Hello again.
Please send me any comments or suggestions that you have.
Pleasant reading,
Amir
In this issue:
(a) Reviewers needed
(b) Creative ideas for...
(c) Creative tool - "Extreme Effort"
(d) New on Best100Ideas.com
(e) Recommendation of the month
(a) E-book Reviewers Needed
I am currently working on two new e-books for Best100Ideas.com Creative Ideas website.
One of the books deals with Small and Medium Business Innovation, and the other is a How-to Guide of sorts (I am sorry I can not reveal more information - can't let the word spread out too soon...)
I am looking for a few people who want to take part in one of these small projects, as reviewers of the material.
Reviewer will be asked to do the following simple steps, requiring some 2-3 hours according to my estimate:
1. Sign a Non-Disclosure agreement that prohibits you from using or selling the information or texts I will reveal to you as a reviewer.
2. Receive and read 2-3 drafts or sample chapters of one of the e-books.
3. Send
me at least 1 page of comments or suggestions on each draft.
In return for your efforts you will receive:
1. A free copy of the 100 Creative Presentation Ideas E-book (regular price $19.95) - immediately.
2. A free copy of each of the two new e-books once they are completed. These are expected to be priced in the 50-100 dollars range each.
If you are interested in being a reviewer - send an email to info@best100ideas.com.
Please include your name, your email address, your current occupation, your website address if you have one, and which of the two above mentioned e-books interests you more.
Those that will be approved as reviewers will receive an email with the complete agreement for this project and further instructions.
(b) Creative Ideas for Writing Articles
There are endless reasons for writing articles. Writing articles may be a part of your profession or job. For others - they are required for their studies. They are also important for building website content and promoting your website by publishing public articles.
But writing articles is not always easy. It can actually be quite demanding. Especially - if you want your article to be interesting and creative and if you want to make the readers impressed by your writing skills.
This time, I have decided to help you out a bit with some Creative Ideas for Writing an Article or - better yet - a series of articles.
Here are some of the creative ideas for writing your own articles:
- The Seven Wonders of...: This idea can help you in two ways. First - if you have already written a technical or descriptive article and you feel it is lacking an interesting twist. Second - if you find it difficult to think of a structure for your article to begin with.
What you need to do is think of your subject in term of the Seven Wonderful things that constitute it, and write your article accordingly.
For example, it could be The Seven Wonders of Winter Gardening, or The Seven Wonders of Javascript Programming. Next, you have to use positive and somewhat exaggerated descriptions and vocabulary in order to give your article an aura of wonder. If you can not find seven things to talk about or need to write about more things - simply make your article a bit more creative by naming it The Nine Wonders of Wall Painting, or The Five Wonders of my trip to India.
- Inventing History: This idea can add an element of surprise to your article and even a shocking effect.
Start by inventing a historical figure who is related to a real historical person or a twist to a true historical event. Now, use this invented person or occurrence to describe your arguments or share an idea with your readers. Later - you can choose if you want to reveal the imaginary nature of your story, or to let your readers wonder about its historical truth.
- Recurring Analogy: Analogies are powerful tools for conveying an idea or an abstract or complex concept. They are also useful in establishing your unique writing style. You can intensify their effect by choosing a specific field of analogies and using them again and again (with different variations) in the same article, or even better - in a series of articles.
For instance, you could use the analogy of driving in the streets for explaining or stressing a variety of ideas (the concept of order, of the need to follow rules and laws, or the quite opposite idea of "the art of driving safely"). Another analogy that can be used for various purposes is the growth of a baby to a child, to a youth and to the different stages of adult life. These stages are good for demonstrating a process of change and growth.
- The Voyage: Describing a voyage from one point to another is a way you could use to write about a development of an argument, a step-by-step how-to article, or an interesting way to convey a personal experience.
Go through several stations in your "voyage". You may enhance this description of a voyage by using a "virtual" vehicle - a train, a coach, a boat or any other mean of transportation which fits the scene.
(c) Creative Tool: Extreme Effort
The Extreme Effort creativity tool is another tool suited for generating creative ideas in advertising, for writing a sales copy, or for creative writing in general. It is related to the Extreme Result creativity tool described in issue 9 of the Creative Ideas newsletter, and to the Opposite Extreme creativity tool described in last month's issue.
Here is how you should use it (as usual - along with an example):
- Think of the Reasonable Efforts to get your Product or Service:
What are the regular things that your clients or users have to do in order to get your product or service?
Through which distribution channel do they order it (a shop, a supermarket, a phone order, etc.)?
How and how much do they normally pay for it?
How long do they have to wait to get it?
And so forth.
You can also think of the end users if they are not the same as buyers - the children or animals that use the product or service - How do they have to ask for it? Do they have to climb a few steps to get to it?
Example: When you want to buy a popcorn at the movies, you are often required to wait in line for a few minutes, and then pay a the price of the popcorn.
- Think of an Extreme Exaggeration of the Regular Effort to get the Product or Service:
If your product or service was the most important thing in the world, to what extremes would people go in order to buy it or use it?
What would they be willing to sacrifice?
What crazy things can you think of that someone would do just to be the first to get it?
Example: A child which is going to the movies loves the popcorn so much, that he is willing to miss the rest of his favorite movie just to get a small box of popcorn.
- Convey Your Message clearly through text and/or images:
This part involves good copy-writing or ad planning.
Make your message short and understandable.
People should be able to read it or look at it and see the creative EFFORT exaggeration in a flash.
Example: "Looking for creative ideas somewhere else? By the time you get them their 20 year patent term is going to be over, you know" (I could add later - "Here you'll get them by next week!".
- Repeat with variations:
The best way to use this tool is by repeating variations of your message several times.
This would go a long way towards producing a campaign people relate to and talk about.
You should think of more ways to demonstrate the "extreme effort" clients and user are willing to go through to get your product/service and of other ways to convey the same message with a twist.
Example: A women is getting into a street fight over the delicious popcorn, a man is climbing a glass-covered wall just to get the smell of it, etc.
There is now a special limited time offer on the 100 Creative Presentation Ideas E-book.
It is available online for HALF the regular price.
The best part is - you still get your 10 extra ideas on any subject of your choice!
Here is a direct link to the 100 Creative Presentation Ideas E-book page.
The Creativity Web website is a great resource center for creativity and innovation on the Internet.
It has details on books, software, people, organizations, quotations, techniques and more.
Although some of the information has been there for a while, it is still very useful and clearly written.
For example - check out the
section with Techniques for Creative Thinking.
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