §Ò§å§Þ§Ñ§Ô§å". §±§â§à§é§Ú§ä§Ñ§Û§ä§Ö §ï§ä§à, §ã§ä§â§å§Ü§ä§å§â§Ú§â§å§Û§ä§Ö §ï§ä§à §Ú §ç§à§â§à§ê§Ñ§ñ §Þ§í§ã§Ý§î, §Ü§à§ä§à§â§å§ð §Ó§í §Õ§Ñ§Ó§ß§à §Ú§ë§Ú§ä§Ö §á§â§Ú§Õ§×§ä §ã§Ñ§Þ§Ñ, §ä§Ñ§Ü §Ü§Ñ§Ü §ä§Ö§á§Ö§â§î §á§Ö§â§Ö§Õ §Ó§Ñ§Þ§Ú "§Ó§ã§ñ §Ü§Ñ§â§ä§Ú§ß§Ñ", §Ü§à§ä§à§â§å§ð, §Ü §ã§Ý§à§Ó§å, "§ß§Ö §Ó§í§â§å§Ò§Ú§ä§î §ä§à§á§à§â§à§Þ". §¡ §Ö§ã§Ý§Ú §Ú§ß§æ§à§â§Þ§Ñ§è§Ú§ñ, §Ü§à§ä§à§â§å§ð §Ó§í §á§Ö§â§Ö§ß§à§ã§Ú§ä§Ö §ß§Ñ "§ä§Ó§×§â§Õ§í§Û §ß§à§ã§Ú§ä§Ö§Ý§î" §á§à§Ý§Ö§Ù§ß§Ñ §Þ§ß§à§Ô§Ú§Þ, §ä§à §Ó §Ü§ß§Ú§Ô§Ö §Ö§ã§ä§î §ã§à§Ó§Ö§ä§í §ß§Ñ §ä§Ö§Þ§å "§¬§Ñ§Ü §á§Ú§ã§Ñ§ä§î §Õ§Ý§ñ §ê§Ú§â§à§Ü§à§Û §á§å§Ò§Ý§Ú§Ü§Ú".
§¬§Ñ§Ü§à§Ó §Ó§Ö§â§Õ§Ú§Ü§ä? §¿§ä§Ñ §Ü§ß§Ú§Ô§Ñ §ä§Ö§á§Ö§â§î §Ù§Ñ§ß§Ú§Þ§Ñ§Ö§ä §á§à§é§×§ä§ß§à§Ö §Þ§Ö§ã§ä§à §ß§Ñ §á§à§Ý§Ü§Ö §â§ñ§Õ§à§Þ §ã §Þ§à§Ú§Þ §â§Ñ§Ò§à§é§Ú§Þ §ã§ä§à§Ý§à§Þ §ß§Ñ §â§Ñ§ã§ã§ä§à§ñ§ß§Ú§Ú §Ó§í§ä§ñ§ß§å§ä§à§Û §â§å§Ü§Ú. §¦§ã§Ý§Ú §ñ §ã§à§Ò§Ö§â§å§ã§î §é§ä§à-§ä§à §ß§Ñ§á§Ú§ã§Ñ§ä§î, §ñ §å§Ó§Ö§â§Ö§ß, §Ü§ß§Ú§Ô§Ñ §á§à§Þ§à§Ø§Ö§ä §Þ§ß§Ö. §¥§Ñ§Ø§Ö §Ö§ã§Ý§Ú §ä§Ö§Ü§ã§ä, §ß§Ñ§Õ §Ü§à§ä§à§â§í§Þ §ñ §Ò§å§Õ§å §â§Ñ§Ò§à§ä§Ñ§ä§î §á§â§Ö§Õ§ß§Ñ§Ù§ß§Ñ§é§Ö§ß §ä§à§Ý§î§Ü§à §Õ§Ý§ñ §à§Õ§ß§à§Ô§à §é§Ú§ä§Ñ§ä§Ö§Ý§ñ ¡ª §Þ§Ö§ß§ñ.
§¬§Ñ§Ü §Ò§í §ä§à §ß§Ú §Ò§í§Ý§à, §Ü§à §Þ§ß§Ö §Ó §â§å§Ü§Ú §á§à§á§Ñ§Ý§Ñ §Ù§Ñ§Þ§Ö§é§Ñ§ä§Ö§Ý§î§ß§Ñ§ñ §Ü§ß§Ú§Ô§Ñ, §Ñ §ß§Ö§á§à§ã§â§Ö§Õ§ã§ä§Ó§Ö§ß§ß§à §Ó §Þ§à§Ù§Ô ¡ª §á§à§Ý§Ö§Ù§ß§Ñ§ñ §Ú§ß§æ§à§â§Þ§Ñ§è§Ú§ñ, §Ü§à§ä§à§â§Ñ§ñ §Ó §ï§ä§à§Û §Ü§ß§Ú§Ô§Ö §ã§à§Õ§Ö§â§Ø§Ú§ä§ã§ñ.
§¦§ã§Ý§Ú §Ü§à§â§à§ä§Ü§à, §ä§à §Ü§ß§Ú§Ô§Ñ §à §ä§à§Þ, §Ü§Ñ§Ü §á§â§Ú §á§à§Þ§à§ë§Ú §Ü§Ñ§â§Ñ§ß§Õ§Ñ§ê§Ñ §Ú §Ò§å§Þ§Ñ§Ô§Ú §Ú§Ý§Ú §Ü§à§Þ§á§î§ð§ä§Ö§â§Ñ §Ú §ä§Ö§ã§ä§à§Ó§à§Ô§à §â§Ö§Õ§Ñ§Ü§ä§à§â§Ñ §Ú§ã§Ü§Ñ§ä§î §â§Ö§ê§Ö§ß§Ú§ñ §ß§Ñ §á§Ö§â§Ó§í§Û §Ó§Ù§Ô§Ý§ñ§Õ §ã§Ý§à§Ø§ß§í§ç §á§â§à§Ò§Ý§Ö§Þ.
§ª §ä§Ñ§Ü §à §á§à§Ý§Ö§Ù§ß§à§ã§ä§Ú §Ü§ß§Ú§Ô. §¿§ä§Ñ §Ü§ß§Ú§Ô§Ñ §ß§Ñ §Þ§à§Û §Ó§Ù§Ô§Ý§ñ§Õ §à§é§Ö§ß§î §á§à§Ý§Ö§Ù§ß§Ñ. §¬§Ñ§Ø§Õ§Ñ§ñ §Ô§Ý§Ñ§Ó§Ñ ¡ª §ã§à§Ó§Ö§ä, §Ü§à§ß§Ö§è §Ü§Ñ§Ø§Õ§à§Û §Ô§Ý§Ñ§Ó§í ¡ª §å§Ü§Ñ§Ù§Ñ§ß§Ú§Ö §Ü §Õ§Ö§Û§ã§ä§Ó§Ú§ð, §ã§à§Õ§Ö§â§Ø§Ú§Þ§à§Ö §Þ§ß§à§Ô§Ú§ç §Ô§Ý§Ñ§Ó ¡ª §à§ä§Ý§Ú§é§ß§í§Ö §á§â§Ú§Þ§Ö§â§í.
§°§ã§ß§à§Ó§ß§Ñ§ñ §Þ§í§ã§Ý§î ¡ª §Ó§í§á§Ý§Ö§ã§ß§Ú§ä§Ö §Ó§ã§× §é§ä§à §Ó§í §Ù§ß§Ñ§Ö§ä§Ö "§ß§Ñ §Ò§å§Þ§Ñ§Ô§å". §±§â§à§é§Ú§ä§Ñ§Û§ä§Ö §ï§ä§à, §ã§ä§â§å§Ü§ä§å§â§Ú§â§å§Û§ä§Ö §ï§ä§à §Ú §ç§à§â§à§ê§Ñ§ñ §Þ§í§ã§Ý§î, §Ü§à§ä§à§â§å§ð §Ó§í §Õ§Ñ§Ó§ß§à §Ú§ë§Ú§ä§Ö §á§â§Ú§Õ§×§ä §ã§Ñ§Þ§Ñ, §ä§Ñ§Ü §Ü§Ñ§Ü §ä§Ö§á§Ö§â§î §á§Ö§â§Ö§Õ §Ó§Ñ§Þ§Ú "§Ó§ã§ñ §Ü§Ñ§â§ä§Ú§ß§Ñ", §Ü§à§ä§à§â§å§ð, §Ü §ã§Ý§à§Ó§å, "§ß§Ö §Ó§í§â§å§Ò§Ú§ä§î §ä§à§á§à§â§à§Þ". §¡ §Ö§ã§Ý§Ú §Ú§ß§æ§à§â§Þ§Ñ§è§Ú§ñ, §Ü§à§ä§à§â§å§ð §Ó§í §á§Ö§â§Ö§ß§à§ã§Ú§ä§Ö §ß§Ñ "§ä§Ó§×§â§Õ§í§Û §ß§à§ã§Ú§ä§Ö§Ý§î" §á§à§Ý§Ö§Ù§ß§Ñ §Þ§ß§à§Ô§Ú§Þ, §ä§à §Ó §Ü§ß§Ú§Ô§Ö §Ö§ã§ä§î §ã§à§Ó§Ö§ä§í §ß§Ñ §ä§Ö§Þ§å "§¬§Ñ§Ü §á§Ú§ã§Ñ§ä§î §Õ§Ý§ñ §ê§Ú§â§à§Ü§à§Û §á§å§Ò§Ý§Ú§Ü§Ú".
§¬§Ñ§Ü§à§Ó §Ó§Ö§â§Õ§Ú§Ü§ä? §¿§ä§Ñ §Ü§ß§Ú§Ô§Ñ §ä§Ö§á§Ö§â§î §Ù§Ñ§ß§Ú§Þ§Ñ§Ö§ä §á§à§é§×§ä§ß§à§Ö §Þ§Ö§ã§ä§à §ß§Ñ §á§à§Ý§Ü§Ö §â§ñ§Õ§à§Þ §ã §Þ§à§Ú§Þ §â§Ñ§Ò§à§é§Ú§Þ §ã§ä§à§Ý§à§Þ §ß§Ñ §â§Ñ§ã§ã§ä§à§ñ§ß§Ú§Ú §Ó§í§ä§ñ§ß§å§ä§à§Û §â§å§Ü§Ú. §¦§ã§Ý§Ú §ñ §ã§à§Ò§Ö§â§å§ã§î §é§ä§à-§ä§à §ß§Ñ§á§Ú§ã§Ñ§ä§î, §ñ §å§Ó§Ö§â§Ö§ß, §Ü§ß§Ú§Ô§Ñ §á§à§Þ§à§Ø§Ö§ä §Þ§ß§Ö. §¥§Ñ§Ø§Ö §Ö§ã§Ý§Ú §ä§Ö§Ü§ã§ä, §ß§Ñ§Õ §Ü§à§ä§à§â§í§Þ §ñ §Ò§å§Õ§å §â§Ñ§Ò§à§ä§Ñ§ä§î §á§â§Ö§Õ§ß§Ñ§Ù§ß§Ñ§é§Ö§ß §ä§à§Ý§î§Ü§à §Õ§Ý§ñ §à§Õ§ß§à§Ô§à §é§Ú§ä§Ñ§ä§Ö§Ý§ñ ¡ª §Þ§Ö§ß§ñ.
April 4, 2019
What a good read!
March 18, 2017
Accidental Genius is a gift from a friend. This book talks about making writing a daily enjoyment and getting as many ideas as possible from it. Before I read this book, I have been ¡®trying writing¡¯ for two years or three. The impulse can date back to the first time I finished my very first romantic fiction in the fifth year in elementary school. I still remembered the book: ›öÏÄУˆ@¼oÊÂby ϯ¾ê (X¨ª Ju¨¡n), which has led me since then to many years non-stop marathon of reading.
I took to writing a few years ago, and it was when I found that writing was nearly everything in our life. It is presented in books or by words. It is about sharing information. Not that it has to be some kind of knowledge; it is something people know and learn about, new ideas transforming from known facts, or notions with certain purpose such as convincing others whom it is exposed to. Among all the writings, signs, ads, journals, reports, studies, and so on, some are regarded logical, persuasive, interesting, and even sensational, and some others might be considered boring, worthless. Living in Taiwan, it is obvious that many students (or adults) have been through some sort of ¡®writing-phobia.¡¯ For some of them, they refuse this activity because they often find themselves sitting on pins and needles in total blankness when given a topic. It is ironic that everyone can just hold up a pen and start writing, but somehow it becomes as frightening as hell itself and drives most people away.
Accidental Genius greatly eases the pain for these victims as for me. This book came to me just in time when I was searching ways to improve my writing. When speaking of improving it, many will suggest keeping a diary, or just continue to write until the end of the world. However, most of the challengers have to face the same blankness as those poor kids when staring at their white piece of paper. This book also says those things as ¡®ideas come from everyday life,¡¯ but it also shows you steps one by one. Among those skills, the very basic one is to write down whatever comes to you. That is to say if you cannot think of anything to write, record down current status:
Oh, my god, I don¡¯t know what to write. I feel stupid doing this and not turn to something more urgent. What does the book trying to sell me anyway? I feel frustrated when being told just to write. Those who knows how to write are gifted by God. How lucky they are.
If I just need to nag my heart out, I guess that doesn¡¯t sound so challenging.
The second important thing is not trying to correct your grammar or rephrase your sentence and article structure. Leave this work to the very last step. Thinking how to make your words beautiful and interesting easily interrupts the flow of thinking. When one stops half way, choosing which adjective to use, some thought may lose its way to the tip of the pen.
There are some other techniques whose titles are presented in the subheadings: the value in disconnecting, using assumptions to get unstuck, learn to love lying, the writing marathon, the magic of exact writing, and build an inventory of thoughts or so. The author tells you there is no restriction on writing and writing will not just be writing. This activity helps creativity, bring up solutions, clear up anxious thoughts, and enrich one¡¯s life.
This book is for those who are still suffering from writing-phobia, for those who are just getting to know writing recently as well as those who have been dedicating themselves to writing for long.
I took to writing a few years ago, and it was when I found that writing was nearly everything in our life. It is presented in books or by words. It is about sharing information. Not that it has to be some kind of knowledge; it is something people know and learn about, new ideas transforming from known facts, or notions with certain purpose such as convincing others whom it is exposed to. Among all the writings, signs, ads, journals, reports, studies, and so on, some are regarded logical, persuasive, interesting, and even sensational, and some others might be considered boring, worthless. Living in Taiwan, it is obvious that many students (or adults) have been through some sort of ¡®writing-phobia.¡¯ For some of them, they refuse this activity because they often find themselves sitting on pins and needles in total blankness when given a topic. It is ironic that everyone can just hold up a pen and start writing, but somehow it becomes as frightening as hell itself and drives most people away.
Accidental Genius greatly eases the pain for these victims as for me. This book came to me just in time when I was searching ways to improve my writing. When speaking of improving it, many will suggest keeping a diary, or just continue to write until the end of the world. However, most of the challengers have to face the same blankness as those poor kids when staring at their white piece of paper. This book also says those things as ¡®ideas come from everyday life,¡¯ but it also shows you steps one by one. Among those skills, the very basic one is to write down whatever comes to you. That is to say if you cannot think of anything to write, record down current status:
Oh, my god, I don¡¯t know what to write. I feel stupid doing this and not turn to something more urgent. What does the book trying to sell me anyway? I feel frustrated when being told just to write. Those who knows how to write are gifted by God. How lucky they are.
If I just need to nag my heart out, I guess that doesn¡¯t sound so challenging.
The second important thing is not trying to correct your grammar or rephrase your sentence and article structure. Leave this work to the very last step. Thinking how to make your words beautiful and interesting easily interrupts the flow of thinking. When one stops half way, choosing which adjective to use, some thought may lose its way to the tip of the pen.
There are some other techniques whose titles are presented in the subheadings: the value in disconnecting, using assumptions to get unstuck, learn to love lying, the writing marathon, the magic of exact writing, and build an inventory of thoughts or so. The author tells you there is no restriction on writing and writing will not just be writing. This activity helps creativity, bring up solutions, clear up anxious thoughts, and enrich one¡¯s life.
This book is for those who are still suffering from writing-phobia, for those who are just getting to know writing recently as well as those who have been dedicating themselves to writing for long.
January 12, 2021
This book is a must-read for all writers as well as creators who struggle with coming up with ideas. Mark Levy has mastered the art of freewriting, and he does a great job explaining why it works and why it helps. For anyone who is a perfectionist or gets stuck, I highly recommend this book. The chapters are short, and there are dozens of free-writing practices for you to try to get your wheels in motion so you can start creating.
February 6, 2017
Fabulous---chock full of practical tips.
January 19, 2020
×ÔÓÉÊéдÌṩÁ˺ܶàʵÓõÄС³Ù¾±±è°ïÖúÈ˸ü¿ìËÙµÄÊìϤһЩ¼¼ÇÉ£¬¶àÁ·Ï°×ÔÓÉÊéдÌṩÁËÁíÒ»ÖÖµÄ˼¿¼·½Ê½£¬Óбðì¶Æ½³£µÄ˼¿¼£¬¸üÏñÊÇ¿ì˼ÂýÏëµÄ¿ì˼£¬ÌṩÁËеĿÉÄܵķ½Ïò£¬ÕýÈç×÷ÕßËù˵£¬100¸öµã×Ó×ܱÈÒªÏëµ½Ò»¸öÍêÃÀµÄµã×ÓÒªÈÝÒ׵Ķ࣬×ÔÓÉÊéдÓÐÖúì¶Ë®Æ½Ë¼¿¼£¬ÖµµÃ¶à¼ÓÁ·Ï°£¡
November 20, 2022
The book is a self therapy to solve any problem you might have. it uses the free writing, or as I call it, mind exploration method to resolve issues you encounter. It might be because you are fixated on the limitations and the obstacles, because you are conscious about what people might think about you, or maybe because you don¡¯t know the right questions to ask. It makes you look right and left to analyse the situation and then makes you look down to see how high you are standing. And you are in an amusement park.
I followed through the exercises and really enjoyed every 10 minutes I spent to free write on the topic the author suggested. I think the topics could have been more intriguing and challenging, but I must admit, they were easy enough to get a first hand practice.
Chapter 15, Hold a paper conversation is particularly interesting. I join psychological experiments often, and I know that holding a paper conversation with yourself is one of the best ways to find solutions to your problems and widen your view. Though the author does not always inform you about the origins of these methods, I believe many of them are used in Therapy sessions.
It was as if I had met the author in a bar on a Saturday night over a drink. He immediately became my friend and told interesting stories. 10 minutes are almost so I should ¡
~~~10 minutes over ~~~
I followed through the exercises and really enjoyed every 10 minutes I spent to free write on the topic the author suggested. I think the topics could have been more intriguing and challenging, but I must admit, they were easy enough to get a first hand practice.
Chapter 15, Hold a paper conversation is particularly interesting. I join psychological experiments often, and I know that holding a paper conversation with yourself is one of the best ways to find solutions to your problems and widen your view. Though the author does not always inform you about the origins of these methods, I believe many of them are used in Therapy sessions.
It was as if I had met the author in a bar on a Saturday night over a drink. He immediately became my friend and told interesting stories. 10 minutes are almost so I should ¡
~~~10 minutes over ~~~
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2018
Fantastic book. I see a lot of tie in for the methods in the book for a variety of other existing frameworks. I think this ties strongly into Tiago Forte's work, especially when it comes to collecting the nuggets of quality writing and filing them under different headings. I think there's a place for this work in Goldratt's Theory of Constraint process, specifically in step 2 where you elucidate the story of the problem. I think there's strong resonance between this and Back of the Napkin. I also think there's a strong resonance between the technique of writing a conversation with another person in order to gain perspective and holding a meeting of the inner council from King, Warrior, Magician, Lover (/Jung's work in general). All in all, great resource. I wish there was a workbook to accompany it, and I think the methods are so useful that I may go ahead and design one. Definitely worth a read or two.
July 1, 2020
Get past your biggest blocks with this amazing technique
This book is a total game changer for business owners, freelancers, and creatives everywhere. So many amazing, yet simple ideas for easily solving problems in just about every area of life.
I bought the Kindle version after renewing it twice on Overdrive. I couldn¡¯t bear waiting to finish the book while on hold for renewal, so I bought it outright. I¡¯m happy to have this in my collection of life-changing books.
This book has so many great ideas that you¡¯ll get loads of use¡ªand reuse¡ª out of it for years to come (dare I say a lifetime?). Highly recommended.
If you¡¯re struggling with problems of any kind in your business, art, personal life, or otherwise, DON¡¯T pass this book up.
This book is a total game changer for business owners, freelancers, and creatives everywhere. So many amazing, yet simple ideas for easily solving problems in just about every area of life.
I bought the Kindle version after renewing it twice on Overdrive. I couldn¡¯t bear waiting to finish the book while on hold for renewal, so I bought it outright. I¡¯m happy to have this in my collection of life-changing books.
This book has so many great ideas that you¡¯ll get loads of use¡ªand reuse¡ª out of it for years to come (dare I say a lifetime?). Highly recommended.
If you¡¯re struggling with problems of any kind in your business, art, personal life, or otherwise, DON¡¯T pass this book up.
July 7, 2019
An insightful book that is great for anyone struggling with writer's block. The author has taken freewriting to the next step which is to apply freewriting to solving business and personal problems. I liked the book because it came to me at the right time and helped me get over my writing blocks.
I have been unconsciously using freewriting to resolve personal issues. This is the first time I have realised freewriting is a 'thing' and the book gave several directions and tips to taking it to the next level.
I absolutely love it. It has helped me become less afraid of writing and I have more confidence creating content.
I have been unconsciously using freewriting to resolve personal issues. This is the first time I have realised freewriting is a 'thing' and the book gave several directions and tips to taking it to the next level.
I absolutely love it. It has helped me become less afraid of writing and I have more confidence creating content.
August 15, 2021
Need to read it again - but giving it 5-stars just for the fact that it broke me out of the loop of thinking about writing more than actually writing. Pretty funny that "freewriting" isn't even in the title, and yet I feel like it's the most powerful concept...because I'm doing it right now instead of just thinking about writing this review.
I'm writing it, because writing is thinking, and it is only when you've written things out that you can begin to edit your words and hence your thoughts.
I also remember that I just enjoyed the casual, non-mystical + lack of random (TM)s that made this book feel practical, wise and yet fun. Vibes to aim for. Thanks, Mark.
I'm writing it, because writing is thinking, and it is only when you've written things out that you can begin to edit your words and hence your thoughts.
I also remember that I just enjoyed the casual, non-mystical + lack of random (TM)s that made this book feel practical, wise and yet fun. Vibes to aim for. Thanks, Mark.
August 25, 2021
Wow this is so powerful! Now I use this technique all the time. Simple but powerful. I guess you don't need to book to apply the technique though. But I needed the book to convince it was powerful. I tried the simple exercices at the beginning and was amazed at how powerful it was. "Unlock to power of your mind".
The book is quite short, but you could also save yourself some time and find a quick summary of it online. If you're not convinced, then maybe buy the book. If you are, then you can still get it later if you wanna get into the details and get more from your free writing.
The book is quite short, but you could also save yourself some time and find a quick summary of it online. If you're not convinced, then maybe buy the book. If you are, then you can still get it later if you wanna get into the details and get more from your free writing.
February 7, 2022
Great book on writing for clarity and solving problems.
You will get many ways and technique on putting your ideas and thoughts onto paper.
It's a book for everyone even it's a must-read book for writers.
I like the examples in the book. It demonstrated on how to use writing to solve business problems.
This book will be one of those that I will read again and again. It's a book meant for studying and taking action.
I will be posting a summary of this book. Please come and check back later.
You will get many ways and technique on putting your ideas and thoughts onto paper.
It's a book for everyone even it's a must-read book for writers.
I like the examples in the book. It demonstrated on how to use writing to solve business problems.
This book will be one of those that I will read again and again. It's a book meant for studying and taking action.
I will be posting a summary of this book. Please come and check back later.
September 10, 2017
"The reason why you should create a written record of your thinking is that it leaves you with a bread crumb path down which you can retrace your steps".
I loved this book. This book is useful to the students who could cultivate a habit of writing.The techniques presented in this book are not some thing new, we might have tried and observed in our own professional life, however, this book brings a feel and structure to it.
I loved this book. This book is useful to the students who could cultivate a habit of writing.The techniques presented in this book are not some thing new, we might have tried and observed in our own professional life, however, this book brings a feel and structure to it.
December 23, 2018
Good advice that I would like to try. The author uses anecdotes to demonstrate the power of free-writing as a problem-solving tool, and also a technique to kickstart actual writing.
It should be viewed as a general advice and how-to for free-writing, and it is not a scientific or evidence-based exploration of its effects, and work. It contains various exercises to help you along, and is good by way of introduction to the subject.
It should be viewed as a general advice and how-to for free-writing, and it is not a scientific or evidence-based exploration of its effects, and work. It contains various exercises to help you along, and is good by way of introduction to the subject.
March 5, 2021
This guy must be good at small talk because that was what the book felt like. It should have been titled "Freewriting" and that was it. A good example will clear up the little doubts that the readers had.
He has plenty of ideas but managed them in the most boring way possible. I wonder if he was a really good comedian or magician. Maybe he was made for consulting but not writing. Definitely not writing.
Lucky I had this book for free. LAWD, that was excruciating.
He has plenty of ideas but managed them in the most boring way possible. I wonder if he was a really good comedian or magician. Maybe he was made for consulting but not writing. Definitely not writing.
Lucky I had this book for free. LAWD, that was excruciating.
June 20, 2017
It was a quick read, and very interesting. Free-writing is like stretching before a big writing project, it's a spewing out of ideas onto paper so you can see how your mind works. But as another reviewer said, it's short enough that it could just as well be a blog post. I would definitely give some of the exercises in this book a try.
January 30, 2019
In the past I used freewriting as a way to sort out my thoughts when I was blocked. After reading Accidental Genius, I see that the technique can work better if used before a project even begins. Using Levy's method of looking at "chunks" I have been able to rein in my thoughts and get traction and clarity. Now what I start, I finish.
October 30, 2020
Fun introduction to free writing including is applications beyond writing itself including how to think creatively and ways to get yourself "unstuck" including the use of prompts, paradoxes, and other tricks. In particular have started using the idea of trying to keep writing consistently for a set period of time rather than trying to fit in a specific word count per day.
February 1, 2023
We get the information about free writing as a tool to open our mind to new challenges, to find the decision on the issues we have. Sometimes the problem is on our own perfection- we try to figure out what is the principle idea, and we forget that there are lots of ideas we just need to choose the most convenient among the others
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