brainstorming

The human brain has an infinite capacity for imagination.

Everything we see, hear, touch, smell, taste that has anything to do with having human contact, was once merely an idea in someone’s imagination.

A daydream, fantasy, that wouldn’t go away until the thought could one day be manifested into reality.

People died for having some of these ideas. There was a time that even the mention of flying around the world or into space could have you put to death. There was a good chance you would be locked away forever as dangerous and insane if you did manage to escape execution.

But still we continue to come up with wild ideas, random thoughts. Some of these come from a lifetime of dreaming up solutions to common problems, but most seem to just appear in our heads when we least expect them.

Writing is a powerful way of finding what lurks deep down in the subconsciousness. One of the common mistakes is to think too much about what to write before it gets written.

For some this planning process is vital for their personal creative process. For many others it stops them from writing anything. They may even call it ‘writers block.’

It isn’t surprising ‘writers block’ stops so many talented people from fulfilling their potential when it comes to writing. If we have an INFINITE capacity for imagination, this means we have an unlimited number of choices when it comes to choosing what to write about. The task is daunting enough without realising you have unlimited choices.

One neat trick whatever you like writing about (and this is perfect for children’s writing and getting children to write) is to write about you. What makes you happy, sad, laugh, angry and frustrated. Recreate your character and incorporate it into the next person or character you make up.

If you enjoy eating mangos, make sure that the lemming in your next story loves eating mangos too. If you have a passion for drawing cartoons, turn your lemming into a cartoonist who sits at the edge of the cliff each lemming season and munches on mangos while watching, and sketching, his mates jump over the edge.

If you like snorkelling, then each lemming that jumps could be wearing a snorkel and mask. They aren’t killing themselves at all.

Being limited to your own imagination means you have no limits at all.

The more you do this the more your imagination takes over and the character that was you is re-invented.

This is a difficult concept to grasp, especially when you’re a child and have so many other worries as well. Such as how to spell words, in what order those words should go and where do all those punctuation bits go, and why?

No wonder the creative juices are stymied.

It isn’t enough though, to come up with just ideas on how to write without demonstrating how it can be done, and explaining the process as much as it can be explained along the way.

So I’ll begin a story, here, now, and add to it when I feel like it.

Beginnings can be found anywhere. I worked at a school this morning, and on the wall behind the librarian there is a black and white photo. I’ve seen it several times. No one knows where it came from.

It’s in my mind now, so that’s my starting point. The important thing to remember here is that I have no idea what’s going to come out next. Not a clue.

I start with the memory and what I see in my head, and begin writing. There’s no conscious thought about this, but I know to trust the process. It gives me a tingle of expectation every time, and even if people didn’t like the stories, I don’t believe it would matter.

I love doing it, and what better life can you have than doing something you love doing?

Here goes. I’ll call it :

‘The Photograph’ (because that’s what it is, and by Rob Daniel, because that’s who I am).
She sat on the wall, looking down at me eating a sandwich with a faint smile on her face. “She must be dead” I thought.

The photo was in black and white, frayed and yellow around the edges. A group of unsmiling men, women and children dressed in everyday clothes from a hundred years ago. A picnic. There were bushes behind them and grass under a white cloth.

The bell rang. I jumped up guiltily. We weren’t supposed to eat lunch in the school library but I ate there anyway. No one else wanted to sit with me and besides it was cold outside.

I looked up again at the girl in the photograph, still smiling a little. She was about my age, maybe a little older. She had a blanket wrapped around her waist. I stopped and moved closer. She was holding a white mug.

I blinked a couple of times staring. They didn’t drink from mugs did they, not a hundred years ago? They drank daintily from cups and saucers with their little finger stuck out at right angles.

A mug?

“Emily!”

I jumped. Don’t you just hate it being caught doing something you’re not supposed to be doing.

Luckily it wasn’t Mr Smythe because Mr Smythe would have thrown me in detention and forgotten about me.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at sport” Miss Chipkin said kindly. “Are you day dreaming again?”

“Yes Miss Chipkin . I mean, NO Miss Chipkin. Well, yes and no, yes I’m supposed to be at sport and no I wasn’t day dreaming. Just thinking.”

I must have got that glassy look on my face again because a voice broke its way in, “EMILY - GO!”

“Yes Miss Chipkin.”

At this point I know there’s more, much more, and it’s very difficult to stop the flow. Now I’m intrigued as to what’s happening, and want to write more to find out. You see, I haven’t a clue. There are a few ideas floating around sure, but I push them away as I’m writing because I want to see what’s really there, not what I think is there while I’m writing it

It sounds confusing, as trying to describe the process of how a story is written is difficult. This is because most people who write don’t honestly know how it happens. That it happens at all is enough, and trying to analyse it is risky because it might suddenly all disappear.

This opening is 286 words, so for an exercise write an opening to a story. Make it under 300 words. Start by looking at a photograph you like, or a drawing, painting, or look out of your window. Pick any subject and begin writing.

See how you go. Don’t judge the outcome please, because there may only be a germ of an idea in the whole piece. But as a process, trust it. This is you, being a writer, and if you love this, what else would you rather be doing?

Check back soon for what comes next in ‘The Photograph’. I want to know too.

Rob Daniel is a children’s author, creative writing, memory and self-esteem teacher. He lives in beautiful Albany on the south west corner of Western Australia, has a passion for mangos, the Greek Islands and bringing the best out of young people. He has been booked to go on a creative writing tour of primary schools around the south-west in September, and is very excited about the adventures he’s about to have!

‘Rob Daniel’s Magical Mystery Tour Of The Imagination’ is calling at Esperance, Boulder and Perth, eight one hour sessions in five schools.

Rob creates ‘turn the page’ children’s e-books with illustrators from around the world. You can check out and buy these books instantly from http://www.chocmint.com You’ll also find an opportunity to join the chocmint adventure yourself, if you have a passion for writing and illustrating for children.

LATEST book published ‘A Tail’s Tale’, illustrated by UK artist Elizabeth Stringer. Part proceeds from these books go towards sponsoring children at the Bear-Care orphanage in Kitgum, Uganda run by the extraordinary Murray Ki

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We experience creativity every time a fresh idea pops into our minds. We recognize creative imagination in everything from a pastel painting to a business plan. By trying these ten tips, you will discover some amazing creative abilities that may surprise you.

1. Substitute someone else’s perspective for yours. How would a teacher, lawyer, actor, artist, explorer, journalist, psychologist, engineer, homemaker, child, or accountant approach your idea or subject? Don’t know? Ask them!

2. Look at your idea through the eyes of a critic. For each idea, make a list of all criticisms that may arise. Try to develop as many solutions as possible for overcoming obstacles or repairing weaknesses in your idea.

3. Connect your idea to other worlds or fields. Look at the worlds of Politics, Art, Science & Medicine, Hollywood, The Ice Age, Astronomy, Astrology, Ballet, Animation, The Army, Asia, Teaching, Music, Europe, and the like. Can you make an analogy, and what ideas can you draw upon from these fields and worlds?

4. Magnify your idea. What can you do to enlarge, expedite, extend, strengthen, exaggerate, dramatize, or improve your idea?

5. Simplify your idea. Can you condense, trim down, compact, minimize, or narrow your idea?

6. Change your idea. Modify the name, color, sound, shape, form, function, smell, taste, and properties of your idea.

7. Make your idea meet the needs and wants of the masses. Does your idea meet the basic needs and wants of more comfort, money, food, shelter, time, space, convenience, attractiveness, health, and beauty? If not, alter your idea to meet one if not all of these needs and wants.

8. Add more value. What will add more value? Add extra features, durability, safety, thickness, accuracy, guarantees, uses, and freebies.

9. Examine what others have done. Emulate professionals and experts who have had great success with a similar idea or product. Are you facing a problem that has already been solved? Use the past as a tool for experimentation and learning.

10. Flip a coin. When you cannot make a decision, flip a coin. Once the coin falls, use your intuition and gut to make a decision. If you feel comfortable with the result, go with it. If you feel uncomfortable with the coin toss, make the opposite decision.

About The Author

Bea Fields, Southern Pines, NC, USA; bea@fivestarleader.com

http://www.fivestarleader.com

Bea Fields is an Executive Coach and a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach. She is also a Consultant, Trainer, Public Speaker and author of the Five Star Leader e-course. Her area of expertise is that of Leadership Development and Marketing for Executives, Managers, Small Business Owners, and Political Leaders.

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The public is the most important aspect of any kind of business. The public is the one who buys from you, and the public is the one who gives you free advertisement. This is why it is important for your business to have a good image in the public.

One marketing tool that you can use for your business is called public relations. This is one of the most effective yet overlooked tools in the business world. It is a fact that businesses that make use of public relations as a marketing tool are far more successful in terms of gaining the public’s trust.

Making your business more public friendly can mean gaining the confidence and trust of the people. Public relations are a cheap and a more effective way to do it. So, before you set out and get an expensive TV advertisement, try to think of your options first. Think of public relations.

Setting out on a public relations campaign for your business may seem hard, but it’s relatively simple.

The first thing you have to do is get into the public’s mind. As a consumer, you definitely would want something for free. No matter what it is, you will want it because it’s free. Try and give out free samples of your product. If you create colognes and perfumes, give out small bottle samples. If you are promoting a food product, try and let someone take free samples of your new food product.

By doing this you will create a connection with the public. Since you gave them something for free, chances are some of the people that tried your product will like your product, you can be sure that they would want to have one again. They will now look for it and buy it in the future.

Never underestimate the power of suggestion. This is essentially a very powerful public relations tool. Since giving away free samples of your new product allows the public to try it, you will also be generating free advertising. People who liked your product will surely tell their friends and family about it and therefore, will create a chain of customers.

Another great public relations tool is by promoting events available for the public to join in. You can create contests and other promos to help you promote your product in public. By doing this, you will be creating a great marketing tool to give the public the reason to buy your product.

You can also relate your product to health benefits. For example, if you manufacture shoes, you can try and entice the public to buy a good pair of shoes from your company by sharing some fun facts on walking and the health benefits they can get by doing this activity. You can also add something on why people should by your product. Whether it is comfortable, or durable, it is up to you to advertise your product.

Always remember that public relations are about making your company look good in the eyes of the public. You have to gain the public’s trust and confidence in order to sell your products effectively.

By creating some kind of bond with the public and your company, you can really expect to see positive results and also expect income for your company.

Ross Lincoln makes it quicker and easier for you to create profitable business ideas, develop your marketing strategy or start brainstorming on any topic. For a free trial of the ultimate innovation software, please visit http://www.ideacenter.com.

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