A writer's secrets to catching creative ideas | Brad Herzog | TEDxMonterey

What do fishing and creative writing have in common? In his playful and personal TEDxMonterey talk, award winning freelance writer Brad Herzog shares some of his favorite stories and best kept secrets for pursuing and catching great ideas. Brad Herzog has a four-headed writing career. The Pacific Grove resident is the author of more than 30 books for children, including a new five-book nonfiction series about character in sports. He has also written a trilogy of travel memoirs, which that the American Book Review has deemed "the new classics of American travel writing." His latest book is the co-authored memoirs of civil rights icon Carolyn Goodman.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[@theomegaconcern9564]

The more you practice thinking about the mundane and shining a spotlight on it, the better you'll get at recognizing creative ideas

[@jenniferleigh1674]

yes!! so true!

[@cortneysalazar561]

Hrd

[@cortneysalazar561]

Ertutwxvnwtwf4khtsve

[@rawrizord]

Any other tidbits to share? This was quite nice :')

[@ladybird491]

I once just randomly listed things in my kitchen and chose the thing that haunted me and let it lead me in the poem and challenge myself to use as many as the things on the list. The poem made the short list in a poetry contest and is now scheduled to be published in a print magazine

[@nicolemccray8095]

Congrats to you!

[@isdowning883]

Where can I read it?

[@thedailychailatte]

Can you share the link to the poem

[@jurrasicgrant2307]

Wow!!

[@sunitahenry6811]

@@thedailychailatte link n

[@dak4821]

The best advice that I got from this talk was, "show the reader the story, don't tell them."

[@BarryHawk]

Best advice on getting ideas to write that I've encountered so far. Guy is top-drawer.

[@christofthedead]

he's a writer, not a drawer

[@dlxcdenxts3000]

@@christofthedead People like u will live a long time lol

[@AlphaphenomenonGaming]

I keep my best ideas next to my socks so I see them every day :D

[@fritzschneebauer6565]

To make the reader re-think things. That's a nice explanation of surprising art! :-)

[@alabamajenny8751]

Sir, you tell a beautiful story. I hope you have that portrait of yourself, in the Buddy Holly glasses, hooking a big one “blown up” poster size and hanging somewhere in your home. Bravo!!

[@alexalexis7899]

Practical, entertaining, funny and filled with insight, this is one of the best TEDx and TED Talks I've ever seen.

[@AlphaphenomenonGaming]

I really enjoyed it as well

[@BrendaLaTorre]

Agree!

[@hahhwajjaj3239]

Quickest 15 mins of my life...love this guy

[@rumipoo]

Probably one of the best talks i have heard in a long time. .. It was funny and full of learning no wonder he is such a renowned writer..

[@ainathiel]

This was a really good lecture. The ideas made sense and they were explained well.

[@PepermintButterflies]

This was a great talk. I will definitely remember this when I'm writing.

[@speliotis]

Inspiring talk... Thank you Brad Herzog - 3 years later & this is still GOLDEN.....

[@ladybird491]

Symbolism and Sparks that don't just drizzle straight to the ground is what we want in our work.

[@moltenbullet]

You can tell he's a writer because he has great narrative sequencing in his presentation - something that is sorely lacking in many corporate presentations. I encourage everyone to get good at writing as a fundamental skill, even before pursuing more visible skills like public speaking. Writing helps you become compellingly structured, because you are left with nothing but words on a page and a narrative to capture your audience's attention.

[@ladybird491]

You can visit a scene and sketch different things happening at different times (you imagine) and different things appearing at different times (you imagine) and then go fishing for one of the things and any one you feel hooked on, basically like it's crawling around in your mind, then you choose that to write about

[@susanbeckley5765]

Simply but beautifully put. Thank you Brad Herzog & TEDx.

[@gaminggen5807]

Apart from his talk the most creative thing I found in this video was the bottle design.. Looks really good.

[@lifewinner369]

Start consciously and courageously continue the path you have chosen until the END and go forward . .👊🏻

[@arlinegeorge6967]

Very interesting and informative talk. Thank you, bless you. All your dreams come true .

[@Whollyworshipministries]

This is such a good way to see the world and become aware of infinite ideas to use as seeds for creativity. I write songs, and this is so helpful!!

[@CreatingJana]

One of the best TED Talks I've ever seen.

[@lamiaaboulberj4380]

One of the best TED talks I ever watched so far. This guy is really funny and I just love the way he explained his ideas. Turning ideas into something delicious. That is awesome. Giving the chance to readers to taste what we're showing them.

[@tennyim]

one of the best tedtalk!!! love it

[@MrMusicislife69]

Great public speaker, with great points. Nice

[@arj-peace]

Excellent. Charming and informative.

[@alfredaproctor5402]

Another homerun very catching story, and great idea plus great line to go bye.

[@dannyasio8614]

Nice intro. I love it. I want to write. My inspiration write was revived thru this talk.

[@karenmacrae9232]

Terrific! I really enjoyed this!

[@AlphaphenomenonGaming]

This dude is a really great speaker!

[@buffalobob]

Great, Brad! Really enjoyed it.

[@irodanbatta]

Nice presentation! "Show don't tell".. thanks a lot.

[@toluwalopelawal3627]

An amazing storyteller

[@bangaloreshydrohome8003]

This is one the best inspiring video on creative writing.. absolutely loved it..

[@anolds24]

So great! Love this.

[@joaocongo2334]

It should have more views!

[@gcfoodandculture]

I was planning to write a book on Health, though I have made videos on them on my channel. Writing a book was something I always put off. Now I'm confident that I can do that!. Thank you!

[@edgarbleikur1929]

Did you write the book?

[@gcfoodandculture]

@@edgarbleikur1929 nope 😂

[@Aarnyx]

@@gcfoodandculture but why??

[@shristirai9695]

Loved it!! Thank you so much 🙏

[@rosnahahmad]

Great talk Brad...Thank You

[@taufiqusman6655]

Excellent Presentation. Very informative, entertaining and Useful.

[@sevenaka7]

Excellent talk!

[@sinahasler562]

this is really inspiring ! thanks so much

[@rizalmalawi3438]

I have got many inspirations from his speech..

[@johneyon5257]

"show - don't tell" - he provides good examples of that - the lecturer tells of how he captured the themes for certain articles he wrote - the ones from "mundane" moments - which were actually moments of quirky thought - which led to fresh themes for articles - they are examples that other people can emulate - if they are alert enuf - by clinging to a thought subtly tickling his fancy - and pondering it - until it yields something worthy of authoring what he called "patience" was actually research - and that is something we can do much more easily then a mere 2 decades ago due to the internet - how many times have you looked something up - and followed links from webpage to webpage - deeper and deeper into the subject matter - finding meat for your writing i didn't like his counsel to find the "real" story - as if there is one real story - i would modify that to find a "fresh & interesting" theme - i do like his preference for an idea different from everyone else's - for me - there's no joy in re-writing someone else's work

[@niamscookery3442]

You are a nice story teller.

[@theirishroses]

Excellent, learned a lot and enjoyed the sense of humor

[@bernicesims8951]

Love the logic and the equation. And I’m no Algebra student.

[@samdavepollard]

Nice one. Thanks for the upload. Deserves way more views!

[@nightraptor7701]

+Sam Dave Pollard, i think so too

[@Highriskproductionz]

I went to that summer camp too

[@IshaanSood]

At least I can count on not finding any idiots in the comments section here And also, great speaker

[@AmeyaBenare]

I will remember this TED TALK about writing that any other.

[@cxa011500]

They should make this a REAL TED Talk.

[@gustavoramos731]

Wdym?

[@palmerpinckney]

Recorded 9 years ago, this is still relevant today in 2023.

[@2hot2handle65]

Write about what you know. But that doesn't mean literally. For example most people don't know anything about living in Westeros or commanding a Battlestar. Focus on the characters and what Faulkner called the fundamental human relationships when in doubt. Just let it flow. But before you get to this point you must have a solid grasp of the mechanics and storytelling standards (tropes some would call it but they are tropes for a reason). I just spend 13 hours writing a story and I'm honestly scared by how good I am. It's like someone else just takes over. It doesn't feel like work at all. You only stop when you physically get tired. It's an amazing feeling.

[@jkay6811]

"I just spend 13 hours writing a story and I'm honestly scared by how good I am." -- Show; don't tell. :)

[@jenniferbodurtha5852]

I have begun contacting agents to sell my one and only manuscript. Am late in getting to this thread. Am also waiting for reactions from the people I sent it to. Yes, patience is tough! Can't force anything!

[@NekoMouser]

I'd love to read the article on Bill Larned. Anyone have a link? I went looking but couldn't find it anywhere.

[@josephfernando4867]

shawsome...

[@terryeraza2590]

Where can I order an essay?

[@77777aol]

Try Doctor Google, he'll sell you anything !

[@danyaelsayed7230]

so inspiring

[@aryavijaykumar4700]

Thank you all very much

[@frankdion2174]

I remember you dad's shirt...Thx

[@GunninRebel55]

This guy's funny. Great informative video for the aspiring writer/creator.

[@tseamus8288]

Thank you very much :):)

[@thislibraissomodest6046]

I'm in the middle of writing a book about my son &nephew

[@yoshiesfriend]

Inspiring.

[@dianar6600]

Don’t you just hate it when you get an idea but then a few seconds later you forget? Yeah that happened to me while watching the video

[@Mankusharma]

Love it.

[@harishS2407]

Very cool

[@RSEFX]

Nice presentation. Also proves that there is nothing too mundane or inconsequential to write about, or that we will find interesting. I have been thinking about ideas for books, or films, but these mental explorations often involve a lot of speculation in history, along with deep fact-finding research (if facts can actually be found!) . Meaning, fiction. Or fiction based in real life history and such. Like, what did the first person who found a dinosaur fossil think, and what did they do with their find? Who was the someone who first theorized that the brain thinks....and what did they think about it and do about it.. Inventors in the Byzantine empire developed some of the first sophisticated automatons---psuedo-robots. Seems like there's a good article there (and there probably are quite a few), though a fiction could be a lot of fun. What happened to that most famous of ancient crucifixes.?...(I think there is a history about that that I've read and forgotten, so maybe not a good idea to pursue)...How did the idea of "atoms" first come to mind in the (presumed) Greek world and what were the countervailing theories? Well, all this has already been written about, I think, but maybe good fiction could be built around these situations. (I always wondered about the same "logo-people" he speaks about. Among them, decades ago a writer tracked down the girl ---by then a very elderly lady---who was depicted holding a basked on the covers of boxes of raisons. Lots of ideas for articles and stories and books, but the research is very time-consuming in many cases, so, you gotta be very confident about the subject you chose to write about being commercially viable, if making money is an important factor that is. At least the internet has eased a lot of the burdens of research. But, still...

[@thetypewritertales6450]

Believe me, it is an awesome video, inspired me to open my own channel

[@escapematrixenterprisejacq7810]

I dont lack ideas at all! My issue is doing it and fearing the process

[@MrsCrazyrange]

Ditto. In a nutshell, that’s exactly me.

[@escapematrixenterprisejacq7810]

@@MrsCrazyrange hmm now how to get over this hump?

[@escapematrixenterprisejacq7810]

@@MrsCrazyrange To expand on what I said...I once had commissioned Ron Becks to help me on a screenplay...and he told me point blank to STOP sending him information, that I had enough for 4 movies....my ideas overtake me! Is that what is working against us?

[@dancollier4632]

that freddy in the fridge book is a direct copy of chilly billy, a book i read as a child who turns the light on/off etc. u probably owe someone some money

[@pacesferry]

Really nice!

[@Candyman97]

Nice!

[@ladybird491]

Sounds like Hemingway of script writing, when you described the movie cast away. 😆

[@toddboothbee1361]

I read for the writing, the sentence, the image.Most "ideas" are a bore in themselves, and non original. Originality, the surprise, is in the language.

[@GinaGreenlee]

That was lovely. Mmm, like a morsel of a dessert unexpectedly found to taste exceptional, its flavor lasting on your tongue and in your imagination. I am affirmed and inspired. Thank you.

[@MIS315]

Couldn't have said it better

[@niclouds5292]

MIS315 oO

[@muslim0333]

Counter the conventional wisdom

[@danrazART]

Wizards and vampires! In 2014. That's Harry Potter and Bella Swan! In 2019, it was alll comic book movies

[@ND-yv1jf]

this guy reminds me of an actor

[@manymusings]

[@ladybird491]

My brother says he believe they came up with Pepsi name by drinking it and saying " it has a pep, see" while handing it to someone. 😆

[@falangenglishdictionarybys3653]

great

[@MJGoldy505]

Thanks, Paul Giamatti

[@roxcontreras9964]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@SOULMAN641]

4:03

[@RSEFX]

As someone in the "later" years of life with a lot of hair, I wonder why so many men shave their heads, and when did that start and why etc. Its a cultural phenomenon obviously, but what's the story behind it. So, even his appearance here suggests a story...as well as the why of his wanting to become a writer. (Actually, his talk----good and fun as it is----could be boiled down to: Be Curious. That's where all stories start. Well, I also suppose you might want to write about things you are curious about that aren't TOO innocuous. Like, uh, hmm, wonder who invented loose leaf paper and why are the lines blue?- Or, who invented the machine that bends paper clips, and what's his or her family up to these days? )

[@bvs-79]

i just feel like this is a vehicle for how good he is.

[@babkaodpolskiego8773]

Daniel Defoe wrote that movie xD.

[@ladybird491]

I write like I am making a new kind of soup, and I go slow, adding my seasonings when I feel the urge to, and my nose can tell when I should. 😊 - please quote me if you mention this. Thanks!

[@nanographics21]

Nice

[@jasming8893]

dope

[@user-eo2th2lf6f]

Had headphones on max because previous video had poor sound and just now my ears almost exploded😖

[@DeLexx472]

funny thing , i just open my word processor and starts writing without thinking. By the time i look up i have already written over 5000words.........BUT i have a question, does vocabulary matter or cant I just write simple english?

[@rumipoo]

+PHELIX KIMANI Give some neutral person to read if they understand it all then you are good to go.

[@fraydizs7302]

vocabulary means alot but its not the WHOLE thing. when you have characters talking have them use common speech but when the narrator speaks have them use a different venacular or an expanded vocabulary, or just formalize the speech

[@marizalyquitania7999]

Think simple then you speak simple english If you can not imagine..the thought is neither clear nor concrete as an experience. So that nothing is shown..just told.

[@Nate1975]

I REAd for the writing mainly rather than a story. Readers differ

[@howardkoor2796]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beam_me_up,_Scotty

[@tj843]

Stephen King wrote a novella on an interdimensional kindle... I imagine that could pop out of an idea generator. I don't think it's the ideas, so much as the solutions to creative problems.

[@marqueshickshicks1012]

POPCORNPOPCORN . . . The seed, as a personality of stealth has unique positioning; 1…an asset, 2…the heavy liability. As I.D.E.A.; I get down on the 1. This is the Genesis of composition. . . . Given the ingenuity of transformation, I liken my thoughts to the popcorn seed. As a master conductor and Vizhunear, I am able to reduce myself, only to reintroduce myself. The performance is enough to leave one awestruck. To enter the bloodstream by cooperation of the senses, smells like a good I.D.E.A. . . . My dominating trait, is a verb; Intelligently directing every angle, is action. I too, am a most interesting noun; a thing of alternating currents. Power. . . . Compare me to the neatly packaged, store bought bag, of microwave popcorn. Simple content; simple directions. Place me on the merry-go-round of incubation and I’ll induce. In a matter, involving a few blinks of the eye; a few minutes; mix me with heated flavor, and lend myself to a fresh appearance. . . . As a verb, you can hear my intelligence bursting; I stretch the bag into a more suitable shape; I fill the empty. Anticipation works well with me; I’m mouthwatering. The element of me , blended with flavor, leeks a daunting fragrant mist. I compel; I allure. This is every angle under my direct intelligence. . .And to think, I was activated at the push of a button.MARQUES ACKUI HICKS/WEIGH WITH WORDS

[@yantimohhan5200]

My ideas mostly came out spontaneously or by listening to instrumental music 😂

[@Bradmagicspace.libsyn]

Hello Brad Herzog have TEDxMonterey support brad magic space libsyn

[@edisbertafonseca7253]

i can see you are adicted to fishing... is that how you got all those empty bpttles at the back? lol, thank you for sharing xxx

[@MIS315]

What's the difference between Ted and Tedx?

[@HerzogAuthor]

MIS315 TedX is more of a regional event, can be found all over. Same format though. Just more of an opportunity for a semi-unknown to shine... :-)

[@MikeRoberts1964]

The difference between TED and TEDx events are that the former takes more of a global approach while the latter typically focuses on a local community that concentrates on local voices. “Officially, the ‘x’ in TEDx stands for independently organized TED event - but it’s more of a TED multiplied. It’s been the force that has taken TED across the planet and seeded all of these communities”. [

[@3rdDegreeTVLLC]

what??? Kirk never said beam me up Scotty? wtf no way I swear he did lmao

[@kennethlanard4499]

Wat kind of books you write ????