Producing New Ideas

Note: This post does not include any of my own writing. I thought this was a good summary of the book, which I have read, with added observations by James Clear, well-known as the author of the best seller "Atomic Habits", and worth sharing as an outline that may prompt interest in the book.

A free download is linked below since it is in the public domain. You can read it in 30 minutes.

I did make some minor edits, add a few points in italics and bold a few points as personal emphasis.-Steve Fawthrop

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The Book in Three Sentences

An idea occurs when you develop a new combination of old elements.?

The capacity to bring old elements into new combinations depends largely on your ability to see relationships.

All ideas follow a five-step process:

1) Gathering material

2) Intensely working over the material in your mind

3) Stepping away from the problem

4) Allowing the idea to come back to you naturally

5) Testing your idea in the real world and adjusting it based on feedback

Webb Young argues that the production of ideas is a process, just like the production of cars.

… the production of ideas, too, runs on an assembly line; that in this production the mind follows an operative technique which can be learned and controlled; and that its effective use is just as much a matter of practice in the technique as is the effective use of any tool.

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"A Technique for Producing Ideas" is a quick, easy read.

The author is a master copywriter who has field-tested his method in the creatively demanding advertising world.

The principles of idea production are identified clearly. The method revealed is simple to understand and hard to practice. However if you practice it consistently you will become an adept producer of ideas.

Thus, I recommend 'A Technique For Producing Ideas'. The main body of (the book) comprises 10 chapters as follows:

1. How It Started -- here James Webb Young explains what prompted him to look for 'A Technique For Producing Ideas.

2. The Formula of Experience -- the author reveals how he came to realize and identify the operative technique the mind uses to generate ideas, which he says, can be as effective and efficient as an assembly line.

3. The Pareto Theory -- in this chapter Webb Young refers to the Italian sociologist Pareto's (yeah, the 80/20 guy) belief that the world was made up of two kinds of people, the creatives and the squares.

4. Training the Mind -- this part briefly examines the importance of training the mind in the Method and Principles of the art of producing ideas.

5. Combining Old Elements -- here he states that 'an idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements.'

6. Ideas are New Combinations -- Having covered the two key principles of new combinations and seeing relationships, this part introduces the Method.

7. The Mental Digestive Process -- Chapter 7 explores the second step of the technique.

8. 'Constantly Thinking About It' -- This chapter says that in the fourth step the new idea just appears, when you least expect it.

You've gathered data, mulled it over to the enth degree, got tired and dropped it to go sleep or do something fun and distracting, and then the idea pops into your mind. Classic examples of this are quoted by (the author).

9. The Final Stage -- the final step that makes up (the book) is to take your new idea and hold it up to the harsh light of reality.

10. Some After Thoughts --the author closes the book by revealing how many readers of earlier additions have written to him with praise and examples of how his method has worked for them.

PDF of the book for free download

Note: The book was originally published in 1939 and later re-published 1965 with foreword by Bill Bernbach (DDB Advertising) and 2003 with foreword by Keith Reinhard, later Chairman Emeritus of DDB Worldwide.

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Summary below by James Clear, Author of "Atomic Habits"

A Technique for Producing Ideas summary

This is my book summary of "A Technique for Producing Ideas" by James Webb Young.

My notes are informal and often contain quotes from the book as well as my own thoughts.

This summary also includes key lessons and important passages from the book.

• The quality of your work (and life) is a result of all the forces that have played upon you throughout life. The goal is to make the most of those forces.
• In learning anything, first you should learn the principles, then you should learn the method.
• Particular bits of knowledge are just?“rapidly aging facts.”?What matters are the underlying principles and methods.
• You can know every fact about an industry and still not be a real expert because you don’t understand the underlying principles and methods.
• What is most valuable to know is not where to look for a particular idea, but how to train the mind in the method by which all ideas are produced; and how to grasp the principles which are at the source of all ideas.
• An idea is nothing more or less than a new combination of old elements.
• The capacity to bring old elements into new combinations depends largely on the ability to see relationships.
• What is the one word which will best arouse the emotion with which I wish this particular advertisement to be charged?
• The habit of searching for relationships between facts becomes of the highest importance in the production of ideas.
• Books on social psychology are often better books about advertising than actual books on advertising.
• On getting intimate knowledge of a product: most people stop too soon. If the surface differences are not striking, we assume that there are no differences. But if we go deeply enough, or far enough, we nearly always find that between every product and some consumers there is an individuality of relationship which may lead to an idea.
• The greatest way to develop general knowledge on a subject is to get genuinely interested in something. Living in a curious way and becoming fascinated with things is a fantastic way to live and it will ensure you never run out of ideas.
• The more general knowledge you have, the more opportunity you have for creating new relationships and connections between ideas.
• In advertising, an idea results from a new combination of specific knowledge about products and people with general knowledge about life and events.
• A great many ideas are lost in the final stage. The idea man, like the inventor, is often not patient enough or practical enough to go through with adapting his ideas to fit the actual conditions of the world.
• Good ideas have self-expanding qualities. When someone sees it, they naturally tell you what should be added and how to make it better.
• If your idea is good, people will tell you how to improve it. Listen to them. Don’t hold the initial version too close to your chest.
• There are some advertisements you just cannot write until you have lived long enough. The cycle of years does something to fill your reservoir, unless you refuse to live spatially and emotionally.
• The central idea of the book reminds me of the Robert Frost quote,?“An idea is a feat of association, and the height of it is a good metaphor.”

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About me

I have been a career sales professional in B2B sales. This has included managing my own territories, selling jointly with others and managing sales teams.

My career started in Seattle with the Puget Sound Business Journal, but a significant portion of my professional time was in California, split between Los Angeles and Orange County, before a return to Seattle.

Also

I am owner and community manager for the LinkedIn group?Seattle Sales, Marketing and Advertising Professionals, which has 4900+ members: (4) Seattle Sales, Marketing & Advertising Professionals | Groups | LinkedIn

Also one of the first million members of LinkedIn (2004). I have been an active blogger on the platform since 2014, when the option was first offered.