One idea I really liked in Amy Whitaker's book Art Thinking was a concept borrowed from Hollywood screenwriters—the "MDQ," or Major Dramatic Question. The MDQ is the engine that drives the plot of a narrative forward, broadening the stakes, extending the specific to the universal. Whitaker suggests that people can have their own MDQs—which she … Continue reading On the Major Dramatic Question and Richard Feynman’s 12 problems
Category: Thinking Hat
On songs that send us somewhere, or, on the song atlas
It shouldn't surprise me, but it always does: some songs end up "fixed" to a place in my personal history, the record equivalent of Proust's madeline, a cue that sends me somewhere back in my personal geography. Together, I think of these fixed songs as a personal "song atlas." "Sun" by The Hotelier I hear … Continue reading On songs that send us somewhere, or, on the song atlas
On good noticing and doing more than getting through the day
It's been a rough back half of the week for my household. Our toddler has been sick and fussy, toggling between weepy desperation at his illness and sloppy mania when he's felt just marginally better. (Falling down several stairs being one side effect of such sloppiness.) Time has narrowed to a tunnel, and these long … Continue reading On good noticing and doing more than getting through the day
On being a better listener (and not holding on to what I want to say)
Sometimes during a conversation, I'm reminded of classroom discussions in college. I was lucky enough to attend a small liberal arts college where many classes were "discussion-based" rather than lectures or seminars, usually with 12-15 students in a given class. I remember the situation very clearly: I am sitting there in class. Someone is saying … Continue reading On being a better listener (and not holding on to what I want to say)
On the flaw of over-planning
A fringe benefit of keeping a journal (and rereading it) over the course of years is that it separates you from yourself. No longer having that job, that apartment, or those preoccupations, I see me a little more clearly—especially my flaws. One flaw that I notice repeatedly in my entries is my tendency to have … Continue reading On the flaw of over-planning
On how it’s always time to start
Having reflected yesterday on a favorite piece of advice, I thought of another piece of advice that has been on my mind of late. It comes from an interview with architect William McDonough in Metropolis magazine: Susan Szenagy: We need hope now more than ever. I just worry that it's going to be a little … Continue reading On how it’s always time to start
On walking into a sticky beer bar (or indoor playground)
It's my favorite Anthony Bourdain quote: I remember sitting across from [Anthony Bourdain] at the table at this sort of sticky beer bar and him saying to me, "Helen, it makes a difference if you walk in the door saying, 'I'm going to love it here,' or you walk in the door saying, 'This place … Continue reading On walking into a sticky beer bar (or indoor playground)
On how leaders assume responsibility for problems
"It's not my problem." Not something you'll ever catch a leader saying. "Your problem is my problem" is more like it. This thinking does not come naturally to me. My tendency has long been to shrug and shuffle away from the center of things, even if that leaves a void, no one solving the problem … Continue reading On how leaders assume responsibility for problems
On not talking to the police
One of the more illuminating pieces I’ve read of late was from the New York Times opinion columnist Farhad Manjoo, who observed the criminal charges against Alec Baldwin relating to the death of a cinematographer on the set of the film Rust and had a simple takeaway: Don’t talk to the police. I won’t bother … Continue reading On not talking to the police
On making good use of your name
When I was growing up, my mom taught me how to answer the phone: Hello. This is the Coe household. Who am I speaking to? (If you were good at this, you could say the above as if a single word—HellothisistheCoehouseholdwhoamIspeakingto?—prompting callers to either say "Excuse me?" or ignore you altogether—"Is your mother there?") There … Continue reading On making good use of your name
Taylor Coe 