Sentence restructuring

I have been using these sentence restructuring techniques semi-automatically for a number of years, so I thought I would try to formalise the techniques in a blog post.

Focus word

If I write a simple sentence:

The Olympics has medals for winners

then the final word - winners - could be considered as a focus word, the word which, when I'm thinking creatively, is the main focus of attention. I can consider alternatives for the focus word to help write more information about the the Olympics:

The Olympics has medals for: winners, second place, great achievement, third place etc.

It's important to differentiate between the action of writing existing facts (as above) and the action of creating ideas. I can indicate 'creative mode' by writing the sentence in blue:

The Olympics has medals for winners

and I can now consider creative alternatives for the focus word 'winners':

The Olympics has medals for: loyal fans, fourth place, trainers, legends from the past, every competitor etc

Changing the focus word

I can change the focus word by choosing a new word from the sentence and rearranging the sentence so that the chosen word becomes the last word. So if I choose 'medals' then the rearranged sentence reads thus:

For winners, the Olympics has medals

As this is 'writing-information mode' I can continue with the listing of information:

For winners, the Olympics has: medals, kudos, interviews, lap of honour, appreciation, flowers etc.

If I switch to the creative mode I can start to create ideas:

For winners, the Olympics has: a text message from their country's leader, a 'visitor's book', a 'virtual lap of honour' (published on the net), blogs, a vote to choose the 'competitor's competitor' of the games - all the winners vote for the athlete they think has been most outstanding. The winner receives a platinum medal

Spaces for the focus word

I can insert spaces either side of the focus word to help suggest new information or ideas. Using the original sentence, this reads thus:

The Olympics has medals for _ winners _

and (if in creative mode) I can insert a random word into either space to suggest ideas. I can also choose a word from the following category headings:

Time (Duration), Place (Area), Thing, Object, Person, Activity

and insert that into either space. In creative mode I opt to insert 'person':

The Olympics has medals for _ winner's person

Which alone may be enough to trigger ideas (there could be a medal for the winner's coach) or I can choose to specify the person - perhaps with a technique such as naming/listing people.

Splitting the focus word

I can opt to split the focus word. I have two options: I can either define the focus word or step up the concept level.

With the sentence:

There are medals for winners at the Olympics

I can define the Olympics and include that in the sentence thus:

There are medals for winners at the...World's greatest sporting event.

If I opt to step up the concept level my new sentence could read:

There are medals for winners at the...sporting spectacle.

With the latter approach I can switch my subject of creativity by defining various sporting spectacles. This could result in a sentence such as:

There are medals for winners at the...Football World Cup.

Deleting the focus word

I can opt to delete the focus word. With the sentence:

There are medals for winners at the Olympics

I can delete 'Olympics' and 'the' becomes the new focus word. I can continue deleting more words until I am left with:

There are medals.

Here I have 'killed' the subject of the Olympics I can switch my creative subject. Example:

There are medals for heroic soldiers.

Example of the technique using an existing idea

With the Global Ideas Bank idea: Text alerts for astronomical phenomena

I can make 'text alerts' the focus word(s):

For astronical phenomena there are text alerts.

Then in information-listing mode I can list possible alternatives:

For astronomical phenomenon there are: experts, books, regions of sky, programmes, star charts.

and in creative mode:

For astronomical phenomenon there are: local observatories, calendars, fan clubs, university degrees, an octa-style rating to compare annually occurring events (such as the Leonids).

With the original sentence I can make 'astronomical' the focus word:

Text alerts for phenomenon that are astronomical

and then switch to creative mode. Choosing the random word 'local' gives:

Text alerts for phenomenon that are: local

Which suggest that people who see anything unusual and interesting can text people in the locality. (There are also possibilities for crime prevention.)

If I continue deleting the focus words until I am left with this stem:

Text alerts for:

I can either add random words or use the category headings: Time (Duration), Place (Area), Thing, Object, Person, Activity. I choose the random word 'doctor' and in creative mode this results in:

Text alerts for: doctors

This quickly directed my attention to a problem experienced by many doctors: people failing to attend. People living near the surgery waiting for appointments could register for a scheme where they are sent a text message if a patient has defaulted.