181 | TTT005 | The Big Idea

Transcend HumanThe Transcendent Trilogy

Apr 8

Written By Daryl McMullen

April 8, 2024

Welcome back!

Today's Topic: The Big Idea

Sharing: How much is too much?
Elements of the Big Idea
That told me something - but not much

// CHAPTER 1: SHARING: HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

We'll get into the sharing stuff here in a minute.

But first - lets go back to Episode 1 of the Transcendent Trilogy Series. Where we talked about the Big Idea - and where it came from.

It was a random night in the McMullen household. I was on my third or fourth Rum and Coke...headed toward another inebriated night of sleep.

Nothing special about the day, or that evening. But when I passed out - something magical happened.

I was handed a Big Idea. Or better said - a Big Idea presented itself to me.

Last night I finished reading the book Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Absolutely brilliant. It was recommended to me by a writer friend years ago. I purchased it right then and there - but it sat on my shelf collecting dust.

Then, the other day, my wife and I were listening to an episode of the We Can Do Hard Things Podcast on a drive back from San Diego. And guess who their guest was? Elizabeth Gilbert...

They talked about a lot of things - but at some point the book Big Magic came up. It sounded so good - so I jumped on Amazon and ordered it right then and there...yes...you heard me. Even though I had previously purchased the book - I ordered it again - because too much time had passed and I forgot I already owned it.

That said - I began the book - the one I just purchased - and will try giving away the other one at some point.

So why is Big Magic so good? And why would I recommend you read it?

Because, like other inspiring books I've read about the creative life - books like:

On Writing by Stephen King
The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Real Artists Don't Starve by Jeff Goins
Running Down a Dream by Tim Grahl
And the list goes on and on...

Big Magic is a primer for the creative person. A collection of truths about creativity, where it comes from, and how we access it.

According to Gilbert - we're all creative. But creativity isn't something we have, or own, or even train to become better at. Creativity is something we partner with.

Like a force in the universe that is constantly shifting, moving, coming, going and yet always there.

This is where I got the concept of a Big Idea presenting itself to me. According to Gilbert - creativity owns all of the Big Ideas - like a sea of them just out there swirling around. And every once and a while - creativity takes one of those ideas and presents it to someone. Like a gift. "Here, this is a very Big Idea, and I'm trusting you with it."

From there it's up to the person if they take the Big Idea and run with it - or if they squander the opportunity - and eventually let it go. Because that's exactly what happens when you choose not to bring your Big Idea into the world. It gets recycled. And the same Big Idea could actually wind up in someone else's hands.

That's Big Magic.

And as I look back with this new filter - this new frame of reference - I view that night differently. I now see that in my drunken stupor - creativity paid me a visit. It showed up and said, "Daryl, I have something for you. I have a Big Idea - and I am trusting you with it. I'm hoping that you will take it, work on it, and eventually put it out into the world as a finished product."

Wow. That's deep right? That's a whole other level. From a simple story idea to a Big Idea the universe is handing you?

But that's how it's felt since day one. The Big Idea has weight - it has influence. It rarely leaves my mind. I even feel its impact on my well being, my mental health. There are times when a low grade depression sets in and I find that its because work is taking over my life and I haven't been able to spend time on the Big Idea. That separation - the estrangement from the project - comes with a heaviness that is hard to describe.

And then, based on Gilbert explaining how Big Ideas can be removed from people and handed to someone else - I can get scared that it will happen to me.

That if I go too long without working on it - or if I'm not making enough progress - that it will all go away.

But luckily for me it hasn't. It's been there all along - since that night many years ago. Through the good days and the bad ones. Through writing sprints and months not touching it. It's still there - waiting for me to step up and start running again.

So thank you creativity - for the honor. And thank you for trusting me with the responsibility of this Big Idea.

Okay - that said - let's get back to the point of this chapter...

Sharing: How much is too much?

I've shared a lot about the Big Idea in general terms. Where it came from. How important it is. That it's a trilogy vs. a single novel.

All good things - but I've said nothing about the actual story.

Why? Partly because I hadn't gotten there yet. But also because I'm a little nervous about it.

With any artistic endeavor - there is a built in fear - that there will always be someone better than you. Someone who could take your idea and bring it to life without breaking a sweat.

The fear is that I'm not good enough. I'm not working fast enough. I'll never finish it.

But at the same time - you want it so badly. You don't want to let the cat out of the bag. You don't want to put your Big Idea out there into the universe because someone else might grab it and run with it.

So you hide it away like a small bundle of $100 bills under the floorboards of your home.

So you can work on it slowly and not be worried that you'll lose it.

But is that the right thing to do?

I don't know - to be honest...

I'm pretty sure the opposite isn't the right thing to do - to literally write your story online - in a public Google Doc shared with the entire world.

But I'm assuming there can be a middle road. A happy medium so to speak.

And that's what I'll try to navigate today.

// CHAPTER 2: ELEMENTS OF THE BIG IDEA

When I decided I was going to podcast my writing progress - one of the examples I had was the Story Grid Podcast - with Tim Grahl and Shawn Coyne.

The podcast started back in 2015 when Tim pitched an idea to Shawn.

"What if we do a podcast where I'm writing a novel and you are guiding me through the process based on the Story Grid methodology?"

And that's how it all started. Tim would write a scene or two - then they would analyze it on the show. Of course there were episodes on other topics and how the Story Grid methodology works. But for the next year or more Tim worked on his book and Shawn tore it apart.

So you can imagine the toll this took on Tim.

Not only was he being publicly humiliated at times - but his Big Idea was also being broadcast to the wider public without much of a filter.

Now - I get the transparency piece in this scenario - because it was all part of the Big Idea for the podcast. So it makes sense that you would be over the top transparent about all things related to Tim's book.

So for me - if I took it down just a couple notches - I could probably make it work.

And here's what that means to me:

Be as transparent as possible
While not providing spoilers
And while not giving away the entire plot line
And if I can do that - it just might work

So here we go...

I'm going to start with some housekeeping things based on the Story Grid Methodology.

First up - The Genre 5 Leaf Clover:

For those of you who understand Story Grid - this is an important step in process
You must answer these 5 questions in order to set the foundation for your book
These 5 things will literally guide you through the writing process - and if you're wishy washy at all about them throughout the writing process - you're headed for trouble
Leaf #1: Time Genre:

Summary: The TIME GENRE indicates how the reader experiences the time it takes to go from the beginning to the end of our stories. It answers how long the story will take to consume. There are three categories of the Time Genre our stories can fall into: Short, Medium, and Long form.
My Trilogy: Obviously I fall into the Long form category - as each book will be on the larger side - and the entire story will be told across three books

Leaf #2: Structure Genre:

Summary: The STRUCTURE GENRE indicates to our reader who or what the change of the story will affect. It addresses whether the change will occur for a single AVATAR or throughout the whole system or context. There are three categories of the Structure Genre our stories can fall into: Archplot, Miniplot, and Antiplot.
My Trilogy: Mini-plot. Mini-plot stories focus on the change in a system over a single AVATAR, which is shown from many different AVATAR points of view. While many of the AVATARS follow their own arch-plot, each of them make up a node of the overall system, so we see how the system is transformed over the course of the story. Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings are common examples of this style

Leaf #3: Style Genre:

Summary: The STYLE GENRE sets the tone for what the audience will experience during the story. It puts constraints on what we include in the story to keep a consistent feel so the audience does not get confused. This genre leaf is divided into two broad categories and several mediums. The broad categories are Drama and Comedy. The mediums include Documentary, Musical, Dance, Literary, Theatrical, Cinematic, Epistolary, and Animation.
My Trilogy: Dramatic, Cinematic categories. Drama because: Stories in this category express a tone of solemnity. The AVATARS face reality as it is and experience pain the way we do. Emotions are truthful and fulfilling. Cinematic because: These stories have the qualities of film, like The Matrix for example

Leaf #4: Reality Genre:

Summary: The REALITY GENRE constrains the way the ALTERNATE WORLD of our story operates by establishing codes, laws, and norms. It dictates how much readers must suspend disbelief when building the worlds of our stories in their minds. There are four categories of the Reality Genre our stories can fall into: Absurdism, Factualism, Realism, and Fantasy.
My Trilogy: Falls into the genre of Fantasy which can be described this way:

The Fantasy Reality Genre includes ALTERNATE WORLDS of wonder and imagination that require a comprehensive suspension of disbelief. Because of this suspension of belief, it requires a high degree of order so the reader can understand the rules of the ALTERNATE WORLD and stay engaged.
The subcategory is Magical: Described as: ALTERNATE WORLDS with magical laws that can be mastered by certain AVATARS, but not everyone. They are nostalgic representations of the past when people earned the right to use magic. You can further break Magical stories down into categories:

Epic Fantasy: Game of Thrones as an example. Where the world is very similar to ours - but there are dragons and such
Portal Fantasy: As in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Again - a world similar to ours - but when the children go through the wardrobe the world is very different - with talking animals and things like that

Leaf #5: Content Genre:

Summary: The CONTENT GENRE defines what is contained in a story and specifically determines the need and VALUE at stake. It sets expectations for the reader using the FOUR CORE FRAMEWORK, CONVENTIONS, and OBLIGATORY MOMENTS. The Content Genre is divided into two sections: External and Internal.
My Trilogy: Will be:

In the External category. And it will be part of the Action Genre which is described as a story focusing on the protagonist’s sacrifice for positive movement along the death / life VALUE spectrum while generating feelings of excitement in the reader. In Action stories, readers see the lengths the protagonist will go to protect themselves and/or other potential victims.
And within the Action Genre - my story can be placed in the Epic sub-genre - described this way: In Epic Action stories the luminary agent must confront group-derived interpersonal conflict, societal institutions, or tyrants.

So there you go - my trilogy - my story can be explained high level like this:

A Dramatic, Cinematic, Long Form Epic Action Adventure story set in a Fantastical world facing a System-wide meltdown

How's that for being concise?

So why is this important? Why do we need to get to this level of granularity before we even start writing?

Well, for a couple reasons:

First - it will help you describe your story to agents, editors and publishers in the future. Because it's the language they speak
Second - because knowing these things up front can help guide the elements of your story

Which brings up the next thing: The 4 Core Framework:

Basically understanding that in an Epic Action Adventure - there are four things that are core to the story:

Core Need: Survival
Core Value: Death to Life
Core Emotion: Excitement
Core Event: Hero at the mercy of the villain

In other words - if your story doesn't include these four things - you're going to have issues

Next we have the 9 Conventions of an Action Story:

GENRE CONVENTIONS are specific requirements for the story’s ALTERNATE WORLD, AVATARS, or circumstances that create conflict and enable solutions. Conventions set up genre reader expectations. Without these, the reader will be confused, unsettled, or bored and quit reading.
So here are the 9 Conventions required for an Action Story:

An intense setting. The setting must be a disturbed, unbalanced physical and social environment that gives rise to conflict.
Dueling hierarchies. A growth hierarchy is at odds with a power/dominance hierarchy (or a dueling protagonist and antagonist).
The hero. The hero sets out on a journey or must face a challenge created by the villain and the hero’s OBJECT OF DESIRE is to stop the force of antagonism and save the victim.
The villain. The villain is much more powerful than the hero and the victim and the villain uses their resources to stop the protagonist and harm the victim.
The victim. The victim is much less powerful than the hero or the villain and requires the hero to save them from the villain.
A speech in praise of the villain. At some point, an AVATAR must discover or point out how the villain appears unbeatable. The villain’s point—the reason the antagonist will not give up—also must be revealed.
The deadline. There is a clock that establishes a limited time in which the protagonist must act to save the victim.
Set-piece sequences. Fast-paced sequences show the reader the protagonist’ strengths and weaknesses as well as help the protagonist gain new skills.
Fast-paced and exciting plot. Characters are put in extreme situations and forced to take risks.

Almost there! The final thing to discuss are the 8 Obligatory Moments in an Action Story:

OBLIGATORY MOMENTS are the must-have events, revelations, or decisions and actions that pay off the raised expectations of the CONVENTIONS
Here are the 8 Obligatory Moments for an Action Story:

An inciting attack or threat by the villain.
The hero sidesteps responsibility to take action.
Forced to leave the ordinary world, the hero lashes out.
The protagonist discovers and comes to understand the antagonist’s MacGuffin (villain’s OBJECT OF DESIRE).
The hero’s initial strategy against the villain fails.
Realizing they must change their approach to preserve life, the hero reaches the all is lost moment.
Hero at the Mercy of the Villain. The CORE EVENT of the Action story is when the hero’s gift is expressed
The hero’s sacrifice is rewarded.

Now - it's important to understand that all of the things we just discussed are for my story specifically. Because I went through the Genre 5 Leaf Clover and determined where my story fit in. Once I did that my next step was to start researching the elements required for that Genre.

But for you - it could be completely different.

If your story is a Love Story - in the Love Content Genre - you will have completely different Core elements. And the Conventions and Obligatory Moments will be different as well. For example - you don't typically have a "Hero at the mercy of the villain" scene in a love story.

So every writer needs to walk through this process for each new project they start. Laying the foundation for the rest of the writing phases.

// CHAPTER 3: THAT TOLD ME SOMETHING - BUT NOT MUCH

I get it. We just walked through the bones of my story - the foundation - the high level explanation of the genre and what elements will most likely be in the story.

But that doesn't mean you could tell someone what my story is about, right?

Because that was only the structure, the format and the box it lives in.

The story itself is another matter all together.

So where do we start? How do I begin to explain my Big Idea?

Well - maybe we do it this way. Maybe we talk through a few categories of my own - elements that inspired the story - and see how that goes. We'll start with 4:

Spirituality (More specifically Christianity):

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's been around for a while that the trilogy includes elements of spirituality
I grew up Christian - spent every weekend in church
Went to Christian schools
Had mostly Christian friends
At some point I did what most Christian kids do - I rebelled - I challenged the things I grew up with and looked for the path I felt comfortable with
Eventually, as many many first borns do, I returned to the faith of my parents
Because it was now my faith - a faith that had been questioned and tested
This faith - this spirituality - has been evident in everything I've produced to date
My first book attempt - Controversy Theory
All the way up to Transcend Human and the Transcend Human Podcast
Both focused on the Human Condition in light of the battle that exists between God and Satan for the allegiance of every human being past, present and future
So it makes sense that my Big Idea for a novel included this as well...
Now - when a Christian says they're writing a novel - what's your first thought?

For me - I assume they are putting their faith on hold to write something secular
But why would I think that?
Why would a Christian have to hide their faith on order to write a work of fiction?
Is there something inherently secular about fiction?
I don't think so - in fact what are the Parables Jesus told if not works of fiction with good morals?

So yes - the trilogy does include a healthy dose of spirituality
Which worries me a bit - because growing up, the Christian books, music and movies I was pushed toward were not good
You had to accept lesser quality in order to remain in that genre - as most missed the mark terribly
So I know - I have my work cut out for me
What I'm hoping to accomplish is something similar to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, or C.S. Lewis' The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Both men were highly interested in spiritual things - and incorporated them into their books in ways the reader wouldn't immediately recognize
The problem is - I'm not Tolkien or Lewis
So we'll see how this goes...

Psychology:

Why psychology?
Well - probably because I grew up with it in the same way I grew up with spirituality
Not from birth - but throughout my educational experience it became more and more important
In high school I was introduced to the ideas
In college I studied sociology, criminal justice and other parts of the behavioral sciences
And I wound up getting my Master's in Social Work
Spending the next 5 years or so working in the field of mental health
So because of my education - and all the supplemental material I read - my brain has been trained to think differently
You're going to laugh at me - but on my honeymoon - while my wife was flipping through People magazines - I was reading books on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy by Albert Ellis
I was fascinated - the same way a person new to faith can't seem to get enough of the Bible - I too was lost in the magical world of rational thought, cognitive clarity and the ABCs of REBT
As I've said on the podcast before - Controversy Theory was my first writing project - and it sought to ease the tension I was feeling between my spirituality side and the world of psychology I was learning about
Apparently, that tension never left - because in 2020 I started Transcend Human - which was simply a new way to address the same ideas
Less about the battle between good and evil - more about the Human Condition it creates - and how we can respond to it
And friends - no spoilers here - the trilogy deals with the same things:

The battle between good and evil - or the spiritual side of life
Our response to the Human Condition - or the psychological side of things

Together the two make for an interesting story:

However - this approach isn't new to my work
These themes are visible in numerous books and movies
Here's an easy one...
Star Wars:

Spirituality: The Force, and the idea that there is a light and dark side of The Force - good and evil
Psychology: How do the characters respond to their version of the Human Condition? Some choose light, some choose the dark - but either way it is a struggle each person faces

Eschatology:

No shocker here as well
Last year we did an entire Transcend Human Podcast Series on Eschatology
Because for me, Eschatology (or the study of the End Times) was a major part of my spirituality
I grew up in a Seventh Day Adventist home - and so it came with the territory
The word "Advent" is right in the name - meaning "the arrival of a notable person, thing or event." Or to the Christian - either the Advent of Jesus birth, or the Advent of His second coming at the end of time
So it was baked in for me during my formative years
And guess what - it comes baked into the trilogy as well...
Along with the concepts of spirituality, and psychology - the story takes place as the world is coming to an end
Things are unraveling - and the earth is on it's last leg so to speak
Again - not rocket science for authors and movie makers
Apocalyptic concepts make for a great story
Here are just a few of the movies that are set against an impending apocalypse:

End of the World (1931)
Day the World Ended (1955)
Battle of the Worlds (1961)
The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
The Late, Great Planet Earth (1976)
The Day After (1983)
The Terminator (1984)
The Seventh Sign (1988)
End of Days (1999)
Left Behind (2000)
I Am Legend (2007)
2012 (2009)
Armageddon (1998)
Deep Impact (1998)
Don't Look Up (2021)
End of the World (1931)
And those are just ones I selected because I remember watching them
If you go to the Wikipedia page in the show notes you'll see the huge list that stretches from 1916 to today

So like I said - I'm not the one coming up with these ideas - they're alive and well in the industry

Fantasy/Science Fiction:

So let's end on this one...
I'm also fascinated with stories told in the fantasy and science fiction genres
The first novels I ever read were part of a two book fantasy series written by Stephen R. Donaldson:

The series was called: Mordant's Need
Book 1: The Mirror of Her Dreams
Book 2: A Man Rides Through
The worlds he created were magical - and fantasy became my thing

Then - shortly after that, Donaldson switched to sci-fi and wrote a five book series called The Gap Cycle:

I read the entire series and fell in love with science fiction as well

And over the years I have continued to read stories that fall into these genres - along with books and movies that play well in both worlds. Reality with a splash of something magical

For example - I've talked about how Game of Thrones is a very realistic story - set in a world we recognize - just back in time a ways
But then - you realize there is something different going on. There are dragons, there is the Night King and the White Walkers, and there is an underlying level of magic that shows itself in the way Bran can see the future and Milesandra can mask her age

This is more of what I'm shooting for with the trilogy:

Not high fantasy with elves, gnomes and fairies
Not hard core science fiction with cyborgs, and different races of people living on different planets all throughout the known universe
Instead - a story set on earth - our earth - just a little while into the future
And on top of that - throwing in a few elements that aren't of this world
Call it fantasy, magic, mystical, or science fiction - I don't really care
But it's a layer that takes the story to a different level - and keeps you guessing

So there you go! We're getting closer and closer to the Big Idea as we continue to peel back layers of the onion.

But again, let's get real. What is the story actually about?

Well, based on the 4 things we just walked through - here's a bit more definition:

An Epic Adventure, set in the future, on this planet
The backdrop is the hastening demise of our world
Forces of good and evil are at work behind the scenes
People are being forced to choose what they believe and who they want to become
The natural world is crumbling
Society as we know it is falling apart - with governments grasping at straws to maintain control
But right before these events kick up our protagonist, along with a few others are selected to research an ancient artifact found in Egypt
Their research unveils something not of this world - and as the team learns more and more about the device they come to question everything they were taught to be true
At the same time a deep space exploration team is setting off on a long journey to map new sections of near space
On their journey they encounter something they can't explain and can barely define by earth's standards
The team returns to the area multiple times - performing a myriad of tests on the anomaly
Eventually finding evidence that could answer questions humankind has been asking since the dawn of time
These two teams don't realize it but they are connected in ways they can't see - and may never understand
As the world spirals out of control - their findings could be the only thing capable of saving humanity

And there you go! That's a very high level overview of the Big Idea.

In the future, we'll dig deeper into some of these plot lines.

I'll introduce you to some of the characters in the story.

And we'll wrestle with basic story concepts like:

Narrative drive
Dialogue
Prologues - yes or no
Realism vs. The Magical
Elements of Story Grid
Ways the Hero's Journey plays into my story
etc. etc.
So many things - so little time...

Let's Land the Plane:

Wow friends - this is starting to get real.

As I continue to do research, and write these episodes, it's getting more and more tangible to me.

It's like driving toward a distant mountain range. You've seen them for a really long time. You know what they are - but it's hard to see any detail. Then, the closer you get the more detail you start to see. At some point you realize there are hills in front of the mountains. You start to see roads winding over the hills and switchbacks winding up the sides of the mountains. You realize there are random homes built in the wooded areas. And you can see the fast moving rivers cutting their way through sharp canyons - spilling into a crystal clear lake at the base of the mountains.

That's the way I'm feeling right now. Like I'm driving toward my story - and the closer I get the more details come into view.

It's as exciting as it is overwhelming. But it's coming and I can't wait to see what's next.

Thank you for hanging with me again. I hope content like this is helpful to you in your creative journey.

Whether you're a writer, artist, musician, dancer, or even an electrician that finds art in setting up the wiring in a brand new home.

We're all creating something. It's Big Magic according Elizabeth Gilbert. And it's available to all of us.

That said, have a great week everyone - and keep Transcending Human!

References:

Daryl McMullen

181 | TTT005 | The Big Idea

182 | TTT006 | Lost In Planning Mode

180 | TTT004 | Outlining & Planning

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