Ideas Are Cheap

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One of my favorite writers is Jim Butcher. Butcher is best known for his series, The Dresden Files, about a private detective working side-by-side with the Chicago PD who also happens to be a wizard. Okay, it kind of sounds lame when you word it like that, but I assure you it is quite a page turner.

A lesser-known, but amazing series that Butcher released is, for me, a much better story. And I don’t mean the actual stories themselves, although they are great, but the story of how the series came to be.

The Bet

The story goes that some years ago Jim was attending a writing seminar where he encountered a fellow writer who, rather pretentiously, insisted that writing cannot be taught.

Said writer believed that good writing was more about talent and awaiting the Muse to float from the heavens and do her bidding… in other words, writing is mystical; you either have it or you don’t.

Naturally Jim disagreed. He taught that writing is more about skill. It’s about banging away, crummy draft after crummy draft, until you shape it into something amazing. And there is nothing special about skill -- it can be developed with practice.

Butcher also believed that ideas are cheap, because a great writer can take the most mundane idea and, through pure will and hard work, turn it into something great. But a bad writer can take the greatest idea in the world and squander it away.

Writing, he said, is not about talent or luck; it’s about good old-fashioned hard work.

With that, the challenger actually laid a bet at Butcher’s feet: “I’ll bet you could not write a good story based on a terrible idea.”

Jim not only accepted the bet, but much like a poker game, raised him as well. “Not only could I write a good story with a lame idea,” he said, “I could write a good story with TWO lame ideas… and you can even pick the ideas.”

The challenger thought for a minute and presented two seemingly incongruous concepts, Pokemon and the Lost Roman Legion.

With that, Jim went off and began to write…

Codex Alera

In 2004, Butcher published the book that resulted from the bet, Furies of Calderon. Furies was an immediate hit with fans and critics alike. The book proved so successful, it became the basis for an entire series — six books in all — called the Codex Alera.

That's right. Jim Butcher published a six-book fantasy series that made truckloads of money based on bet about friggin' Pokemon. By the way, I have read the entire series (and it's wonderful) and there isn't a sign of Pikachu anywhere to be found. Just sayin'.

Wealthy Affiliate

“Nice story, AJ, but what,” you may ask, “does that have to do with me?”

A lot of members of WA feel like they have to have some kind of special talent to build an affiliate marketing business. I hear the fear and excuses all the time.

  • I’m not a writer.
  • I can’t do this.
  • I’m terrible at grammar.
  • I can’t think of anything to say.
  • Whaddaya mean I gotta write 1000 words?
  • I guess I’m destined to work a job for the rest of my life.
  • This just isn’t for me.
  • And the list goes on and on and on.

But here’s the deal. None of that matters, because this business in not based on talent. It’s based on good communication and good old fashioned hard work.

You come up with an idea for an article, you dig in and do your research, and you combine all of your new-found knowledge into something unique in your own words. It's not mysticism; it's sweat.

In other words, you do the affiliate marketing version of combining Pokemon and the Lost Roman Legion.

So, you see, it’s not about talent. You CAN do this. Now, go forth and write your next masterpiece. :-)

Leave a comment below and share your experience of combining two or more unlikely ideas to create something new.

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Recent Comments

26

Interesting post, AJ, some writers have that gift to be able to draw people in.

The " lot of members " do struggle with the concept of blogging, It would be one of the biggest reasons for people giving up on the dream for change. If folks could get over that hump?

Just a thought the stats kind of back that one.

It is amazing watching a writer in the zone, creating words that reach out.

Really enjoyed the sharing of this story, we don't have to be the best at welding those ideas together, I think working on our imaginations can help.

Thank you AJ, for the motivation.

Agreed. It breaks my heart to see people quit because they've convinced themselves that they just don't have the "talent" to do this. It doesn't require talent. All we're doing is gathering information about a topic and sharing what we found with others. Thanks for sharing :-)

Thanks for that AJ. That is inspiring and to the point. It is quite a challenge to think that you can write a successful article using unusual combinations of ideas. It just goes to show you that anything is possible and rules don't always apply.

Exactly. Thanks for sharing :-)

I'm writin', boss, I'm writin'. Got another review started; been writing all day. Had to stop and do something else.

Hahaha... you're doing great, Fran. Remember, it's about progress, not perfection :-)

Yep, progress it is. I leave at the end of the week; trying to do as much as I can before going.

Well, if we don't talk before then, you have a great trip :-)

How do you deal with fears and excuses? Just do what you fear or are making excuses for anyway.

For example, if you say, "I am not a writer." Just write and share your thoughts. Communicating with others is the key, not beng a professional writer.

Before you know it, your sharing could be a source of help to others which is a good thing.

The same ptinciple or behavior applied to other fears and excuses will create positive results.

"All of us can do this and we will." - Maxine G.



Well said, Maxine. I agree 100% :-)

This took me off on a tangent.
"Whaddaya mean I gotta write 1000 words?"
Daunting for some, no doubt. Yet, we speak (depending on which source you decide to believe) anything between 7k and 20k words a day. I would err on the lesser amount as the figures were quoted in a tabloid.
For the most part, when we speak, those who listen can understand what we are saying.
It then only becomes a matter of transferring from one medium to another.
Still, blood ,sweat and tears of joy.

Great point. And that's one reason I'm such a huge proponent of dictation software like Dragonspeak... it allows me to "write" so much faster.

Weird memories + writing = memoirs

I LOVE it! :-)

Your magnificent Post has already given me a good idea to elaborate my next content. Many thanks!

Wow! I'm glad to hear it. Let me know when it's done; I'd love to read it :-)

Masterpiece AJ! Great post and loaded with good information.
Thanks
Joe

Thank you for your kind words, Joe.

This post reminds me of Thomas Edison's quote: "I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps." I'm digging in, AJ. Thank you for the post.

Awesome. Thanks :-)

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