Encouraging creativity in literature
Systematic innovation
  • Systematic inno-whation?
    • In the mid-forties, a group of researchers thought it would be a good idea to analyse successful solutions from every area of human endeavour and distil the results into a form that would be useful to others, irrespective of the field they work in. Now, after decades examining millions of examples of successful innovation across widely differing disciplines, some clear patterns, strategies and techniques have emerged. Systematic innovation (SI) or TRIZ as it is sometimes called, is a universal knowledge framework arising from the findings of this ongoing research. SI can help anyone, regardless of what they are creating - a book, painting, hairdryer, suspension bridge - to find inventive ways of doing things. Some may question the validity of using a generic, systematic approach to creativity where doing things differently is fundamental to the process. SI is not about trying to contain the imagination or limit thinking. On the contrary, its purpose is to stimulate, harness and see ideas through to a useful end-point by providing some structure to what can be a highly fluid, elusive process.
  • Overview of the SI process for writers:

    SI can take a writer through a simple process to:
    • define clearly at the outset the basic theme/premise of a piece of writing, i.e. to answer the question what exactly am I trying to explore and say with this piece;
    • then generate ideas using a distinct set of tools, e.g. the 40 inventive principles which will help the writer explore the theme/premise and tell the story in inventive often unexpected ways. SI has been shown time and again to generate a far richer set of ideas than any other creativity process, most of which rely heavily on brainstorming; SI goes way beyond brainstorming.
  • Benefits of SI to writers:

    SI has huge potential for writers. In general terms, SI provides a useful framework to:
    • Help generate ideas to write about at the 'blank-sheet-of-paper' stage - the definitive answer to writer's block!
    • Explore ways to exploit the germ of an idea that seems to hold potential.
    • Provide solutions to problems that arise during the course of the writing process, e.g. with characterisation, plot structure, pacing etc.
    • Further insight into the potential SI holds for writers is provided by the findings of a study into creativity in literature. As part of the ongoing SI research programme, I worked on a study to look at the 'WOW' phenomenon. The aim of this study was to try to determine whether there are any general rules or patterns that might explain what makes a book or a moment in a book particularly memorable to readers. The thinking and key findings from this study are available in an article. Click the link to access a PDF of the 'WOW in literature' article. A version of it appeared in the August 2006 edition of the TRIZ journal, a leading creativity and innovation publication. Visit www.triz-journal.com.
  • More details on SI:

    • For further in-depth information on SI and the 'WOW' phenomenon, including the research that has been carried out on 'WOW' in other fields, e.g. music, visit www.systematic-innovation.com.