Hello and welcome to my February blog. I hope that you all had a great January and start to 2018. I know that I’ve had an eventful January, starting my new job in Bath and moving to the city of Bristol. Of course, every morning I’ve kept up my writing. Today my focus is the idea of innovation.
I’ve come to learn (particularly in the last couple months or so) that being innovative or being creative are skills that need practice. You may meet people who are naturally full of good ideas that they bring to the table, whether at work, planning a holiday or working on any type of project; it is, however, still a skill, like any other. that requires practice.
I’ve found that, when I start brainstorming on any aspect of my life, even just jotting down the vaguest ideas helps me think and form further ideas. I’ve also done this for problem solving; when I have an issue that is particularly bothering me, I write it down. I then start to associate the challenge with solutions.
In writing, I find that asking myself about the characters really helps me think of new ideas for the story. So, for example, in the planning stage of my books, I will write down what I think the hero would do in a locked elevator, what their greatest fear would be or what they might do with three wishes. This then helps me think of new ideas for the story line.
Sometimes I may really be struggling for what to include in a chapter and so I ask myself questions such as what would make this story really dramatic? What would be a surprising turn of events? What would really liven things up? I may not always have the answer there and then but when I’ve asked myself such questions, I find that sooner or later, whether I’m in my flat, at work, at the gym, on a walk or wherever, an idea will pop into my head.
The constant questioning and exposing my brain to such questions, will bring more innovation and creativity. Again, as I have said in a previous blog, if an idea comes to me when I’m not writing, I will make sure that I write it down immediately and transfer it to my planning book, later.
So, what I’m concluding today, is that innovation is a skill that needs practice like any other. You may think that you aren’t a creative or innovative person, but in fact, you do have the power to be just that in any area of life. For me personally, I want to use those skills in writing my books and in my career in project management, but these skills may be valuable for any area of life for anyone. Just keep asking yourself questions and brain storming on paper to practise and then the innovation and creativity will follow.
Jonny Pardoe
Jonny Pardoe © February 2018
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