Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content, 2nd Edition

207 Pages·2010·0.74 MB·English

by  Mark Levy

More Praise for Accidental Genius
“Mark Levy teaches readers a wonderful mental technology, freewrit-
ing, that helps you dive deep into your unconscious to discover trea-
sures, like your next business venture, marketing campaign, or movie
script. This book is a must for all who need to reach their most pre-
cious assets.”
—B. J. Bueno, founder of The Cult Branding Company and coauthor of
The Power of Cult Branding
“One of the best books I’ve ever read on unlocking your thoughts—
your chatter—and turning them into something powerful and mean-
ingful. I’m recommending it to all my clients.”
—Jerry Colonna, cofounder of the venture capital fi rm Flatiron Partners
and executive coach
“Mark Levy is the creative force behind all my live magic shows, tele-
vision appearances, newspaper interviews, and even my book. We
use the techniques he explains in Accidental Genius to explore sur-
prising ways of presenting magic. By following the techniques in this
expanded edition of Mark’s book, you’ll learn how to create your own
miracles in whatever realm of life you work.”
—Steve Cohen, “The Millionaires’ Magician,” cocreator of Chamber
Magic, the longest running one-man show in New York City
“Mark Levy’s techniques for breaking the dam to unleash ideas and
solutions, words and pages, are brilliant, quirky, and doable. I love
this book.”
—Debbie Weil, corporate social media consultant and author of The
Corporate Blogging Book
“I devoured the second edition in one sitting, even though I had to
pee really badly near the end. Mark made a great book even better.
I’ll apply what I learned to improve my thinking and writing process
starting today.”
—David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR
“Follow Mark Levy’s principles and the words will soon be fl owing out
of your brain and onto your paper, from there to do your bidding and
accomplish your purpose. Buy this book. Free your mind.”
—B. Joseph Pine II, coauthor of The Experience Economy and
Authenticity
“This book is the must-have writing book of the decade. Levy has
crafted an actionable, dynamic, and inspiration-fi lled how-to manual
for becoming an accidental genius writer. Thought leaders, universi-
ties, marketers, and creatives will fi nd this book invaluable for gen-
erating new ideas and powerful content no matter what the vertical.”
—Nettie Hartsock, founder of The Hartsock Agency and author of Fire
Your Publicist!
“In Accidental Genius, Mark has created a playground where words
are used to creatively solve problems. Mark has a unique style that
takes the fear out of exploring new ideas and unlocks the reader’s
imagination to safely experience untried possibilities.”
—Toby Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Marketing and author of the
Diva Marketing blog
“When I arrived at Mark Levy’s doorstep, I had a head full of ideas,
a life of experiences, and the inability to commit any of it to writing.
Like waving a magician’s wand, I quickly produced a book using the
exercises in Mark’s book. You owe it to your legacy to get it all out
on paper. Do it!”
—Christina Harbridge, author of Your Professionalism Is Killing You
“Want to generate innovative ideas, one-of-a-kind insights, and clear,
compelling content that profi t you and your organization? Write this
way. Mark Levy’s brilliant book is packed with I-can-use-that-right-
now techniques that get your best thoughts out of your head and onto
the page. Read it and reap.”
—Sam Horn, speaker, consultant, and author of POP! Create the
Perfect Pitch, Title, and Tagline for Anything
“Accidental Genius can change your life. Really. Mark’s ideas will
help you open up remarkable ‘aha’ possibilities for your business, for
your writing, and for what you should really being doing with your
life.”
—Lois Kelly, author of Beyond Buzz and the Dying to Help blog
“Mark Levy has penned the book that solves the problems all writers
and people in general face: they get stuck. Mark does a truly spectac-
ular job of showing you how to unleash genius. Many of these ideas
I’ve used for two decades to author twenty books—I will use them to
write my next twenty. This book is a gift for all those who have the
desire to share their thoughts with the world—and with themselves.”
—Kevin Hogan, author of The 168 Hour Week and The Psychology of
Persuasion
“When we need to generate content or solve a problem, most of us
sit down and think about it. Levy gives us an alternative approach.
Rather than laboriously forcing ideas, his process provides a vehicle
for thoughts to fl ow freely. The result? Powerful new ideas and a
compelling way of communicating them. The process becomes easy,
creative, and enjoyable, enabling us to generate content we can’t
wait to share.”
—Larina Kase, PsyD, MBA, author of The Confi dent Leader and
coauthor of the New York Times bestseller The Confi dent Speaker
“Freewriting has become my secret weapon. I use it every day to work
my way through problems and fi nd new, creative solutions, to sum-
mon wisdom and guidance that I didn’t know I had, and to imagine
possibilities that once seemed out of reach. I use it with my clients to
leverage their inherent knowledge and intelligence to guide them in
their businesses. Mark’s book does more than get you writing. His ex-
ercises and prompts unlock your creative genius. It’s straightforward
and entertaining, and most importantly it is wildly inspiring. Fasten
your seatbelt. Once you start freewriting you don’t know where you’ll
end up—and you’ll certainly never go back.”
—Kate Purmal, founder of Kate Purmal Consulting and a former
executive with SanDisk and Palm
“Accidental Genius is essential reading for all who want to plumb the
depths of their creativity and wisdom––and send their inner editor on
vacation. Which should be everybody.”
—Lloyd Dangle, cartoonist and author of Troubletown
“Accidental Genius makes us realize that we squander our greatest
asset: our creativity. New businesses, new successes, and new prof-
its never blossom because people let their good ideas die on the vine.
Levy deftly teaches how to help your ideas come alive and bloom into
books, products, companies, and more. The simple methods in this
book bring forth the magic in our minds and show us how to grab it,
plant it, cultivate it, and grow something new under the sun.”
—Nick Corcodilos, founder of AsktheHeadhunter.com
“Mark Levy’s simple yet revolutionary writing tips are about to awaken
your genius so you can accomplish the things you want to in life. Your
genius is waiting!”
—Thomas Clifford, Fast Company “Expert Blogger” and corporate
communications producer
“Accidental Genius is a work of genius—but not accidental. Mark’s
wit, wisdom, and world-wise years of hard work are delivered with
an eloquent sophistication of simplicity that informs, educates, and
entertains. Anyone who reads this will benefi t greatly—writers, mar-
keters, PR professionals, business leaders, sales, and more. Buy this
book. Read it. Use it. Awaken the genius within.”
—Steve Kayser, editor of the online business magazine Cincom Expert
Access
“Whoever said ‘geniuses are born, not made’? Well, I did, until this
incredible book! It took Mark Levy not just to tell us all to ‘be remark-
able’ but to show us how! Where were you when I started out twenty-
fi ve years ago? Well, at least we’ve got it now.”
—Bill Schley, author of The Micro-Script Rules and Why Johnny Can’t
Brand
ACCIDENTAL GENIUS
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ACCIDENTAL
GENIUS
Using Writing to
Generate Your Best
Ideas, Insight,
and Content
MARK LEVY
Accidental Genius
Copyright © 2010 by Mark Andrew Levy
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distrib-
uted, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying,
recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior writ-
ten permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted
by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed
“Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
235 Montgomery Street, Suite 650
San Francisco, California 94104-2916
Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]
www.bkconnection.com
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SecondEdition
Paperback print edition ISBN 978-1-60509-525-7
PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-60509-651-3
IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-60509-652-0
2010-1
Text designer: Detta Penna
Copyeditor: Joy Matkowski
Proofreader: Katherine Lee
Indexer: Kirsten Kite
Cover designer: Ian Shimkoviak/The Book Designers
Cover photo: Shutterstock
Contents
Introduction Your Mind Is Bigger Than You Think 1
Part One The Six Secrets to Freewriting 13
1. Secret#1: Try Easy 15
2. Secret#2: Write Fast and Continuously 19
3. Secret#3: Work against a Limit 25
4. Secret#4: Write the Way You Think 29
5. Secret#5: Go with the Thought 35
6. Secret#6: Redirect Your Attention 41
Part Two: Powerful Refi nements 45
7. Idea as Product 47
8. Prompt Your Thinking 53
9. Open Up Words 57
10. Escape Your Own Intelligence 65
11. The Value in Disconnecting 69
12. Using Assumptions to Get Unstuck 75
13. Getting a Hundred Ideas Is Easier Than Getting One 81
14. Learn to Love Lying 85
15. Hold a Paper Conversation 89
16. Drop Your Mind on Paper 97
17. The Writing Marathon 103
18. Doubt Yourself 107
19. The Magic of Exact Writing 113
20. Extract Gold from a Business Book 121
21. You Are What You Focus On 129