z2

Here's an article on thinking inside the box. It's about writing screenplays, but the ideas are applicable to other creative endeavors (I actually got the link from an aspiring novelist), and I know most of you are creative types.

Basic idea: You can get lost thinking outside the box. Instead, pick a box or two and think inside them. But the catch is, you must thoroughly exhaust the capabilities of the boxes you choose.

I don't know. I think this might depend on what your goal is. Do you think that everyone ultimately wants success over expressing exactly what they want to express? I guess it also depends on how many boxes there really are. His post seems to about finding the idea that will make you successful over finding the way to make your idea successful. I guess his advice will make getting the job easier but I don't know if it's ultimately worthwhile. Are we just here to say whatever will make us money?

I like plenty of hackwork movies that stick to the formula just as much as I like plenty of artsy fartsy movies for pretentious idiots. Maybe a better idea is to limit your financial or career goals before your creative ones. Well, as long as you don't abandon the financial ones entirely. Money's very important but not everyone has to be a high flying mogul with twenty cars, five houses, and a mistress in every one of them (or can be, really).

Anyway, this whole post might be wasted. For all I know, this guy is just being ironic and mocking hollywood. Goldfinger sucked.

Thanks, Quantum P, it's a good read!

Seventh Shade: I think it's more about realizing projects. Money is a good measure for succes for most box office movies, but it isn't applicable to ZZT. Since monetary gain isn't a motivation to make a ZZT game, I hardly think selling out is an issue.

And even if you want to do something completely different: thinking outside the box is often more effective when you're knowledgable of the boxes/limitations you're trying to exceed.

I guess what I took away from it is (1) a method for getting unstuck, if you can't think of what a character should say or something, and (2) a framework for building a work, kind of like poetry. I also dislike the "just make money/stick to the formula" side of things, but I don't think his ideas require that.

This kind of expands on what RobertP said, but maybe the way to think outside the box is to pick a new box. Use boxes as an organizational tool.

I wasn't expecting to get linked to Andrew Breitbart from z2! Ha ha. For those of you who don't follow US politics he's...quite the character!