Engineering projects and stories as metaphors for each other 🤔
Unit test = beat
Integration test = scene
Subsystem test = act
System test = narrative arc
Component = character
Strategic component (eg battery) = key character
Design driver if one exists (eg RPi) = hero
Conversation
Unique feature of artifact (eg the rotor of a helicopter) = high concept
Core operating principle = log line
Log lines and high concepts are subtly different. A high concept is like a name/recognizable face. A log line is like proof of life. scriptsecrets.net/tips/tip59.htm
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A high concept without a log line is like the recognizable corpse of a famous person.
Eg: Romeo and Juliet across many lives with reincarnation. It’s not immediately obvious how that would work.
In engineering, a sci-fi invention like a time machine.
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Reverse, log line without high concept, is like taking the pulse of a random person and declaring them alive.
Eg: Romeo and Juliet in space. It *is* kinda obvious that would work. It’s not obvious there’s be anything interesting to it beyond gimmick.
In engineering, chindogu.
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Engineering within stories as in sci-fi artifacts, often is high concepts with fake log lines (operating principles) like “flux capacitor” or “warp core dilithium.”
But stories within engineering artifacts often are log lines without even fake high concepts (user stories).
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Noticed this analogy when I realized coming up with a story worth writing is hard in exactly the same way as coming up with a project worth building. While the execution is hard and you have to acquire skills, the harder part is finding high concept/log line intersection.
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Huh? Project ideas are a dime a dozen, deciding which one to work on is the hard part.
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Partly skill level. If I had enough skills already to build heat vision camera, I would. Within my current/short-term expected skill levels most ideas are boring.

