therufs comments on Simulate and Defer To More Rational Selves - Less Wrong

125 Post author: BrienneYudkowsky 17 September 2014 06:11PM

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Comment author: ialdabaoth 12 September 2014 05:40:57PM *  19 points [-]

So, I just had a weird turn at work, that's made it obvious that I can't stay here.

And when I ask myself, "what does Protagonist Brent do?", I immediately imagine powering through my flu, putting my most valuable possessions in my car, pointing West, and driving until I reach Berkeley - then finding an apartment and walking into start-ups and big companies and saying "I can code. I just moved here from Idaho. I need a job. What have you got?"

And then I don't do that, because I'm too dizzy to get out of bed, let alone drive 10 hours to Berkeley, and I have no idea where I'd stay, and I only have $3,000 to my name.

Because my imagination does NOT conserve detail, it just builds a narrative.

How do you work around that?

Comment author: therufs 15 September 2014 01:23:08AM 11 points [-]

Taskify your challenges. To continue the metaphor: Protagonists often have lots of adventures/problems/riddles to solve on their way to the end of the book.

You asked Protagonist Brent what he would do and he told you how he would get a job. That's a good start, but don't let him take all the credit while foisting the legwork off onto you! How does Protagonist Brent find somewhere to live? How does he address his financial concerns?

I might also add there's a lot of scope for dramatic imagery if Protagonist Brent rests up for a day or two and then rises from his bed as if from the grave. :)