You might think of heuristics as the guides for the trials in "trial and error."
Heristic is a way to think how to discover a solution rather than having a solution.
Somehow it makes me remember the book "Steal like an Artist". Study your idols and the idols of your idols (idol = someone who inspires you). Pay more attention at the questions they were asking, than the answers. Always keep in mind that the answers are based on the context, while questions are more likely to based on principles. And context changes easier than principles.
Also, from Os 7 Habitos das pessoas Altamente Eficazes:
We don't seek to imitate the masters, , we pursue what they were pursuing.