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PLEASE NOTE: What follows is a re-print of the instruction manual for Writer's Block - Goodbye!. Throughout this document there are many references to illustrations. The actual illustrations have been removed to keep this page to a reasonable size for viewing on the internet. Introduction: Overwhelmed by the staggering wealth of written works gathered from the dawn of recorded knowledge through to the present day, many will lament, “Nothing original remains to be done”. Every song has been sung, every story been told, every concept conceived – RUBBISH! Welcome to Writer’s Block - Goodbye! - the indispensable power tool for anyone involved in the many distinguished arts of creative writing. Writers are a unique breed that perceive the world in a larger sense than most of us and they well understand the critical importance of fresh, new, and original, ideas. In writing, just as in life, it is ideas that matter. It is ideas that lead the way. New ideas that spawn and mature to find form and expression - sculpted to perfection by the minds of their creators. But where do these new original ideas come from? How are new ideas created? Writers, along with many others involved in creative pursuits, also know better than most just how difficult it can be to generate something truly original. Even worse, what happens when it has to be done consistently, reliably, on demand whenever it is needed? Where can one go for a reliable source of inspiration to find the elusive way forward, the original and innovative approach, the new “twist” that fits? What is Writer's Block - Goodbye!? Writer’s Block – Goodbye! offers an elegant solution of incredible power and inexhaustible reserves. Writer’s Block – Goodbye! is not an instructional training course in creative writing, certainly not in any conventional sense. Rather, Writer’s Block – Goodbye! is a productive, uplifting, mind bending working environment that literally draws original ideas directly from the writer’s own mind by means of a unique tool set designed to optimize and amplify any creative writing endeavor. A Difference Found NoWhere Else Writer’s Block – Goodbye! is predicated on two foundational principles that work together in synergy – Neural Ergonomics and Random Word Stimulation. What is Included? Writer’s Block – Goodbye! includes the following tools:
But in addition to these invaluable tools, Writer’s Block – Goodbye! offers something new that is at once so powerful, so revolutionary, so practical, efficient, useful, and effective for everyone, of any age, from beginning student to the most seasoned professional, that it could spark a new renaissance in how we approach creativity training and acquisition. Happy Accidents at Your Command Writer’s Block – Goodbye! features a tool set designed to directly stimulate the mind with the kind of fresh inspiration that only occurs when confronted with forces that emerge at random from the mysterious unknown. Throughout history, the moments of great innovation and invention have actually manifested completely by accident. Moments in time that move mountains - unpredictable random occurrences, an extraordinary convergence of coincidence, or the infamous “Happy Accident”. These elusive moments have been known by many names, but in common they describe spontaneous events, that happen completely by chance, in an unforeseeable future beyond our deliberate control. New experiences recognized from random events that take place outside of the mind, force a reorganization of familiar synaptic response. The mind naturally adapts as new experiences are absorbed and processed. Deeper insights are illuminated as the brain restructures its neural pathways to integrate new information into its collective consciousness. It is within this newly expanded framework of enhanced awareness and understanding that new ideas are born. Some shrug off these chance events as mere quirks of circumstance, irrelevant and unworthy of serious consideration. Some interpret these fateful events as divine intervention or mystical sign. Still others believe in the fortunes of luck (good or bad) and know full well that the immutable Law of Averages dictates it's just a matter of time before they come around our way. These moments are fleeting and most often pass by completely unnoticed. One must be constantly on alert to recognize these events as they happen and be ready to seize upon the opportunities they reveal. But to be in the right place, at the right time, under the right conditions, and in the right frame of mind – for the myriad of unrelated random factors to spontaneously come together in just the right way to ignite the spark of inspiration is a very rare and precious moment indeed. Writer’s Block – Goodbye! is dedicated to producing these magical moments on demand whenever you need them. A virtually infinite supply of fresh inspiration, drawn from the full measure of human experience, is now in hand and ready to serve at your command. Even the most stubborn of writer's block, or for that matter any type of mental block, has no hope for survival in Writer's Block – Goodbye’s instantly engaging and stimulating working environment. There are no formulas to learn, no flowcharts to follow, no rules to obey, no complex theories to struggle with. There is no typical “Learning Curve” to Writer's Block – Goodbye! In fact, as you will experience firsthand, Writer's Block – Goodbye! follows what can only be described as an “Unlearning Curve”. Power from the Unknown There are no specific instructions on how to use Writer's Block – Goodbye! because there is no specific way to use Writer's Block – Goodbye!. Writer's Block – Goodbye! is an open-ended experience designed to provoke your thinking in new unfamiliar directions. Traditional education emphasizes memorizing existing information, and understanding information strictly within the context from which it is given. In contrast to the traditional approach, Writer's Block – Goodbye! directly stimulates the mind to generate its own unique information by exercising the brain’s primordial ability to think for itself. This open-ended approach to self-induced, self-inspired, and self-directed learning is a stark contradiction to the linear methods of traditional education. And yet these two methods of learning are not in conflict, they are complementary and of equal value, like two sides of the same coin. Many will find this new way of thinking unfamiliar and a bit disconcerting at first. You may feel some apprehension from the uncertainties inherent in beginning a self-propelled journey whose final destination is completely unknown. A relaxed attitude is the key to success. Keep in mind that it is precisely the unknown that you seek to discover. This is your time to cast free from the mental restraints of inhibition and boldly strike forward in confident anticipation of what new adventures and riches lay before you. Acquiring new modes of thinking is a process of growth which inevitably means that old modes of thinking will change - if you let them. Writer's Block – Goodbye! transcends the typical “cookie cutter” or “paint by numbers” approach to learning creativity. Imagination does not thrive within a structured architecture. Your mind is a living, constantly evolving matrix of infinite complexity whose true nature extends far beyond any imposed limitations. Writer's Block – Goodbye! is patterned to act as a natural extension of the mind that works in a synergistic complementary relationship. Writer's Block – Goodbye! presents the mind with unexpected random experiences to prompt reactions that lead somewhere new. The forces that dwell in the unpredictable unknown are now harnessed and held patiently at bay until called for. Results are immediate, even to a beginner, and can easily be tailored to suit your specific requirements and personality in ways that are entirely up to you to discover through self-guided exploration. Your imagination, unleashed within this open-ended playground of endless possibility, will begin to adapt and discover many ways to utilize the abundant stimuli it provides. How Does it Work? To bring these lofty claims firmly to the grip of reality Writer's Block – Goodbye! utilizes a very simple and yet incredibly effective technique called Random Word Stimulation. At its core is a cache of 89,364 selected words (yes, we evaluated over 200,000 – one by one) driven by Promptoria's advanced randomizing engine that ensures unique results every time. Words that work both individually and in combination to produce new life experiences in your imagination without ever having to leave the familiar comfort, security, and convenience of your own desktop environment. 89,364 individual, unrelated, random snippets of thought that each express a multitude of ideas. At first glance, Writer's Block – Goodbye! gives the impression that it simply provides story elements to be pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. Using Writer's Block – Goodbye! in this manner is very entertaining and perfectly acceptable if it gets the job done. However, you will learn as you read through this help file that the true value of Writer's Block – Goodbye! is not in what it gives you. The true value is discovered throughout the journey to wherever it takes you. The stimulus words are sorted into twenty two categories and one wild card (“Random”) to provide a means to direct the focus of your calls to the unknown. These twenty three buttons represent more than just collections of words. Think of them as twenty three intimate friends that never argue, never sit in judgment, never criticize or offer unwelcome opinion, never make demands or otherwise force their will upon you, and that will never betray your trust or seek credit for your ideas. Twenty three friends with a vast storehouse of information on tap and whose sole agenda is to harmonize with your own unique perceptions and work with you in partnership to prompt a way forward in any direction you care to travel. There is no way to predict how they will answer your call. Two things are certain: As you become aquatinted working within this exciting new environment, don’t be surprised if you begin to develop a type of personal relationship with the different categories as you come to know what each has to offer and how they can work together to help you fulfill your objectives. Writer's Block – Goodbye! awaits your pleasure. Now when you have those empty moments, when your thinking seems all but depleted, you can always find exactly what you didn't know you needed. The Interface: The graphical interface is not simply a matter of artistic license. Beyond what has been described Writer's Block – Goodbye! leverages subliminal technologies, hidden within the graphics and animations. These powerful techniques are similar to that which advertisers use to influence our minds, except here they are deployed to enhance creativity and self exploration. Those of us accustomed to working with spreadsheets and business forms may feel that the whimsical design undermines any potential of producing serious work – a simple child's game that must surely be intended for only simple child's play. What you are feeling is typical of a deeply rooted conditioned response to reject things that are unfamiliar or do not fit your expectations of what you think they should be. This type of conditioned response is the only major obstacle to success in generating new ideas. Let loose of preconceptions. Find a way to suspend the urge to reject and allow your imagination some freedom to explore. The stimulation of random words will inevitably trigger new ideas, many of which will seem nonsensical. Give your mind to a chance to acclimate to a new idea and reap the benefits that are sure to follow. The category buttons along the left side of your screen initiate the idea stimulation process. The main body the interface consists of two panels. The upper panel serves as a multi-function utility that will later be explain in detail. The lower panel features a word processor for recording your work with a minimum of technical fuss. The intervening toolbar contains control buttons that invoke the various iterations of the utility panel and includes some standard text editing functions for the document workspace. Also be aware that the text related elements of the interface are sensitive to the right button on your mouse. Click with your right mouse button to open a submenu with the standard Cut, Copy, and Paste functions and other functions that are pertinent to the individual controls. Click the Title box and type in the title of your current work. The text will be automatically resized to fit. Word Category Buttons: The Academic Group: Adverbs - Word Count 4,823 – for the Young 4,674 Verbs – Word Count 14,095 – for the Young 13,063 Adjectives – Word Count 20,498 – for the Young 19,737 Nouns – Word Count 92,380 – for the Young 90,215 The Academic group represents the staple diet of any type of creative writing endeavor. A variety of effects are produced by mixing words from these categories in different sequences. For example Poets, Sloganeers, and Songwriter’s realize tremendous benefits from the pairing of “Adjective – Noun” that together form what could be a title to work from or could otherwise inspire unique subjects to write about or expose an innovative new approach to a familiar subject. The Golden Group: Characters – Word Count 10,104 – for the Young 8,514 Attributes – Word Count 9,131 – for the Young 8,087 Environment – Word Count 5,420 – for the Young 5,161 Activity – Word Count 10,355 – for the Young 8,766 Random – Word Count 215,513 – for the Young 205,994 The words in the “Golden” group of categories are by far the most open-ended and will find a broad range of application to any type of situation or subject matter. All other elements of plot, conflict, perspective, theme, irony, mood, et al, are derived from these four most basic fundamentals. Selecting a word from each of these categories already creates a story or scene that will grow and take form with a life of its own. Click the “Characters” button just once. Now click the “Attributes” button just once. There are three important points to glean from this exercise: 2. Writer’s Block – Goodbye! excels at delivering whatever is needed. Because of this fact many users have a tendency toward continually invoking a category until an acceptable solution is found. Although one cannot deny the remarkable effectiveness of this strategy there is actually far more to be gained by allowing some time to consider each word in some depth. Many associations to the matter at hand will immediately spring forth but the real power of creativity manifests from finding elusive associations that are not instantly apparent. You have an immeasurable wealth of information buried within your subconscious. The random word plants a seed, give it at least a few moments or more to germinate, and sprout, to reap a truly bountiful harvest. 3. The most important thing of all. As alluded to above, when you called for the “Attributes” word your character probably acquired an unexpected new dimension. “Environment”, “Activity” and indeed another “Character” word would have produced the same overriding effect. In any type of creative writing the unexpected, in all its forms, is a key ingredient to grabbing and holding your readers attention. Curiosity is the primal motivation of any thinking brain. Once curiosity is stimulated the mind is compelled to see it through to resolution. New dimensions, expanded perceptions, unique insights, heightened awareness, are the true tools of trade in the writer’s craft. These are qualities that writers themselves must master to enrich their readers by the skills of expression. These qualities represent the mind’s limitless potential and can only be acquired through self-guided, self-motivated, self-inspired contemplation. The mind alone has great difficulty generating something new and original. This difficulty stems from a simple basic fact. Everything you have experienced in life is recorded into the brain in complete detail. Everything you have ever seen, heard, touched, smelled, and tasted, everything you have ever thought, and everything in your dreams. Every single bit of this incalculable volume of information suffers a common malady – they are already known. “New”, by definition, is something that does not yet exist. There is nothing “New” to be found in what is already known. New ideas emerge in response to fresh information, stimulation that comes in from outside the mind and brings with it a whole new perspective. Generating new ideas in the writers mind is the primal need that Writer's Block – Goodbye! was created to fulfill. Writer's Block – Goodbye! supplies a virtually infinite number of unpredictable random events that will catalyze your mind and ignite a reaction of explosive creativity that cannot help but to reflect the unique nature and perceptions of the individual writer. The Support Groups: The support categories are much more specific in nature and they are, for that very reason, extremely useful in a multitude of situations. Again the power of association extends the value of these words far beyond that which may seem apparent from the title of each of these categories. This is the reason the “Random” button was included in the “Golden” group. It is well worth experimenting with these categories. Often the last place you would ever think to look for something is the very place that you will find exactly what you are looking for. Names – Word Count 3,646 – for the Young 3,605 Places – Word Count 2,772 – for the Young 2,769 Things – Word Count 2,504 – for the Young 2,307 Wares – Word Count 9,137 – for the Young 8,905 Medical – Word Count 4,187 – for the Young 3,913 Religion – Word Count 1,741 – for the Young 1,659 Military – Word Count 1,455 – for the Young 1,333 Emotion – Word Count 1,146 – for the Young 959 Animal – Word Count 3,909 – for the Young 3,886 Nature – Word Count 3,695 – for the Young 3,676 Legal – Word Count 820 – for the Young 807 Science – Word Count 9,904 – for the Young 9,741 Food – Word Count 2,529 – for the Young 2,485 Music – Word Count 1,260 – for the Young 1,232 (IMPORTANT - See Note Below) Mature – Word Count 5,547– for the Young 0 (IMPORTANT - See Note Below) Please Note: Writer's Block - Goodbye! - comes in two different versions – “for the Young” and “for Adults” In the “for the Young” version the “Mature” category words have been completely omitted. They will not appear at random, they are not included in the master lists, and they will not appear in Promptoria’s integrated dictionary/thesaurus either as a lookup word or within the definitions or thesaurus entries. The “Mature” category is not included and in its place is the “Music” category. The “for Adults” version is completely uncensored. Among the words in the “Mature” category approximately 120 – 150 words are the more obviously vulgar. However, the majority of words in this category are simply of a more adult nature that may be inappropriate for younger or more sensitive users. Nevertheless these words can be very useful and perfectly appropriate in many situations, depending upon the nature of the writing. All the words contained within Promptoria’s integrated dictionary/thesaurus can be found in any main stream dictionary or thesaurus of similar size, scope and quality. Of course what may be considered inappropriate is subjective and varies greatly between one person and the next. Promptoria products are designed with sensitivity to the needs of our user base. We are dedicated to serve in the most productive way possible. If you should find any words in the “for the Young” version of Writer’s Block – Goodbye! that you find objectionable, please contact us through the Customer Service link at www.Promptoria.com and let us know. Registered users will be contacted by email and notified whenever updated word lists become available. This service is provided free of charge. The Utility Panel: The Idea Panel: Be sure to read through the entire entry in the right pane. Many words have multiple definitions and even though there will certainly be one that relates directly to the title of the category, the others can serve to illuminate meanings to the words in ways that you may not have otherwise considered. This is a source of great power that can have a dramatic effect in your work. Writer's Block – Goodbye! is an open-ended experience. There are no rules to adhere to, there are only results to achieve, so feel free to experiment however you please. There is no requirement to use every word that appears, however it cannot be stressed enough that taking some time to consider words that initially fail to produce eureka can nevertheless produce results of the most powerful impact. True value is a quality that is not always immediately apparent. The most precious of gems are formed within the most worthless of rock and must be extracted to realize their value. The sweat and blood and toil expended is ultimately well worth the effort and never doubt that the exercise will strengthen your mental musculature and will greatly enhance your ability to ascertain and comprehend progressively deeper levels of meaning in any subject. To delete a word from the list, click on the word to hi-light it and then click the “Delete” button. Deleted words can be recalled by clicking the “Recall” button. The words are recalled in the reverse order they were deleted and will be appended to the bottom of the list. As the words collect their definitions and thesaurus entries can be reviewed at any time by clicking on the word of interest. The Rhyme Panel: Click the “Rhyme” button to invoke the rhyme panel. Type in a word you wish to rhyme in the text box provided and click the “Search” button or press the “Enter” key on your keyboard to start the engine. Rhyming words will appear in the right pane. Click the “Rhyme” button again to return to the main panel. The small “Rhymes“ button at the top right of the panel, when enabled as shown in the above illustration, indicates the panel is in rhyme mode. The three check boxes below this button can be selected individually or in combination to determine the type of rhyme your searching for. Perfect – Words that exactly match the lookup word from the primary stressed vowel to the end. Alternate – Words that follow less stringent rules of rhyme but can nevertheless be very useful. Cadence – Phonetic Cadence Matching finds words that can be spoken with similar beat or rhythm. In the center section a sequence of letters you specify is used as the word search criteria. Selecting “Contains”, “Begins With”, or “Ends With” in the center section will disable the “Rhymes” button. Enter a sequence of letters in the text box provided. The search is not case sensitive. In the left section you can define the number of characters in the returned words as a search criteria. To enable this feature select “Greater Than”, “Less Than”, or “Equals” and enter a number in the text box provided. To disable this feature either remove the number in the text box or de-select the active button. The Font Panel: To use the displayed font in your document is important to remember to first click in your document to position the insertion point (indicated by a flashing vertical line) where you want the new font to appear. Once the insertion point is selected modify the font as desired and then just start typing to use the new font. The Font panel also works in conjunction with the Font related buttons on the Toolbar. For the sake of convenience, descriptions of all the buttons on the toolbar from left to right are listed together below. Buttons that do not pertain to the Font panel are labeled as such. The Toolbar: Chapter/Scene Buttons: (not applicable to the Font panel) The Chapter/Scene panel is described in detail later in this document. Menu: (not applicable to the Font panel) Font: Size: Color: Undo: (not applicable to the Font panel) Redo: (not applicable to the Font panel) Bold: Italic: Underline: Justify Buttons: (not applicable to the Font panel) Bullet: (not applicable to the Font panel) Lexicon: (not applicable to the Font panel) Spell: (not applicable to the Font panel) Exit: (not applicable to the Font panel) *Your lookup words interface settings and all the information in the Chapter/Scene panel will also be saved automatically along with your document. The Spell Check Panel: The Spell Check panel will close automatically when spell checking is complete. The Lexicon Panel: The Chapter/Scene Panel: Chp/Scn: Environment: Activities: Characters: Attributes: To use the Environment, Activities, and Attributes text boxes just click in the appropriate box and start typing. The Chp/Scn and Characters list boxes are edited using the Edit panel shown below. Add – Adds a new item to the end of the list. Notice the small checkbox at the top left corner of the Chapter/Scene panel. When this box is checked – clicking on an item in the Chp/Scn list with cause the document workspace to scroll to the associated scene. To use this function type five asterisks (shift + 8 on your keyboard) in a row with no spaces in between - ***** -, on a separate line between the chapters in your document. In order for this feature to work properly this mark must not appear either at the very beginning or the very end of your document. If the checkbox is unchecked these marks are ignored and auto-scrolling is disabled. If you want to return to a specific spot in a long scene place the mark at the appropriate location. Regardless of where you put this mark only one mark per scene is allowed.
Educators can create an unlimited supply of unique writing assignments by selecting one word from each of the main categories Characters, Attributes, Environment, and Activity, as a set that begins a story. Another interesting approach is to give each participant two sets words as stated above with instruction to write a story that tie the two sets together in the sequence given. In this scenario, the first set of words for one participant is identical to the last set of words for the next participant. With this scheme a contiguous story can be assembled from any number of participants. The participants can write their sections of the story completely oblivious of what the other participants are writing about. Each participant could be given a number of words from a single category and the group would write together as one – each with their own area of focus. Given the popularity of laptop computers, groups were each participant has purchased their own installation of Writer's Block – Goodbye! can open a whole new world of possibilities. Conclusion: Not a conclusion but a new beginning. The elegant simplicity of Writer's Block – Goodbye! belies the long hours, worn fingernails, and endless soul-searching that went in to its development. Promptoria sets new standards of sincere dedication to creating tools of self enlightenment that are easy to use and effective at producing practical, useful, and valuable results. Visit us at www.Promptoria.com to check for new offerings. Your feedback is valued and encouraged. Please help us improve and let us know how Writer's Block – Goodbye! is working for you. Writer’s Block – Goodbye! Copyright © 2009 Promptoria All rights reserved. |
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