The Power of Off-the-Wall Combinations

Combining Unlikely Elements

1. Combine your challenge with a word picked randomly from a magazine.

Example: at the moment I'm writing a proposal for a book on anti-aging strategies (in collaboration with a medical specialist). I just opened a magazine and stuck my finger on the page and hit the word "scream." This reminds me to stress the pain that people will suffer, both physically and emotionally, if they don't take measures to improve their health. This will give the book a strongly emotional appeal.

2. Combine your challenge with an image picked randomly from a magazine.

Example: I just opened a magazine and the first image I saw was a police officer. This brings to mind the idea that the book should include innovative ways for people to "police" their new habits — in other words, how to maintain motivation once the novelty has worn off.

3. Combine your challenge with the opposite.

Example: the opposite of slowing down or reversing aging is speeding up aging. This gives me the idea of having a checklist of things that serve to speed up aging (for instance, smoking), so readers can see how many of these they engage in.

4. Combine your challenge with something you have done successfully (or someone else has).

By evoking a previous success, you also infuse your current challenge with some of that positive energy. Example: One of the things that people like best about my book, Your Writing Coach," are the video bonuses available on the website when you enter code words contained in the book. That will work just as well for the new book, even though the topic is totally different.