The Case for More Bad Ideas
I'm writing a book and need a few good beta readers
Big news — I’m writing my first book (small excerpt below). And thanks to the writing gods, it’s going pretty well.
It’s called The Case for More Bad Ideas. Or More Bad Ideas for short. Or you can call it MBI like I do in Google Drive.
Here’s the cover I designed.
Do you think the subtitle is too small?
Now, I know what you’re thinking “But Jason, I’m already really good at coming up with bad ideas. I do it every day.”
And you’re right. Humans are great at coming up with bad ideas. Look no further than Cheetos Flavored Lip Balm. Sometimes bad ideas are just that.
More Bad Ideas is my counterintuitive guide to creativity.
I’m writing this book because for some reason we don’t teach creativity. Culturally, we make creativity seem elusive or magic, but creativity is teachable.
I’ve studied art and design and worked in agencies all my life. Creativity is my job. And no one has once tried to teach me how to be more creative. So I studied it and taught myself.
This is also a no-fluff book. I’m breaking everything down into steps, explaining why the tactics work, and showing you how to put them into practice.
Book writing for me has been a lot like learning to ski, you don’t know exactly how you’re going to get down that giant hill yet — but you lean in, build up speed, and try to remember how to turn.
And now a small section from the book…
Making the leap
The first video game I ever played was a strange one.
It involved two Italian brothers, who are also plumbers, fighting and jumping on a bunch of evil turtles to save a princess who constantly gets trapped in a castle.
It sounds like a bad idea for a video game. It doesn’t even sound like a good bedtime story. And yet that game, Super Mario Brothers, has gone on to be the most successful video game franchise in history.
Mario has starred in over 250 games since then.
Between 1985 and 2023, Nintendo’s Super Mario Brothers sold over 830 million copies.
There have been three Super Mario Brothers movies, including a live-action movie in 1993 starring John Leguizamo. That’s less of an accolade and more a reminder to rewatch this cult classic.
The question is, would you have greenlit the plumbers with a mushroom problem? Rewind your VHS and imagine this…
You’re working at Nintendo in the early 80s. Video had just killed the radio star, cabbage patch kids were creating chaos, and teenagers were waiting in line to play Pac-Man at Pizza Hut.
You’ve laced up your Chuck Taylor high-tops, put on your dark-blue denim jacket, and you hear this pitch for a new Nintendo video game. Italian plumbers fighting evil turtles.
Would you have approved the budget to make Super Mario Brothers?
Unlikely. The premise is terrible. And yet, it’s the most successful video game franchise ever.
Sometimes, what we think is a bad idea leads us to something great.
Bad ideas are the shortcut to creativity.
If you are interested in beta reading, let me know. I’ll be sharing free chapter previews with beta readers over the next several months. All you have to do is react to sections you like or don’t like and leave comments. I’m using a special beta reading software that makes this pretty easy.
You clearly like to read, so you should just sign up. Click here to join the list.