ABOUT THIS EPISODE
We called week five the end of this experiment…but it didn’t feel like the end. So we’re back for one more!
Since we last recorded, we flew to Montana and spent two days filming a proof of concept for Matt’s Creative Places – two days of shooting, a hired DP, drone footage, interviews in people’s homes and bookshops, and one terabyte of footage he hasn’t looked at yet.
Lindsey played producer in Montana, and learned that a little distance from the novel gave her a clearer picture of it than immersion had, and she’s landed somewhere slightly unhinged: draft the whole thing by the end of the year. That means outlining, which she has never done, and protecting early-morning writing time through the busiest season of her work year.
As always, this is an unscripted conversation—two people reporting back honestly on a season of creative work.
In this episode
00:00 — Brighter, faster, funnier
We’re trying!
01:38 — Matt’s update: Two days in Montana
Matt hit the ground running in Montana - a hired DP fir two days, interviews lined up, drone work over the river, on-the-street shooting, and a terabyte of footage…and Lindsey unlocks her dream job as producer.
Plus: a lesson from da Vinci’s notebooks, the joy of participating in a creative place (not just documenting one), and next steps for Creative Places.
25:35 — Lindsey’s update: A whole draft by the end of the year?
Lindsey shares her plan for the novel, admitting a little space away was good for it.
Next up: write a first draft, with a loose outline, and being mindful of balancing this with a busy season of work.
35:14 — Borrowing belief and the end of season one
We identify one of the secret sauces to this container: borrowed belief. We’re each able to dream slightly bigger for the other person than we can for ourselves, and that borrowed belief is what carries work into exciting territory.
That’s a wrap on Season 1…but keep a seat warm for us.
Mentioned in this episode
* Walter Isaacson’s Leonardo da Vinci
* Livingston, Montana and its literary community
What’s Next
Lindsey: Exhaust the list of scenes, build the timeline into a loose architecture, and start the exploratory draft—with protected early-morning time defended against the busiest stretch of her work year.
Matt: Move into post-production with actual dates on it—storyboard, voiceover, editors—and cut a trailer from the Montana footage before attempting anything longer. Look at grants as the deadline.
The Quest Log
If you’re running a side quest of your own, take a few minutes to consider:
* Over these last 5(ish) weeks: What did you learn? How did you grow? What do you know now that you didn’t know before you started? And what’s next for your creative side quest?
Tell us in the comments. And tell us what you made over these five weeks that didn’t exist before—we want to know whether you’re questing along with us in season two.
Until we quest again,Matt Trinetti & Lindsey Trout Hughes
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit creativesidequests.substack.com
