 One
of the great "idea-relaters" was Thomas Edison. Edison, like other great minds, kept track of good ideas,
either his own or those generated by others. He maintained extensive idea files to stimulate new perspectives
for his current projects. Edison felt strongly that an idea needs to be original only in its adaptation
to your problem.
 Mark Twain once replied to an interviewer "All ideas are second hand, consciously or
unconsciously drawn from a million outside sources and used by the creative person with pride and satisfaction."
A creative mind recognizes, perhaps on an unconscious level as Twain suggests, the essential merits and attribute
of a good idea and can adapt these elements to other applications thereby "creating" a new idea.
Record ideas on note cards and store them in a file box. In the event you need further information about
an idea, indicate the source where you found the idea. Cross reference any ideas that may fit into several
different categories. Once you have created an idea file, use the following steps:
Whenever you experience a problem, retrieve an idea from your file that you feel may apply to your need.
Spread the ideas out before you and review them. Use the following suggestions to select the ideas most
suited to your needs:
 Select the ideas that contain attributes closely related to the attributes of your subject.
Once you have selected several ideas from the larger group. Examine the ideas.
You may realize that the entire idea applies or only one procedure or small portion of the idea applies.
Try modifying the ideas. Ask:
- What can be
SUBSTITUTED? (Who else? What else? Other ingredient? Other process? Other power? Other
place? Other approach? Can you change the rules?)
- What can be
COMBINED? (How about a blend, an alloy, an assortment, an ensemble? Combine
units? Combine purposes with something else? Combine appeals? Combine ideas?)
- What can I
ADAPT from something else to
the idea? (What else is like this? What other idea does this suggest? Does the past
offer a parallel? What could I copy? Whom could I emulate?)
- What can I
MAGNIFY? (What
can be added? More time? Stronger? Higher? Longer? Extra value?
Extra features? Duplicate? Multiply? Exaggerate?)
- What can I MODIFY or change? (What
can be altered? New twist? Change meaning, color, motion, sound, odor, form, shape?
What other changes can be made?)
- Can I PUT the idea TO OTHER USES? (New ways to use as? Other uses if modified? Can you make it do more things? Other
extensions? Other spin-off? Other markets?)
- What can be ELIMINATED? (What to
subtract? Smaller? Condensed? Miniature? Lower? Shorter? Lighter?
Omit? Streamline? Split up? Understate?)
- What can be REARRANGED the parts? (What other arrangement might be better? Interchange components? Other pattern? Other
layout? Other sequence? Transpose cause and effect? Change pace? Change schedule?)
- Can it be REVERSED? (Transpose positive
and negative? How about opposites? Turn it upside down? Reverse roles? Consider
it backwards? What if you did the unexpected?)
Even the hot dog, as we know it, is the result of the right idea-spurring question being asked at the right
time. Antoine Feutchwanger sold sausages at the Louisiana Exposition in 1904. He first sold them
on plates, but this proved too expensive. He then offered white cotton gloves along with the franks to
prevent customers from burning their fingers. The gloves also were expensive, and customers walked off
with them. Antoine and his brother-in-law, a baker, sat down and brainstormed. "What could be added
(MAGNIFY) to the
frankfurter that would be inexpensive and would prevent people from burning their fingers?" His brother-in-law
said: "What if I baked a long bun and slit it to hold the frank? Then you can sell the franks, and I can
sell you the buns. Who knows, it might catch on."
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