SCAMPER Writing Outside of the Box

Introduction Its been said many times that there are no new stories, especially in the romance genre. I strongly disagree, because this is where creativity comes in. One of the best creative skills you can develop is the art of stealing ideas. Yep, you heard me right. I am a confessed thief and I encourage others to be also. We all have a debt to the writers who have come before us. As the saying goes, we stand on the backs of giants in our efforts to get published. ut there is a huge difference between copying or borrowing and outright stealing, and there is a definite art and ethical obligation to stealing. When you copy or borrow from another authors work, you infringe upon the copyright. You plagiari!e. If the idea is borrowed, if it still looks like the original, then it still belongs to the original author. "owever, if you steal from more than one source, its more like research and is the first step to making the ideas your own. "eres where the art and the ethics come in# If you take inspiration from another, have the integrity, courage and courtesy to develop the idea, to invest in it, to reinvent it, to make it more than it was. In the business world, it$s called %best practices benchmarking.% It$s a formali!ed method of identifying successful tactics and strategies used by other companies and &and this is an important %and%' modifying them to best suit your needs. (o put it in the simplest of terms, Steal the best and leave the rest. )tealing the really great ideas, twisting them, bending and breaking and reassembling them, then applying your own style and e*perience and heart is called writing outside the bo*. Id been struggling to create a synopsis for my second book, YO+,) I- .A/0 .A/1, and not getting very far. I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated when it hit me. &And didnt I feel stupid for not figuring it out sooner'. Im not a linear thinker. (rying to act like one was making me cra!y. It 2ust isnt possible for me to sit down and create a plot from start to finish so I decided to stop trying. While searching for some creativity tools, I came across something that changed my writing life. )./.A.3.4.1.,. is a mnemonic or acronym for a business techni5ue created by ob 1berle and Ale* Osborn. Its a checklist of 5uestions applied to an isolated challenge that generates alternative solutions. 6irst you identify the problem, then ask the 5uestions and see what new ideas you can come up with. (his article is the result of my trying to figure out how to use the )./.A.3.4.1.,. method as a writer to first think up and outline a story and later to revise a manuscript. 4...O.(. stands for 4reparation, .ightning, Organi!ation and (ransfer. Ill e*plain what )./.A.3.4.1.,. means in the Organi!ing section. 4reparation ,ead. ,ead some more. 0eep reading. When you come across something that makes your skin tingle and sends a shiver along your spine, pay attention to this visceral reaction. (he

ideas that thrill you are the ones that youll use best. -ow analy!e the idea until you recogni!e e*actly what it was that thrilled you. Youll have to be careful to separate your emotions from the analysis to make sure youre getting to the core of the idea and not unintentionally borrowing the original work. -ow look at the idea and summari!e what premise is at the heart of it. A romantic suspense about two people trapped in a snowstorm7 A sensual romance about a heroine who wants to have a vacation fling7 A traditional romance about reunited lovers7 efore you can begin outlining the plot for your story, you need to know8 Who are the characters7 What are their names, 2obs and backgrounds at least7 (heir 9oals: what they want, 3otivations: why they want it, and /onflicts: why they cant have it /an you describe the story idea in ;< words or less7 -e*t, decide how you work best. Are you most creative when typing at the computer or when writing longhand7 =o you want to use inde* cards or a 3) Word file7 I prefer a combination: I put all of my ideas into paragraphs on the computer then print out the document and cut each paragraph into a strip of paper. (he most important step is to make time. /lose the office door, send the kids outside to play or wait until they go to sleep. =o whatever you have to create 5uiet time for yourself. And no thinking about the laundry, the bills or the in:laws during this time# Youre supposed to be tapping into your creativity. Our minds form first impressions of a problem that tend to be narrow and superficial, therefore our first solutions are e5ually limited. When you look at a problem from different angles, you increase the probability of discovering a uni5ue perspective that leads to a breakthrough idea. >3ay I suggest my creativity workshop7? .ightning -ow that you$ve had time to think about the premise, think about your characters and your story. Write down anything and everything that comes to mind. You certainly dont have to know every single thing thats going to happen in the book, but try to keep a few things in mind8 "ook &how the hero and heroine meet@ reunite' 6irst (urning 4oint &what might force your characters to make a decision or take action' 3idpoint &this is the point of know return, perhaps where the characters reali!e theyre in love, and this point should also set up the black moment' lack 3oment &remember this is the emotional point where it seems like the relationship is over' /lima* &this is the e*ternal problem or situation that has to be resolved'

,esolution &how the characters might recogni!e or acknowledge their commitment' =on$t hamper yourself by wondering if your ideas are good enough. (rust me, they are. Imagine your story as a road or as a film or whatever helps you to generate ideas. -ew ideas are formed by deliberately combining things in ways you don$t normally come across or think about. /.9. Aung said, %(he creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. (he creative mind plays with the ob2ects it loves.% (ake a break and when you come backB think about the story as a whole and the scenes and ideas you already came up with. .et the scenes come to you and write them down. =ont worry about how youll make them fit into your story, 2ust write them down. rainstorm all of the possibilities, no matter how farfetched or silly they seem. And dont worry about the details: well get to that later. When youve gone as far as you feel you can, either brainstorm with criti5ue partners or call it a day >week, whatever?.

Organi!ation Its time to storyboard or put your ideas together. =ont put a lot of effort into this initial shuffle since it wont be the last time. Aust arrange the ideas into a se5uential order that makes sense to you. If youre using the computer, print off a copy of the ideas you created and read it through. 3ark or number as you go and then cut@paste the paragraphs in the computer file. If youre using inde* cards, lay them out on a table or on the floor and pin them to a corkboard. (ake a good look at what you have. 9et familiar with each scene and try to imagine it connecting with other scenes. If any of your ideas seem like they wont work, put them aside or into another file, but dont delete or discard them yet. Youll need them for the ne*t part. )./.A.3.4.1.,. stands for )ubstitute, /ombine, Adapt, 3odify, 4ut to other use, 1liminate and ,earrange@ ,everse. &Ive marked each part with a 4 for plotting or an , for revision, though you may find ways to make it work for both.' -ow, look at your computer document or your inde* cards and apply any of these tactics until you$re happy with the initial results. Substitution >4, ,? is replacing one character, place, emotion, conflict, etc. with another. /hoose one idea or scene and ask the following8 What can be substituted7 6or what else that you have7 6or what else you dont have yet7 /an you substitute part instead of the whole7 What other approach can you take to the scene7 Combination >,? is putting together previously unrelated ideas, settings, purposes, goals, etc. 4ick a scene and decide8 What ideas can be combined7 What else can be added7 /an they be blended or only linked7 /an more than two be put together7 =oes combining them change the purpose alone or also the goal or conflict7

Adaptation >4? is copying from one idea and applying it to another. 4ick one of your ideas and ask the following8 What else is like this7 What part could be emulated if not the whole7 What other ideas can be incorporated7 In what different conte*ts could the original work7
As I said at the beginning of this article, in referring to adaptation Im not talking about plagiarism. Im talking about using the same method another writer used and changing, adjusting or tailoring it to meet a need. For e ample, in one of my favorite !ora "oberts books, #$% I&', the characters meet when the hero, whos running from the villain, tries to car jack the heroines car. (hat follows is a really funny scene where the heroine refuses to relin)uish control of the car or the situation. In *$+"S I! ,-A&. -A&', I didnt duplicate or copy word for word !oras scene. (hat I did was figure out a way that my heroine could take my heros car and then found a way to add a car chase to my scene.

Modification >4, ,? is completely altering all or part of an idea to make it better. /hoose one of your scenes and decide8 What can be e*aggerated or overstated7 What can be added or reduced7 "ow can it be carried to an e*treme7 "ow can some element be twisted into something new7 Putting to another use >4, ,? is taking parts or elements of your idea and utili!ing them somewhere else. /hoose one of your scenes and ask the following8 Where else can I use the whole7 What else can parts be used for7 Are there other ways to use it as is7 What else can be made from this7 Elimination >,? is minimi!ing parts or getting rid of the whole to gradually focus the idea. (o determine whether to scrap your idea, ask8 =oes it enhance the story7 =oes it move the plot7 =oes it serve a real purpose7 /hoose a scene that you intend to keep and decide8 What can be omitted7 What can be split up or divided7 What can be streamlined7 Which elements are unnecessary7 Rearrangement >4, ,? is rethinking the approach to the idea and coming at the idea from a different angle. 4ick a scene, or look at your synopsis if youre revising, and ask the following8 What other arrangement might work better7 "ow can the order be changed7 What elements can be shifted around7 /an anything be interchanged rather than substituted7 Reversal >,? is changing perspectives about the idea and using opposing elements to create something new. /hoose a scene and decide8 What are the opposites7 What are the negatives7 "as the se5uel come before the scene7 /an the points of view or roles be reversed7 What can be done thats une*pected7 (ransfer Once you have the story laid out the way you want, the way that makes the most sense or that is most satisfying, start writing. 4ick a card, any card. &While linear thinkers will probably start with the opening scene, you could really begin with any scene that calls to you.' egin to flesh out the ideas in the scene and see where it goes. egin adding details, either to the computer file or on the back of the inde* cards. 6or each scene, decide on the setting and environmentB the characters involved and whose point of view is critical. -ow do some more brainstorming and decide8

the purpose of the scene &what do you want to accomplish7' the conflict &what is stopping a character from getting what they want7' the se5uel &how can this scene move the story forward7' the cliffhanger &what unanswered 5uestion will lead to the ne*t scene or chapter7' 0eep reminding yourself: as I have to: that your first draft is not going to be perfect, it doesnt have to be perfect, so stop stressing out trying to make it perfect. If you feel you$re ready to tackle the synopsis, take a look at my notes on 5uick plot sketches. )./.A.3.4.1.,. can also be used at the revision stage. If a scene or chapter isnt working, ask yourself what can be replaced or combined. "ow can you modify the scene7 If you cant, can it be eliminated7 /an you keep the scene if you rearrange the se5uence of your plot7 At this point the storyline and plot belong completely to you. Whats that7 Yes, I know you stole the original idea, but youve flipped it upside down, turned it inside out and given it a half twist in the middle. (rust me on this: its all yours now. What you$re writing bears no significant resemblance to the source from which you stole the core idea. Youre creating an altogether different, original, fresh work that, hopefully, will someday inspire another writer to steal from you.