Put a Spin on Your Idea!

Eight or nine times out of ten, picking up and leafing through a magazine's or book's table of contents, you will find at least one or more articles or chapters that will catch your attention immediately. Never mind that that article or chapter's subject had been written about many times before. The one that caught YOUR attention stood out, most likely, because it put the topic in a new perspective.

For starters, that new perspective, aka, "spin" may have involved saying "no" to something that everyone seemingly agrees with or "yes" to something that everyone seemingly disagrees with. If most people agree that going to college is great, an author such as Caroline Bird will take the opposite tack, arguing that going to college is a bad idea. So reviewing commonly accepted concepts in your field and taking an opposite stance on one of them may yield a unique spin.

Another way to put a different spin on a topic is to examine its related issues and problems. One time, I was interested in writing a book for substitute teachers and recalled from my own experiences what substitutes had to deal with. One of the issues was the lack of good activities to be used immediately with restless students. This led to a book about activities using common objects, such as confiscated toys, in motivating students to write.

Still another way to put a new perspective on things is to establish a connection between two seemingly unrelated concepts or things. This can be tricky, but very effective if you can pull it off. Your expertise in a given field will be very helpful, and you can always connect the dots with additional research. For example, everyone is familiar with gardens, but how many people are familiar with out-of-space gardens or Mars gardens? Also, asking yourself "what if" can yield a few interesting connections.

Yet another way is simply to offer your own definition of a term or make up a term, such as mompreneurs. Look through references such as thesauri as well as regular and specialized dictionaries for common nouns. Then take some time to play around with combinations of words and see if you can't create a word that is related to your expertise. To discuss it completely to a specific audience just may require a book that you can write! Even better, you are not likely to have much competition in attracting a publisher's attention.

And there you have it. Choose a strategy that you find especially appealing and go to work. You may be pleasantly surprised with your results! Remember to have fun while you are at it.

Dorothy Zjawin has used her creativity in developing her published book, articles and website, http://www.profitable-pen.com

---

Why We Dont Write Our Books

In the ten years that I've taught people how to... Read More

When I Grow Up

I've just come back to work after nine glorious, sun-drenched... Read More

Italics Part 1 - Do You Need to Use Italics?

Next time you're tempted to use italics for emphasis... STOP!"Why?"... Read More

How Can You Find Freelance Work As A Writer?

For those looking at the jobs listings for writers, they... Read More

Editing and Polishing - How Much is Enough?

A few days ago, I critiqued a chapter for a... Read More

A Checklist For Drafting Business Letters And Emails

Write Right - You have an all important business letter... Read More

Check Your English Grammar With This Easy Technique

As an International language, English has been used widely in... Read More

Why Every Freelance Writer Needs A Website

What do you mean, you don't have a website yet?... Read More

Write That Down! Compulsively Collecting Content for Your Writing

Have you ever read someone else's writing and thought one... Read More

Plotting By Personality - Work With Your Natural Instincts

What's the best way to plot?Quick answer: the best way... Read More

How to Write Articles, Reports, and Books Quickly

Do you have trouble getting your thoughts and ideas down... Read More

Writing For Free: When & When Not to Do It!

Right off the bat, I want to say that there... Read More

Time to Write

SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?Many people have entertained... Read More

Could Your Book Idea Be the Next Best Seller?

Everyone has a unique story to tell. From explaining business... Read More

How to Create Stories that Sizzle

How to Start Your Story with a BangThe purpose of... Read More

Write Again! - The Art Of The Written Letter

Remember the days when we wrote with pen and paper?... Read More

A Few Brief Tips to Deal with Writing Rejection

What to do when you get rejected.You've just finished your... Read More

For Beginners: Ten Ways To Prepare To Get Published

(Skip directly to ten for the fastest shortcut!)Like any field,... Read More

Dont Rely on Your Spellchecker - or - The Importance of Good Proof Reading

Weather posting a page to your Website, writing a letter... Read More

Writing Is Not Life-threatening

Some writers complain that writing is arduous work requiring long... Read More

10 Tips To Help You Pack More Power Into Your Business Writing

1. Before you write anything down define not what you... Read More

5 Effective Web Writing Tips

Writing for the web is very different from writing for... Read More

Put a Spin on Your Idea!

Eight or nine times out of ten, picking up and... Read More

Under The Leaded Sky in Serbia by dr Mirjana Radovic

When one population in one century survived five wars, two... Read More

How to Come Up with Fresh Story Ideas

How to Come Up with Fresh Story Ideas When Your... Read More

Screenwriting ? The Value of Structure

Structure in the form of frameworks, work processes and goals... Read More

A Freelancers Journey, Part One

Today it begins.I have always known I was a freelancer.... Read More

Get Noticed! Eight Tips to Catching an Editors Eye

The first five pages of a novel are critical.Editors make... Read More

Planning Time To Write

In his book, "Achieving Financial Independence as a Freelance Writer,"... Read More

Do I Have To Be A Good Writer to Market My Own Business?

Many of the most effective low-cost marketing strategies require writing.... Read More

Keeping a Journal - One of the Three Treasures to Leave Behind

(excerpted from the "How to Use a Journal" audio series... Read More

How To Filter Description Through Your Characters

How do you describe a scene without slowing down the... Read More

Editorial Freelancing: 5 Must-Know Tips to Getting Your Foot in the Door

So, you want to freelance as an editor, writer, copy... Read More