The Relationship of Reading, Writing, and Idea Generation

Cutting Edge vs. Normal

The difference between cutting edge people and normal people is creativity and great ideas. They have a thirst for knowledge and information. They read from a variety of sources and genres - history, politics, philosophy, fantasy, science fiction, non-fiction, fiction, blogs, magazines, newspapers, and so on. They watch a variety of different media - online videos, different movie and TV genres (drama, sci-fi, documentaries, etc.). They attend various seminars (financial, leadership, business).

The key to idea generation is the variety of material. Oftentimes, the variety of material is what causes new creative connections to form in our minds.

OK. You have some new, creative ideas. Now what?

You've gone through the process of reading, viewing, and listening to a variety of good material. You are starting to make creative connections with various ideas from this material. You are creating your own ideas. What should you do with them?

1. Write them down in a notebook.
2. Once they are written down in your notebook, take the time to expand these ideas and play around with them.
3. Start with one word. Then, think of related words, associations with that word, and new words.
4. Get everything down on paper. Think of this as a "thought ticker." Regurgitate all of your ideas in your notebook, then come back later to organize them.

Share your ideas

Now that you have all of these great ideas down in your notebook, it's time to share them with the world by:

1. Creating a product around the idea.
2. Creating a business around the idea.
3. Writing a blog around the idea.
4. Writing a book around the idea.
5. Networking with others around the idea. Join social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. Have lunch with people interested in your idea that can push you farther and faster in its development.

What steps do you need to take to move from normal to cutting edge in the arena of ideas?