WIP: Solution to counting effort for creative writing

Creative_Writing_Processes.md

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+# Overview
+
+Creative writing involves 4 stages, 2 of which (50%) are unconscious. This article is Jon's attempt to explain to Paulana that creative writing cannot really have a **concrete and consistent estimation of work effort**.
+
+The key problem (or question) we want to solve is: **How to Pay For (or get paid for) Creative Work?**
+
+In the following story, we will investigate the problem in such a way that promises a solution.
+
+(Incidentally, every story starts with a promise. A promise to cure an illness, to right a wrong, to solve a mystery, etc. I'll touch on the art of story writing in future.)
+
+# Table of Contents
+
+- [Specificity of Application](#specificity-of-application)
+- [The Four Stages of Creative Work](#the-four-stages-of-creative-work)
+  - [Preparation: Studious Investigation](#preparation-studious-investigation)
+    - [An Unbounded Problem](#an-unbounded-problem)
+  - [Incubation: Sleeping on It](#incubation-sleeping-on-it)
+  - [Illumination: Float Facts, Solve Puzzle](#illumination-float-facts-solve-puzzle)
+  - [Verification: Organize and Express](#verification-organize-and-express)
+- [Solution](#solution)
+  - [Part-time: Higher Hourly Rate](#part-time-higher-hourly-rate)
+  - [Full-Time: Full Funnel](#full-time-full-funnel)
+
+(TOC manually generated courtesy of [this generator](https://imthenachoman.github.io/nGitHubTOC/).)
+
+# Specificity of Application
+
+We assume that creative work can solve a specific *problem on hand*, say the problem put forth at the top of this article: **How to Pay For (or get paid for) Creative Work?** The point is to indicate that creative work process can indeed solve concrete problems, rather than just being a diffused form of leisurely intellectual play.
+
+# The Four Stages of Creative Work
+
+The 4 stages are: **Preparation**, **Incubation**, **Illumination**, and **Verification**.
+
+Only the first and the last stages are concious. Still, even those conscious stages cannot have effort estimated beforehand; the work will be done when it gets done.
+
+I explain the 4 stages in some detail, enough for us to arrive at the solution. FYI, the 4 stages was a theory first expounded in the early 1900s, if my memory serves me right.
+
+## Preparation: Studious Investigation
+
+The first stage involves ardent curiosity and intent study of the *subjects on hand*, which would be any topics deemed to be related to the *problem on hand*.
+
+To solve our problem on hand, we would possibly embark on a **wide-ranging reading** of related subjects, one of which will be this very "*4 stages of creativity*" I happen to be discussing now.
+
+### An Unbounded Problem
+
+So do we just pick up a book focused on "*The Art of Creative Thinking*", assuming there is such a book thus titled? To suggest that a single topic or book can contain all the pieces of information we need to solve our *problem on hand* is to suggest "*divine mollycoddling*". Should the divine universe hand us complete solutions in neat packages? Perhaps we can pick up a leaf and have it give us a software engineering career, pick up a rock which guarantees us becoming a great architect, a fish for medical degree, a rabbit for a sports career, and so on?
+
+In reality, all problems are not initially clearly bounded. Part of this stage of **Preparation** is the focused study of "*problem boundaries*", to more clearly define our *problem on hand*. Pruning of solution spaces can make this "*stage 1*" more efficient.
+
+The point is that even Stage 1 taps on an unexpectedly wide range of topics for study. If I am to write well for a topic on "*Computer Vision*", I would need to count in my time spent reading "*Visual Cortex*" in my invoice to you!
+
+There is a conrete solution to "*accounting for creative work*", don't worry. I just wanted to illustrate how creative work is "*not narrowly bounded enough to fit easily into timesheets*".
+
+## Incubation: Sleeping on It
+
+## Illumination: Float Facts, Solve Puzzle
+
+## Verification: Organize and Express
+
+This is where the bulk of measurable work lies, something we can indeed put on timesheets.
+
+# Solution
+
+## Part-time: Higher Hourly Rate
+
+We can't put the unconscious, unmeasurable efforts into our timesheets. The only solution we have is to raise our hourly rate to account for the "*invisible efforts*", since our hourly rate only measures the overt, measurable efforts.
+
+## Full-Time: Full Funnel
+
+Many businesses prefer to engage creative workers (aka knowledge workers) in full-time capacity. This way, all the employee's unconscious efforts can be tapped and funneled solely into the employer's "*value accumulation*".
+
+Part-time employment for creative work is possible, of course. However, it will inevitably mean that some of your employee's "*unconscious efforts*" get channeled to your competitors' "*value accumulation*", especially when your employee works for them part-time.