1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 Dave opens by holding up five completely filled journals to the camera, all devoted to a fantasy novel he's been building in his head for at least five years. That kicks off an hour-long conversation about the creative project you haven't written yet: the idea that's too big, too personal, or too risky to touch until you're ready. Sean's version is the very first book he ever wrote in 2007, a 600-page narrative nightmare with, in the words of Cindy's professor friend, &quot;long passages of staggering genius.&quot; Both projects are alive, neither is finished… yet. Timestamps 00:00 — Cold open: Dave shows the journals.&amp;nbsp; 03:30 — Something Cool (Sean): *The Next RenAIssance* by Zack Cass, recommended by Joanna Penn. AI in education and medicine, the case for augmentation, and why Sean thinks school would have worked for him in a different era. 11:36 — Sean publicly praises Dave's screenplay draft as the best rough draft he's ever turned in. 14:30 — What the screenplay feedback was actually about: showing vs. telling, and why a narcissist villain should never be too honest too fast. 16:40 — Something Cool (Dave): *Office Space* (1999), rewatched with his son. Beavis and Butt-Head, the Beavis reboot, and how Winger got cancelled by a cartoon. 25:55 — The actual topic: what is the thing you haven't written yet? Dave's project: a fantasy novel five years in journals, mythology without a single borrowed framework, an ensemble cast, and a central story element he won't reveal on air.&amp;nbsp; 40:15 — Sean's project: the first book he ever wrote, started in 2007 during rest time at the preschool. A 600-page novel that tried to be a fictional *A Short History of Nearly Everything*.&amp;nbsp; Books and Resources Mentioned The Next RenAIssance by Zack Cass (Joanna Penn recommendation) A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman The Dark Tower series by Stephen King The Smarter Artist Method by Sean Platt (leave a review on Amazon) Sign-Off CTA If this conversation gave you something to think about, you won't want to live without the Dispatch. Head to https://smarterartist.net/dispatch. Sign up and you'll get a copy of *The Smarter Artist Method* and the workbook. We'll see you in your inbox. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; The Smarter Artist Show https://www.smarterartist.net <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/41546245/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/item/41546245