MEET INVENTORS

Harvesting Ideas with Isaac Newton

It’s harvest time, and apples are everywhere! They bring us wonderful things: pie, donuts, cider, the law of gravity… at least, Isaac Newton and apples did. Isaac was born in 1642. When he was 24, he saw an apple fall from a tree (legend says it hit him on the head). This event set the wheels in motion for him to consider the pull between objects of different masses and of “gravity extending to the orb of the moon.”

 

I feel like I could get pretty creative with apples. I could turn them into smiley faces or make a good sauce out of them. Isaac shows us something revolutionary with apples, and I wonder if we could learn about more than gravity from him.

 

If I have been able to see further, it is only because I stood on the shoulders of giants. – Isaac Newton

 

The thing that stood out to me in this story, and considering his famed quote, is this: he was intentional. He may have had dessert in mind when he visited the apple tree, but he was also a student of nature and those who went before him. He was on the lookout for answers.

 

You don’t have to be a scientist to be inventive in your thinking. But to move forward in your area of creative expertise, you will be able to see farther if you “stand on the shoulders” of the “giants” in your field. If you’re interested in writing, read the work of great writers. If you’re interested in science, read the work of great scientists.

 

But don’t stop there.

 

As you go about your day, let yourself see the world through your lens. No one else thinks exactly like you, and no one else can bring the exact same thing to the table that you can. Even two apple pies will be made with different apples that carry a slightly unique flavor. Here’s to the unexpected moments that change the world.

 

Until next time,

 

Invent your story

 

WRITERS

I Met My Target Audience This Week

The coolest thing happened this week. I got a comment. It wasn’t a, “Hey, I like what you’re doing!” kind of comment – although I appreciate all feedback. It was a, “I get criticized for my out-of-the-box thinking, and your words really encouraged me…” kind of comment.

Not a public comment. Not a “two thumbs up” from a well-known critic that’s going to make my career. It wasn’t a call from an agent. It was a person who was facing a challenge, and my words encouraged them.

Wow.

You know what, writers? It’s worth it. For that alone, it’s worth it. Yes, writing takes hours, days, weeks, and years. Yes, you may never make a dime from it. It may take a very, very long time (if you’re like me) and you are going to face a zillion challenges in every form imaginable.

For that one person, it’s worth it.

People say to write for yourself, and I don’t argue that. Putting those thoughts, words, and ideas onto paper is fulfilling, and if you’re only writing for others, you may lose yourself in the process. Write like you. Write for you. Just write. It’s good.

But with billions of people on the planet, there’s a good chance someone out there will benefit from what you have to say. From honesty. From your brand of crazy – because we all have our own brand of crazy.

My goal, this week, is to let one of the people who’ve encouraged me know that they’ve made a difference in my life. I’m part of someone’s “target audience” too – and I’m easily part of the “audience” of the person whose comment had an impact on me. Friends, we need each other, and that is a gift.

Until next time,

Invent your story

If you’re looking for more encouragement, check out Chocolates and Writing Advice. Happy Friday!

WRITERS

Amos Dyer: on Writing, Wheels, and the Journey Ahead

Refreshingly honest. Dedicated to the writing craft. A talented, down-to-earth author, meet our guest post writer: Amos Dyer. Amos reveals where bone and marrow meet in his writing today. I follow Amos’s blog, and you can benefit from his insights at amosdyerauthor@blogspot.com. Amos writes:

There are two things you will require before going any further: Perseverance and Resilience.

If we are to believe what Mark Twain once said, “There is no such thing as a new idea” then why write at all? When we put Twain’s words into the perspective of an entire world of stories – hundreds of cultures spanning hundreds of years –  it’s easy to accept the idea that maybe our story has been told before.

This is a question (doubt demon, writing gremlin, plot-line obstacle, etc.) that I suspect everyone who has ever dreamt of becoming a writer has asked themselves at some point along their journey. But, as with every protagonist we write, we must persevere through this conflict. I personally take comfort in the understanding that while my story may not be new, it is still unique; because the way I tell the story is different from the way anyone else would tell it. If this perspective works for you as well that’s great; or you have a talisman of your own that wards off this doubt that works, that’s great as well.  Either way, persevere and write your story, because it only gets worse from here.

Since there are no new ideas – I can imagine some agent or editor, holding the fate of our writing future (some call this a manuscript) in their hands. And, as they gauge the worthiness of our work, I can also imagine at least one of them has a print of the old adage “Don’t reinvent the wheel” pinned to their cubical wall. It serves as a reminder to always watch out for the unimaginative spin on the tale that has been told a thousand times. It is the same concept that drives them to keep a template rejection letter on their desktop, to which they can quickly copy and paste your name into and send off. Why create a whole new document? Why reinvent the wheel? To which I respond: If someone didn’t reinvent the wheel at some point, we would still have wagon wheels on racecars.

Rejection is another obstacle we face. Whether active, in the form of rejection letters, or passive in the form of no response at all; it is an obstacle which perseverance alone is not enough to overcome. We must be resilient. We must face of this adversary and accept the truth that while our story may not be new, it might still be relevant to the world today. This resilience takes form every time we resubmit our work to a new agent and every time we start a new manuscript.

Sure, we might be reinventing the wheel. Yes, we might be telling the same old story. But through perseverance and resilience, we might just tell it in a better way

MEET INVENTORS

Learn How to Overcome Obstacles with Thomas Edison

Every life is a story. Every story has a theme or purpose. In writing, sometimes an author develops a theme and then writes. Other times a theme emerges when the work is complete. In my study of Thomas Edison, who is famous for inventing the lightbulb, phonograph, and motion picture camera, a theme emerged as if it was pre-planned.

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. – Thomas Edison

Perseverance

That famous quote may be the definition of what it means to press through and not give up on a goal.  As an inventor holding over 1,000 patents to his name, he wasn’t throwing idle numbers around. Can you feel the fight in these words? He indignantly refused to accept any try as wasted time, and he recognized the value of each forward step.

I’d love to know where he got his grit. As a child, Thomas came down with scarlet fever, had recurring middle ear infections, and suffered hearing loss. Life didn’t come easy for Edison, but he didn’t let that stop him from inventing.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. – Thomas Edison

Oof! If you google Thomas Edison quotes, you’ll find he talks straight about hard work. During his young life, he sold newspapers and candy on trains. He worked for over 3 years as a telegraph operator before launching his career as an inventor. Through these years, he did experiments – that sometimes got him into trouble – and continued to try again and again.

The value of an idea lies in the using of it. – Thomas Edison

Just as we look for the theme or point of a story, Edison looked for the usefulness of the invention. He didn’t use his mind and talents to create idly and be cool. Thomas was a man who saw the needs of his generation, and worked adamantly to bring to fruition inventions that helped to meet those needs.

The result of that perseverance?

He drastically changed the world.

So, inventors, we’ve got work to do. Hike up your sleeves, or put your overalls on. And if your idea doesn’t work the first time, don’t give up!

Invent your story.

This is my second post that studies the lives of inventors. You can learn something useful (that may flip your value system) about Albert Einstein at: What You Didn’t Know You Have in Common with Albert Einstein.

I learned a lot about Thomas Edison on Wikipedia and found the cool quotes in this post at BrainyQuote. If you want to learn more about Edison, these sites a great place to start!

(sources include but not limited to: encyclopedia.com, wikipedia.com)

Until next time,

Invent your story