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Architects vs Gardeners
Architects vs Gardeners
Architects vs Gardeners
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Overview

No matter what you thought about the end of the HBO version of Game of Thrones, it’s worth considering George R.R. Ma ...

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullus est igitur cuiusquam dies natalis. Quae autem natura suae primae institutionis oblita est? Quae animi affectio suum cuique tribuens atque hanc, quam dico. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Quid autem habent admirationis, cum prope accesseris? Quaesita enim virtus est, non quae relinqueret naturam, sed quae tueretur. Nam adhuc, meo fortasse vitio, quid ego quaeram non perspicis. Hoc dixerit potius Ennius: Nimium boni est, cui nihil est mali.

Respondent extrema primis, media utrisque, omnia omnibus. An, partus ancillae sitne in fructu habendus, disseretur inter principes civitatis, P. Tum Triarius: Posthac quidem, inquit, audacius.

Nummus in Croesi divitiis obscuratur, pars est tamen divitiarum. Et ille ridens: Age, age, inquit,-satis enim scite me nostri sermonis principium esse voluisti-exponamus adolescenti,.

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Actionable Takeaways
  • Understand your preference and strengths. 

Do you naturally lean towards being an Archite ...

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ita cum ea volunt retinere, quae superiori sententiae conveniunt, in Aristonem incidunt; Amicitiam autem adhibendam esse censent, quia sit ex eo genere, quae prosunt. Est enim tanti philosophi tamque nobilis audacter sua decreta defendere. Quid de Platone aut de Democrito loquar? Non est enim vitium in oratione solum, sed etiam in moribus. Non igitur bene. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Sed virtutem ipsam inchoavit, nihil amplius. Si qua in iis corrigere voluit, deteriora fecit. Vide igitur ne non debeas verbis nostris uti, sententiis tuis.

Aliter enim explicari, quod quaeritur, non potest. Aliena dixit in physicis nec ea ipsa, quae tibi probarentur; Quae in controversiam veniunt, de iis, si placet, disseramus. Ad corpus diceres pertinere-, sed ea, quae dixi, ad corpusne refers? Mihi quidem Homerus huius modi quiddam vidisse videatur in iis, quae de Sirenum cantibus finxerit. Quae diligentissime contra Aristonem dicuntur a Chryippo. Hic, qui utrumque probat, ambobus debuit uti, sicut facit re, neque tamen dividit verbis. Terram, mihi crede, ea lanx et maria deprimet. Etenim nec iustitia nec amicitia esse omnino poterunt, nisi ipsae per se expetuntur.

Nunc omni virtuti vitium contrario nomine opponitur. Sunt enim prima elementa naturae, quibus auctis vírtutis quasi germen efficitur. Nam illud vehementer repugnat, eundem beatum esse et multis malis oppressum. Longum est enim ad omnia respondere, quae a te dicta sunt. An hoc usque quaque, aliter in vita? Non igitur bene.

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Architects vs Gardeners is featured in these playbooks:
Limitations

The main limitation of this model is when it is applied as a binary choice when in reality there is an interplay and overlap between the approaches. In addition, some might argue that even though some people appear to be Gardeners, they actually have an implicit sense of planning that is not being stated or so consciously surfaced. 

In Practice

George R.R. Martin as a Gardener.

Martin points out that he leans more towards being a gardener, and describes how he started writing Game of Thrones having imagined a scene of a family finding wolves. He had a broad idea of the setting but effectively had to define it as he wrote, only creating the map when he was quite far into the story. 

This fascinating Twitter thread by academic Daniel Silvermint argues that the failure of the final season of Game of Thrones was because Martin was a Gardener, yet the show writers had to write the final season without his text and relied on an Architect approach to draw the story to a conclusion. 

J.K. Rowling as an architect. 

Rowling used what has become known as a ‘story grid’ to plot out her stories. The following is part of her outline for Order of the Phoenix. 

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Origins & Resources

This concept is from George R.R. Martin’s description of writing approaches which he outlines in this quote:  

“I think there are two types of writers, the architects and the gardeners. The architects plan everything ahead of time, like an architect building a house. They know how many rooms are going to be in the house, what kind of roof they're going to have, where the wires are going to run, what kind of plumbing there's going to be. They have the whole thing designed and blueprinted out before they even nail the first board up. The gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it. They kind of know what seed it is, they know if planted a fantasy seed or mystery seed or whatever. But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don't know how many branches it's going to have, they find out as it grows. And I'm much more a gardener than an architect.”

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