Learning, at its core, is processor-intensive for people. While some people get really good at hiding the turning of their gears, others need to collaborate. Some of us can paint canvases of ideas and extrapolate from the tiniest bit of information, out toward a grand plan or strategy. Others of us find details within the…
Author Archives: IanMRountree
Is Excessive Planning Worth It?
I’m really of two minds about the whole planning thing. I’ve been writing for a long time. My first short story is more than two-thirds of my life old – almost twenty years. Still have a copy. I’m not terribly proud of it, in part because I think it was very badly planned. I’ve rewritten…
Diagnosis vs Prognosis for Creatives
“Doctor, I have a problem. It hurts when I do this.” “Well, then the answer is simple. Don’t do that.” How much do you love figuring things out? I’m serious! How much do you live for the thrill of a new discovery. Finding out what made someone comment on your blog. Seeing that Google Alert…
11 Words to be Mindful of in 2011
Let’s go out with the best possible intentions; let’s not talk for a moment about the many “blog subjects that need to die” or the “buzzwords you should stop using. Instead, let’s take a few moments to reflect on the concepts we can use to do better work in the next year. Let’s look at…
Notes from #twchat – Collaboration Jam!
On last night’s #twchat, we talked Collaboration – both on and offline. Given the arena, online collaboration was the real key to the conversation. We talked about how the barriers to effective collusion change online. Without a number of interpersonal cues, we need to be a bit more forgiving of our partners – especially when…
Notes from #twchat – Nomenclature! And Names!
This week’s #twchat focused on names, naming, and all things “identification.” I apologize for the brevity of this week’s notes – due to some scheduling issues, I wasn’t able to pay thorough attention to the chat. Which means – more room for you to weigh in! Let’s talk naming! It was, perhaps, a deceptively simple…
Notes from #twchat – Bringing Ideas to Completion
Author’s Note: These are my notes from #twchat done in much the same way as I post notes from #blogchat on Sundays, and as such will be missing pieces of the conversation. I try to be thorough, but you’ve got to maintain your point of view, right? So – read the notes, and please by…
Advice On The Fly
You know what there’s a lack of? Advice on the fly. In the shuffle to become more politically correct, we’ve child-proofed the world instead of world-proofing the child (so to speak) and seem to have disallowed casual advice. The kind you get when you mention something to someone and get an immediate response from a…
Secret Weapons – The Morgue File
No, this isn’t a new murder mystery. The Morgue File is where ideas go when they die. Lots of artists have them – whether they use a different term or not – sometimes it’s a pile of canvases in the corner, other times it’s a sketchbook filled with branding ideas. Some people use copyleft clauses…
Someone stole your toolbox – what do you do?
You’ve been using it for years. Every tool in your kit has your name on it – even if you’re not a fiend with a labeler, people know the kinds of work you do, the kind of quality you produce. An integral part of that quality comes from knowing your tools, knowing what they can…