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Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content

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In a typical year, I'll write one full-length book, a smaller ebook, about 100 blog posts and deliver about 50 talks all over the world.

People ask me all the time how I can be so prolific. "Where do all your ideas come from?" they ask.

The answer is simple: I put my internal editor on hold for first drafts. This allows me to crank stuff out very quickly. A technique called "Freewriting" that I learned from Mark Levy in his terrific "Accidental Genius" allows me to get ideas down very quickly without seeing if it is "good."

With Freewriting, I write and write and write for ten minutes or thirty minutes without caring about spelling or grammar. Then I look for nuggets of inspiration, which I edit to become blog posts. The better blog posts then become raw materials for books and stories in my speeches.

Accidental Genius is your guide to Freewriting. But it more than that. It is your guide to success.

I read the first edition of Accidental Genius several years ago, was moved by it, hired Mark Levy to help me with positioning, and have had the privilege of getting to know him. I don't say this about many people (in fact I don't think I've said it about anyone) but this guy is a genius. The more you read about him, the more you'll see how many people use the word "genius" to describe him. This is not a coincidence.

How did he become a "genius"? Well, I think he's naturally bright, but I also think it's because he practices what he preaches. He regularly uses the freewriting ideas he teaches in this book. These ideas help you to see what other people don't see, and see what you typically don't see. Freewriting is how Mark sees things differently, which is the heart of "genius".

Mark may be a genius, but his approach is completely simple, hands-on, creative, fun, and doable by anyone. Here's how it works...

When we set out to solve a problem, position ourselves or our businesses, come up with interesting new ideas, or anything else that determines a "solution" we face a problem: Our internal editor takes over. It wants to keep things status quo, safe, low-risk. We reproduce the same type of ideas and remain stuck in place. Of course this comes at a cost, which is that we prevent breakthroughs and neglect our own genius.

What we need to do is to quiet this internal editor, but we can't just say, "shhh!" Instead we need an approach that circumvents this editor and silences it. Freewriting is one such way to silence the editor and allow our inner genius to speak.

The method of writing in Accidental Genius has 6 basic tenets, such as "Try Easy," and "Go with the Thought," and numerous specific techniques such as "Open Up Words," and "Hold a Paper Conversation". If you've read the first edition, be sure to read this one as well, there's a lot of new stuff including how to create an inventory of ideas that you can use in social media or whenever you need them. Enjoy, and get ready for groundbreaking ideas to start flowing.

This book is filled with incredible insight for writers, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and marketers. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested how to break out of their rut of ideas and find new ways to position themselves.

Levy's insight on freewriting and how to incorporate it is fantastic. It has inspired me to keep a journal and re-evaluate all of my work processes. Chapter 4 titled, "Secret 4: Write the Way You Think" is invaluable. The process that Levy takes the reader through in Chapter 13: Getting A Hundred Ideas is Easier Than Getting One" is spot-on for marketers, writers and idea generators.

This book is a must read!

Mark Levy has graced the writing world once again with this revised version of ACCIDENTAL GENIUS first published ten+ years ago: yes, it is an improved edition! Levy's gift to the world of writing, whether that is aimed at the professional novelist, the casual writer, the business person responsible for churning out meaning documents for the improvement of the company, etc, is such a practical one that at first reading of the original it made many of us wary of the worth of it. He encourages us to write as we think, extracting the editorial aspects of the brain and to simply fly nonstop so that all those little bits of brilliance in the hidden interstices of our minds can be not only born but developed and used.

For those who write daily there are ruts of writing behavior that can 'paralyze' the mind. Using Levy's exercises and instructions writers can break free form those boring and plodding deterrents to successful writing and get us back on track. This a humorous book, an educational book and a very useful book. Who knows how many real novelists are out there, waiting to discover that they are ACCIDENTAL GENIUSes? Recommended for everyone who spends time composing words on a page. Grady Harp, January 11

This book is a game changer. It's a fun read, a fast read and it's full of great insights. If you take the time to apply what you learn in this book you will be changed.

The only warning I have to offer is that there are no surprises. He pretty much puts the entire system in your lap in the first few chapters. After that, it's all more of the same. The chapters are short, but I suggest you take it slow. I read the book over a weekend, but plan on going back and rereading parts after I've tried to implement what I've learned. Even though the core pieces are in the first few chapters, it was the last few chapters that I enjoyed the most.

Accidental Genius
Bought this book in the Kindle store so I carry it on my Kindle enabled Android phone.
This book is a great read and an absolute productivity system. This is as easy as falling off a log but much more intense.I am indebted to Mark Levy for showing me just how really smart and on top of things I am :)
Finding workable answers to some of the most frustrating things in my life has been much easier and much quicker since reading this book.

I bought this book when it was recommended as an add-on purchase by Amazon.com and I have to say that I am glad that I did. I am a firm believer that most people have a million dollar idea in there somewhere, they just haven't brought it to the surface yet. This is one of those books that doesn't necessarily give you the keys to the kingdom but it does share with you new and effective ways to figure out where the doorway is. It has already joined the books on my shelf that are not to be loaned out because I will be using it for reference again and again.

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I thought for years that "freewriting" was busywork teachers invented to fill holes in their lesson plans, but Mark Levy has made me believe. His short, energetic, infectious introduction to freewriting as a thought generating tool helps non-writers crystalize their ideas on the page, letting them remember, test, and improve notions before implementing them. I may well use this book as a text in my next first semester writing course.

By setting time limits and free-associating on paper, Levy says we not only silence the mental editor who hates our pioneering ideas, but we may surprise ourselves with juxtapositions that refine our minds. He draws examples from professions, occupational writing, and other sources. He sees freewriting as a way professionals can generate ideas, refine raw data, test ideas until they withstand scrutiny, and even craft finished, expert prose.

Levy writes for business people, and most of his examples focus on business, but little in here is business-specific; anyone who needs ideas could use this guide. He doesn't rely on stuffy English-class jargon, but addresses our needs where we are. Anyone looking for ideas to revitalize a stagnant career or life, anyone wanting to write or speak for an audience, or anyone who hopes to discover new awareness should try Levy's approach.

Deserving of repeat mention and recommendation for any writer's or literary collection is ACCIDENTAL GENIUS: USING WRITING TO GENERATE YOUR BEST IDEAS, INSIGHT, AND CONTENT, which appears in a revised, expanded second edition promoting the author's innovation of freewriting, a technique which ignores standard rules of grammar and spelling and encourages fast writing about passionate topics. Six freewriting techniques offer keys to tapping into the subconscious of creativity.

Accidental Genius is a must buy book for anyone looking for major breakthroughs in creativity, idea generation, and productivity. If your profession requires problem solving, product development, marketing, publishing, or any form of communication then you really need to read this book. Every chapter contains techniques, guidelines, or helpful hints to either get past the infamous "writer's block" or simply create a more well rounded result. Again, this material applies especially to written works but also to other endeavors such as finding the root cause of problems or coming up with ideas for new product development or creativity in marketing materials. I can't say enough good things about this book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content