#DailyPrompt ~ SCAMPER ~ #MondayBlogs

I found a terrific writing site (thanks to my friend Sugana) — The Daily Post: Daily Prompts provides a NEW daily prompt every day to give every writer a way to put a spark in her/his creativity. I decided to join this group every so often...

Today's Prompt is SCAMPER

 The definition of SCAMPER: [verb] 
to run nimbly and usually playfully about  ~ also ~
An acronym for a Creative Thinking Process

When I tackle these word prompts I always start out by looking up the true definition of the word just to be sure that I am using it correctly. Today my first thought when I read the definition was of my year-and-a-half old grand-nephew “D” that I got to see today. With a house full of people “D” was of course confident that he was the center of attention — I think he was!

With an energy that all of the older folks envied, “D” ran back and forth through his parents’ house, scampering, hiding around corners and giggling which always gave away his hiding spot. It was a truly fun day with the inevitable question, “How can we bottle up some of that energy?”

I was also very intrigued when I Googled the word to find that S.C.A.M.P.E.R. is a mnemonic representing an innovative 7-step technique to brainstorm, “think out of the box”, solve problems, and kindle creativity. Imagine — Improve — Invent. [from Wikipedia]

1.      Substitute comes up with another topic that is equivalent to the present topic.

2.      Combine adds information to the original topic.

3.      Adjust identifies ways to construct the topic in a more flexible and adjusted material.

4.      Modify creatively changes the topic.

5.      Put to other uses identifies the possible scenarios and situations where this topic can be used.

6.      Eliminate removes ideas or elements from the topic that are not valuable.

7.      Reverse, rearrange evolves a new concept from the original concept.

Step one allows us to think in terms of what we know, something that already is. This can be a hard good, a service, a process, or anything.

Step two makes us think of what “parts” can go in to improving and creating. Can we put other items together to serve a different purpose?

Step three helps us to examine what we could do to use the item in some other way (similar to the butter knife being used as a screwdriver, lol)

Step four begs the questions, how can we make this better (either an existing or a new product)?

Step five examines again the use of this product in a different manner and how that might alter the original product, would its use as something else be better if it were modified?

Step six helps us to narrow our focus and be more concise about the purpose or use of the item or service. What is necessary (parts, material, design) for the intended purpose and how can we streamline it?

Step seven is basically rethinking the project and how it could change if you went through the steps in a different order.

The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. technique forces us to think in abstract, creative ways. Simply put it’s like (figuratively) reaching into our brains and pulling out those tiny, otherwise hidden, ideas and thoughts. It certainly gives us something to wrap our minds around.

Ideas for using SCAMPER    [from GiftedMMiller]
1. Read a simple story. What elements of SCAMPER could be used to rewrite the story? If you get stuck on a writing assignment, will the ideas from SCAMPER help you to keep going?
2. Create your own invention. Take any common object and think about how it might be changed or improved upon. Think about the history of a common invention, such as the telephone. Go back to the earliest phone you can find and see how the elements of SCAMPER were used to improve each generation of the communication device.
3. Take a current social or political problem and discuss how elements of SCAMPER might be applied to come up with possible solutions.
4. Use SCAMPER to analyze a Web site or a brochure. Can you find ways that the Web site or brochure might be improved?
5. Take any common object—a penny, a shoe, a table. How can you apply the elements of SCAMPER to come up with a new and creative use of the object? 

...

What's In a Writer's Mind?

I am obviously the source of great consternation for my offspring. Just a few days ago my daughter questioned my comfort level with my rather solitary work conditions.

True, I work out of my home and spend the bulk of my time on the computer… I tried to explain that in addition to whatever writing projects I am working on, I also have to do research and promotions. And yes, I do enjoy the occasional social chat or email. Besides I live in an area where going anywhere besides a visit to one of my neighbors requires driving, something I only do out of necessity.

“But Mom, sometimes we worry that you’re becoming an agoraphobic.”

This made me laugh. But I did look up the true meaning of agoraphobia just to be sure; agoraphobics generally resist leaving the safety of their homes due to a fear of an uncontrolled setting and fear of social embarrassment. Well that settles it. I assured her that I am in no way even close to the description. First of all, and many of you already know this about me, I had been a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician and first responder for nearly three decades and that means constantly running towards uncontrolled situations – and even more than that, I am probably one of the most shameless folks around, I LOVE to leave people speechless over my behavior!

Now getting back to the solitary nature of my work – a writer’s life is NEVER lonely. We entertain all kinds of company all the time. All of the characters we create and all of the stories running through our minds keep us very busy. Everywhere I go (and despite my children’s concerns I DO go out) there’s always people watching, there are scents and sounds to feed my senses, and there are real life mirages that form the basis of lots of new stories. I always make it a point to examine motivations for the things people do, whether I agree with them or not, because it helps me to add dimension to the characters I create. I never stop working no matter what I am doing because everything I see, feel, hear and think offers the possibility of being in one of my stories.

“But Mom, don’t you ever turn it off?”

I can no more turn off my brain than I can turn off my need to breathe. I told her how her how my rabbi once teased me that he knew I was trying to figure a way to rewrite all the biblical tales to create some new story as I read on a Sabbath morning. She looked at me with doubt. I reassured her that no writer ever stops working even when they sleep and then I told her about my dear friend Charmaine Gordon who “sleep writes” and keeps a memo pad on her nightstand to record the dreams she turns into great works of fiction.

I don’t know what it is about the way our brains work, but other writers understand our drive to weave our fiction and manipulate our words. Perhaps there is something questionable about the writer’s mind. For years everyone said that the right brain fostered creative energy and went on to claim that writers and other artists were truly “in their right minds”; nowadays there are alleged professionals refuting the right brain-left brain theories and taking away our claim to the creative right. While we all may raise an eyebrow or two when we hear someone say they hear voices in their head, writers may indeed feel a kinship. …maybe there is just a bit of, ahem, you know.

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added note  (3/3):

While I certainly didn't plan it ahead with him, last night during the Academy Award ceremony, Robert DeNiro added to this post with these words:  "The mind of a writer can be a terrifying thing - isolated, neurotic, caffeine-addled, crippled by procrastination, consumed by feelings of panic, self-loathing, and crushing inadequacy - and that's on a good day"

I think it is just fantastic that Mr. DeNiro agrees with me!  

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