Creativity Beats Innovation When Writing

You know, you're not as innovative as you think you are. You certainly aren't as innovative as you'd like to be, especially when it comes to your book idea. How do I know? Because I know that, after years of trying to come up with an innovative focus or title for your book—some cool and unique way to explain what you do and how you help others and what you've learned in your umpteen years in business or in life—you still haven't thought of the big, million-dollar idea. You want to know why? It's because you're trying to be innovative instead of creative. 

Innovation is the art of developing something totally new, never tried or done, unseen by anyone ... ever. Think about it. How often, even in today's technologically driven world that seems to move at warp speed, do you find ideas that have NEVER existed? Not very often. What you find instead are creative reinventions of what's been around for generations. Amazon didn't invent reading, they just created a different way to read. Adobe didn't invent documents, they just created a different way to view and share them. Apple didn't invent the telephone, they just created a different presentation, platform, and purpose for a phone. And you, my friend, are not trying to invent a book or even a concept. What you are doing—or should be doing—is creating a different way for your target market to view, experience, access, utilize, or benefit from your perspective or concept. Remember, everything old is new again. 

You want readers to find some familiarity in your book. What’s it like? How can readers associate with your book if it’s so unfamiliar that they have no reference point. Audiences often look at me sideways when I suggest that if they search online or visit a bookstore and find not one book that’s like the one they’re writing, they might need to reconsider their topic. Perhaps there’s no market for it. Ouch! So what's your slant, twist, version, take, perspective, or insight on a topic? How have you uniquely taken a time-honored concept and recreated it? How can you teach others to see the familiar in a different way; your way?

Are you writing a romance novel? Love and romance are not new concepts, so avoid trying to invent something new. Instead, create a twist that will surprise readers. Are you writing a tips or how-to book about parenting? Families have existed since the beginning of time, and most parents will tell you that they've received more advice than they know what to do with. Instead, create a funny or insightful angle on a particular aspect of parenting. 

There are no new ideas. Refashion what's already out there. I’m just saying.

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Anita Paul, known as The Author's Midwife, coaches aspiring authors to write a phenomenal book and helps current authors use their existing books to leverage their business. She is the author of the-book Write Your Life: Create Your Ideal Life and The Book You've Been Wanting to Write, and is the creator of the Write Your Life program, through which she has created a dynamic system to Write Your Book in 90 Days or Less. She has owned The Write Image for 15 years, and has had her freelance articles featured in over 25 publications in the U.S. and Canada. Anita is also the host of "Book Your Success".

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