Hint John Truby's Writers Studio (www.truby.com) is the most advanced place to study genre in the world. The Screenwriter and Creativity Have you ever walked down the street and had a great idea for a movie? Have you ever noticed how these great ideas seem to pop into your head as you are doing something mundane? As a writer you need to under- stand the greatest tool you have: your mind. Knowing how your mind operates will give you the knowledge to utilize your mind even further. Our minds are divided into two parts. The left side and the right side. The left side controls rational thought and motor control of our muscles. It is this side that keeps our hearts beating, allows us to do repetitious work like walking, without having to think about it, and is the side that calculates our bank balance. The right side of the brain controls emotion ­ the panic if the bank balance is too low, the bursts of sadness or happi- ness when you see the news. It also controls the subconscious. When you are doing something boring, like walking or vacuuming, the left side of your brain is occupied, freeing the right side of the brain. That's why all of those wonderful ideas for a movie come bubbling up. But notice how quickly they vanish. If the telephone rings and you walk over to answer it, within seconds that wonderful idea has vanished. When you finish the telephone call, you remember you had a great idea, and spend the next hour or two in agony trying to pull it back. Much has been made of the great artists of the last century. Picasso and John Lennon, to name but two. I do not believe that any artist was more talented than any other mortal on this planet. They are simply better at accessing the ideas that come to them in alpha state. But how do you capture those great ideas? Alpha State Capturing ideas in alpha state is easy and fun. But, like a muscle, it improves with practice. Identifying alpha state The moment you do any physical movement you will be in alpha state. You may not realize it. Tasks like walking, driving, cycling, ironing and cleaning send me into alpha state in seconds. Here is a simple exercise 218 RAINDANCEWRITERS'LAB:WRITEANDSELLTHEHOTSCREENPLAY