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 the work they do, to find creative solutions to the challenges facing them. 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.
  • Main findings of the SI research to date:
    • There are only a small number of fundamentally different types of problem or opportunity scenarios;
    • Someone somewhere, therefore, has already solved a scenario something like the one you may be facing;
    • There are only a small number of possible ways to generate inventive solutions;
    • The best solutions transform unwanted or unhelpful aspects of a situation into something useful;
    • The best solutions actively seek out and overcome the conflicts or trade-offs most creative processes assume to be insurmountable;
    • The way ideas evolve over time is highly predictable.
  • Overview of the SI process for writers:

    SI can take a writer through a simple process to:
    • define clearly the writing problem or opportunity facing them;
    • then generate the best solutions using a distinct set of tools, e.g. the 40 inventive principles. SI has been shown time and again to generate a far richer set of viable solutions 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 real potential SI holds for writers is provided by the findings of an initial study into creativity in literature. As part of the ongoing SI research programme, we embarked 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. Our 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.
    • I am now using the main research findings (highlighting the importance of conflict and the 40 SI inventive Principles) to help me create some WOW pieces of writing. Starting with a blank sheet of paper (so I'm also testing the 'definitive answer to writer's block' claim), the challenge is to write a new poem, sketch or a piece of short fiction (i.e. a story of around 1,000 words) based on a theme and two nouns provided by visitors to this site. The first writing challenge I was set has now been completed. To see how the creative process unfolded and track the changes to the poem I wrote on the theme of destitution using the nouns pram and rain, click here to access the 'SI writing challenge 1 working document. To read the poem and decide whether it has any WOW moments (feedback much appreciated), click here to go to the Poetry section and click on 'Lost and Found.' To set me another creative writing challenge, click here to go to the Contact me page and submit one theme, e.g. revenge, love, guilt and two randomly selected nouns.
  • 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.