Try This: Write for twenty minutes about (1) how you’re helping yourself at your job and (2) how you’re hurting yourself at your job. During the writing, remind yourself of ideas and situations that seem analogous to your present situation.

The reporter knew politics. He said that creating a fan base for an unknown reminded him of the Democrats and John Kerry. When Kerry was nominated for president in the primary, he was not well known across the country. The Democrats had to come up with ways of getting him fans in a hurry. The reporter began mentioning the Democrats’ strategies.

One of the warm-ups I use might be called the opposites game. I read about the concept in John Vorhaus’s The Comic Toolbox. It was created to help people write sitcoms and other comedic work. The rules take some explaining, but playing it is simple and fun.

we study the fascinations list, move items around, add to them, group them, and look for themes. Believe me, we find themes. It’s like what Edward Tufte meant when he wrote that “the act of arranging information becomes an act of insight.” We get new ideas just by recombining what’s in front of us.

One of the keys to making the marathon work is Ezra Pound’s rallying cry, “Make it new.” Each time you formulate a starter thought, demand that it sends you in a new direction.

and the original: Difference #2. This revised edition contains a new section,

One of my favorite storytellers is John Vorhaus, a writer of mystery novels, books on writing technique, and manuals on how to win at poker.

In freewriting, always explain to yourself why you think what you think. Often, you’ll realize you have no basis for your belief. What then? Apply a little mental elbow grease, and come up with a belief that will better serve you.

Try This: Write for ten minutes about a situation that physically and mentally exhausts you. Don’t try to solve anything in this bout of writing; just get the details down.