Looks like Neal Stephenson has a substack. From the blog post: Found via Tyler Cowen's interview with Stephenson.
Looks like Neal Stephenson has a substack. From the blog post:
That intermediate zone, where all of the decisions get made, is poorly understood by non-writers. Many published novelists, including myself, have stories about being approached by someone who “has an idea for a book” and who proposes that the writer should actually do all of the writing and then split the proceeds with the idea haver.
Moviemakers and architects, who understand the grammar of their artforms as well as I do that of the English language, must get approached by idea havers all the time. Sometimes they even get sued by idea havers who think, or claim to think, that their idea was stolen.
What idea havers don’t understand is that it’s in the making of all of the microdecisions that the actual work of creation takes place, and that without it the idea might as well not exist. Someone could approach Leonardo da Vinci and say “I have an idea for a picture of a woman sitting in a chair smiling enigmatically” but it would be worthless compared to the finished work, which is realized in the form of countless individual brushstrokes, each reflecting a microdecision on the part of the painter.
This also fits with the software world a lot too. "I have this great idea. I want you to build it for me for a pittance while I profit from having an amazing idea" is a bad meme at this point....
This also fits with the software world a lot too. "I have this great idea. I want you to build it for me for a pittance while I profit from having an amazing idea" is a bad meme at this point. Unsurprisingly, said idea is usually N...but for Z! "It's Uber, but for dogs! Never mind the crass underestimation of the complexity, make this thing for free and you can have 1/12 of my amazing company!"
Back when I lived in Silicon Valley I ran into so many "idea guys" of this sort who were all convinced that they'd struck gold with their overnight hit app idea, if only they could get somebody to...
Back when I lived in Silicon Valley I ran into so many "idea guys" of this sort who were all convinced that they'd struck gold with their overnight hit app idea, if only they could get somebody to build it for them in exchange for nothing. I'd imagine it's similar in other tech hub areas.
This article is ultimately about AI and meant to inform their development. So my comment is largely off topic. The inability of the general public to understand the difference between having good...
This article is ultimately about AI and meant to inform their development. So my comment is largely off topic.
The inability of the general public to understand the difference between having good ideas and writing good stuff is the source of much stress for artists. In most of my conversations with writers and film people, no one really cares about ideas. We share them liberally, and we are rarely excited by each other's ideas. Because we know that everyone has good ideas all the time. If I open /r/writingprompts right now I will easily find dozens of good ideas with no effort from me. No one wants your ideas, and if someone "steal it" and makes it great, I guarantee that your precious idea was a very small part of that success.
I'm talking more about people I know than just publishing stuff online though. I wouldn't share a full outline or my complete world building too freely. And if I was at a prestigious position I would have reason to retain even my ideas. But, generally speaking, a beginner has more to gain by sharing their ideas than they have to lose, and when someone is too paranoid about their precious ideas that is a sign that they're starting out.
Very likely by design. The people who perpetuate this are up top and just throwing money out. And plenty are cheap enough to try to get away with not paying if they can help it. For programming...
The inability of the general public to understand the difference between having good ideas and writing good stuff is the source of much stress for artists.
Very likely by design. The people who perpetuate this are up top and just throwing money out. And plenty are cheap enough to try to get away with not paying if they can help it.
I'm talking more about people I know than just publishing stuff online though. I wouldn't share a full outline or my complete world building too freely.
For programming it's almost a breath of fresh air. I can outright post all my source code and docs online and it's highly unlikely anyone cares enough to "steal it". It's a strange goldilocks zone where our knowledge is well compensated, but 99% of our actual assets are useless to anyone but another determined programmer. Because programmers know working with someone else's code is a nightmare without existing knowledge of the decisions. That's part of the reason FOSS can be more prevalant in the field.
Love your response to this and Stephenson L's as well. There's such a defining 'Stephenson' quality to all of his writing - be it the setting, dialogue or the wild journeys he sends his characters...
Love your response to this and Stephenson L's as well. There's such a defining 'Stephenson' quality to all of his writing - be it the setting, dialogue or the wild journeys he sends his characters on.
Though I'm fundamentally worried and outraged about AI's ability to freely mimic style (written, filmic or image), I'm hopeful that it will never be able to do what Stephenson and other authors do - staying within their established style while at the same time pushing the boundaries of what it will become.
Looks like Neal Stephenson has a substack. From the blog post:
Found via Tyler Cowen's interview with Stephenson.
This also fits with the software world a lot too. "I have this great idea. I want you to build it for me for a pittance while I profit from having an amazing idea" is a bad meme at this point. Unsurprisingly, said idea is usually N...but for Z! "It's Uber, but for dogs! Never mind the crass underestimation of the complexity, make this thing for free and you can have 1/12 of my amazing company!"
Back when I lived in Silicon Valley I ran into so many "idea guys" of this sort who were all convinced that they'd struck gold with their overnight hit app idea, if only they could get somebody to build it for them in exchange for nothing. I'd imagine it's similar in other tech hub areas.
This article is ultimately about AI and meant to inform their development. So my comment is largely off topic.
The inability of the general public to understand the difference between having good ideas and writing good stuff is the source of much stress for artists. In most of my conversations with writers and film people, no one really cares about ideas. We share them liberally, and we are rarely excited by each other's ideas. Because we know that everyone has good ideas all the time. If I open /r/writingprompts right now I will easily find dozens of good ideas with no effort from me. No one wants your ideas, and if someone "steal it" and makes it great, I guarantee that your precious idea was a very small part of that success.
I'm talking more about people I know than just publishing stuff online though. I wouldn't share a full outline or my complete world building too freely. And if I was at a prestigious position I would have reason to retain even my ideas. But, generally speaking, a beginner has more to gain by sharing their ideas than they have to lose, and when someone is too paranoid about their precious ideas that is a sign that they're starting out.
Very likely by design. The people who perpetuate this are up top and just throwing money out. And plenty are cheap enough to try to get away with not paying if they can help it.
For programming it's almost a breath of fresh air. I can outright post all my source code and docs online and it's highly unlikely anyone cares enough to "steal it". It's a strange goldilocks zone where our knowledge is well compensated, but 99% of our actual assets are useless to anyone but another determined programmer. Because programmers know working with someone else's code is a nightmare without existing knowledge of the decisions. That's part of the reason FOSS can be more prevalant in the field.
Love your response to this and Stephenson L's as well. There's such a defining 'Stephenson' quality to all of his writing - be it the setting, dialogue or the wild journeys he sends his characters on.
Though I'm fundamentally worried and outraged about AI's ability to freely mimic style (written, filmic or image), I'm hopeful that it will never be able to do what Stephenson and other authors do - staying within their established style while at the same time pushing the boundaries of what it will become.