You have a lot of fun ideas. Now it’s time to pick the best ones.
Use the grades below:
A = adult stranger probably does not know much about this AND is likely to say Wow!
B = adult stranger probably does not know much about this.
C = adult stranger probably knows this OR probably is not interested.
Your Reader is an Adult Stranger
When you write, think about adults you’ve never met. They have busy lives and limited time.
They don’t want to read about what they already know or what they don’t care about. So, write something new and interesting for them.
Wow!
To earn an “A” grade, an idea should make an adult stranger say, “Wow!” Don’t worry if you don’t have a bunch of A Ideas right away. The more you try, the more WOW ideas you’ll come up with. It takes practice.
Task 1.2.1 – Small Group
Think about what could go wrong on a road trip.
Here are some ideas that would come to a grown-up:
Flat tire (C)
Crying baby (C)
Medical problem (C)
Running out of gas (C)
Meeting a dangerous hitchhiker (C)
No “A” Ideas?
But what if you can’t think of any “A” ideas? Try one or more of these tips:
Keep brainstorming ideas.
Funnel down to get to “A” ideas.
Piggyback others’ ideas.
Funneling
Think of a funnel, which starts big and gets smaller. When you brainstorm, imagine your thoughts going through a funnel. Here are some examples:
Example A:
Car trouble
Flat tire
Forgot the jack
The jack doesn’t work
Example B:
Someone gets sick
Carsick
Sick from eating peanut butter
Example C:
We get lost
The GPS doesn’t work
We may be late to our destination.
Task 1.2.2 – Small Group
Take one of our B or C ideas and come up with at least 15 more specific ones.
Here’s an example:
Idea: Playing basketball
Shoot around (C)
Shoot around (C)
Play horse (C)
Shoot free-throws (C)
Funneling “shoot free-throws”:
Concentrate on balance (B)
Pretend I’m in a real game (C)
Visualize the shot (C)
Visualize the shot before shooting (B)
Use my coach’s visualization method (A)
Tape-record and analyze my shooting (A)
Teach my little brother to shoot (C)
Teach my little brother about wrist control (C)
Teach my little brother (who has cerebral palsy) about wrist control (A)
Piggybacking
Another way to brainstorm ideas is called piggybacking. It means that when someone shares an idea, you think of similar ones. It may not always give you the best ideas, but it can help you think in new ways.
Your journey by car could produce piggyback ideas, such as:
Mechanical Problems
Flat tire
Alternator goes bad
Car overheats
Radiator explodes
Brakes go bad
Tailpipe falls off
Task 1.2.3 – Small Group
Come up with at least five ideas based on one B or C idea from our car journey. Do the same with another B or C idea.
