This week will be interesting, on the QuitCast.
This is the week that Becca decides just how badly she wants to not offend people.
TOPIC – QTP: Common Sense
Because I happened to be working on nonfiction a lot this last week, I decided to go out and take a look at some of it. Just to see what I could see. I was specifically looking at books aimed at writers, but of course, I took a much wider berth than that, because… #Input.
I have always taken a positive approach. I always want to connect and encourage. Not shame or put down. Definitely not name-call.
But this week, it’s pretty hard for me not to name-call.
There are a few books out there right now (some for writers, some not) that are preaching the “common sense” gospel. The “this is the only way things will really work” gospel. The “trust me, you just have to adopt my system” gospel.
I thought we were past that.
Instead, it seems to be ramping up.
Side note: Because this is a safe space, I am “ranting” here, but I hope to be done with the ranting by the time I get to record the podcast. I really don’t want to name names. I don’t want to get preachy. We don’t need preachy. What we do need, though, is some common sense…
Oh wait. That’s the problem.
There’s no such thing as common sense.
In a post-structural world, where our centers of meaning have been deconstructed, we now operate firmly inside a model of relativism. That means, I expect people to understand that (almost 100 years after the “transition” through modernism) there is no “one” right way to do things. At least, not in most situations. (You know me, there’s always a catch. But the writing industry is not the catch.)
As a high Individualization, I keep expecting that people will just “get it” that there’s not one way to do **anything**. That it’s “common sense” that there’s no one way. But even in my own case, there’s no such thing as common sense.
So, where does common sense come from? From neural nets firing in your brain. But how are those neural nets built?
Either nature or nurture, to simplify, but the “input” can come from a few places.
First, it comes from structures of meaning. The government (or any governing body) might be one locus. The church (if you are / have been religious) might be another. Anywhere that everyone has agreed to be governed by a set of rules.
(This one doesn’t apply to our industry, or our brains… just wanted to make sure to acknowledge the “structural” part of meaning-making.)
Second, it comes from our environment. If you live in Texas, where tornadoes are a consistent reality, you learn about how to comport yourself in a tornado situation. You learn (from people around you, from your parents, from school teachers, the weather channel, etc) how to act and what is accepted appropriate action. It might also come from somewhere like your household. If you grew up working class (like I did), “hard work” and “responsibility” are probably a consistent expectation in your environment.
But… of course… there are environmental cues for “common sense” that don’t take root in some, and do take root in others. Why is that?
But your personality is the third major influencer.
Imagine the #1 Ideation brain.
Ideas come **so** easily to them. Neurons fire so quickly and the connections get made and new ideas are so easy. I’ve actually seen them give ideas away, they’re so plentiful. On a daily basis, for some of them. Give them any situation, they can ideate. It’s their easiest fire.
For them, common sense is, “come up with a bunch of new ideas.”
The opposite makes no sense to them. People to whom ideas are “precious” make no sense to them. They can have a hundred new ideas before breakfast. Why would any idea be so precious, you’re worried about someone else taking it? “That’s just common sense. Ideas are easy.”
But if you’re lower in Ideation (or low in Ideation and Strategic), you know that you absolutely can’t come up with a hundred new ideas before breakfast. Common sense would basically never be “just come up with a bunch of new ideas.”
Now, imagine the #1 Futuristic brain.
The future is always ever-present. The most common sense thing for a #1 Futuristic is to think about what’s coming, what’s ahead, what do you see, where are you doing. For them, common sense is, “how did you not see that coming?”
If you’re lower in Futuristic (and probably Strategic), it might be harder to see ahead. Harder to see what’s coming. Harder to predict trends or expectations. Common sense would never be “just look ahead”.
And now, imagine the #1 Relator brain.
And the #1 Woo brain.
How would those be different?
Relators’ first instinct is to limit new social contact and go deep.
Woos’ first instinct is to limit depth and expand new social contact. (Simplified, of course, but you get what I mean?)
Common sense doesn’t exist.
So, then, how does that apply to the writing industry?
Partly because “common sense” gets tossed around a lot when it comes to strategies and tactics. Things like, “of course you should outline” and “why can’t you just figure out how to see the trend that’s coming” and “find the message under this word that’s at the core of this blurb” and “just keep a thousand pieces of data and analyze them”.
Most of the people who do this are well-meaning. Some of them don’t know how their brain impacts the advice they give.
I’m even guilty of this sometimes. Especially when it comes to seeing the differences or uniqueness in people. I forget that not everyone’s first instinct is “that won’t work for everyone”. I’m mostly doing this podcast to remind myself of the fact that not everyone’s first instinct is Individualization.
But here’s the key. Even when you know not everyone is like this, there’s still a little part of you that thinks, “but they should be.” That’s the sign it’s your common sense.
It’s just not everyone’s. 😊
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