- Julius Frontinus,

 writing in the 1st century A.D.

Oh ye who suffer the embarrassment of "non-creative-osis," fear not.

Because science may have your cure.

Six cures, in fact.

Or so says Professor Paul Thagard, author of the steamy-sounding book "Hot Thought."

Thagard wrote the book for scientists, to help them come up with better, bigger, more creative ideas.

But he makes the point in Psychology Today that pretty much anybody could "learn" to be more creative, using the same steps.

Let's take a look at them here, and I'll show you how they might apply to... oh, say, copywriting.

Ready?

(Keep in mind, these are Thagard's steps. I'm just

interpreting them. I want to be sure to give credit where it's due, right up front.)

BRAIN JOLTING STEP #1: Make New Connections.

This is an easy one. In fact, I'll always tell you up front. Creativity is rarely about actually "creating" anything out of whole cloth.

Rather, it's more often the artful connection of two things that already exist. Often, it's two things nobody thought to connect before.

You might, for instance, merge straight sales letter copy with magazine... dime novel... or basic video formatting... and end up with the magalog, bookalog, or video promo. Each happened, exactly that way. And each was a giant breakthrough.

This is why great copywriters and other marketers constantly keep an eye on other industries. It's why you want to read lots of clips and articles, both inside and outside your field. It's why you want to be a sponge for culture, trends, and little bits of conversation.

Because you never knew where that little something "new" will come along to form a groundbreaking bond with work you're already doing or ideas already taking shape in your mind.

MENTAL JUMPSTART STEP #2: Expect change.

Thagard says good scientists learn to spot their own mistakes, learn from failure, and learn to love the unexpected result.

And it's a good thing they do, or we'd never have things like penicillin, safety glass, or Teflon  pans -- all discovered by mistake.

The biggest lesson for us? When your market tells you something's not working, let it go. No matter how much you love(d) the idea.

GENUIS JUICE STEP #3: Stick to it.

Focus, says Thagard. Follow a process that let's you focus hard on the problem you're trying to solve, soup to nuts.

And I promise you, any copywriter worth his or her salt couldn't agree more.

Frankly, in 20 years of doing this I've had many different "systems" for getting copy done. Or maybe I should say, I've had many variations on one system.

If I had to simplify, it's Gather, Steep, Write, Revise, Submit. As in, I spend the first stage gathering as much insight, input, and information on what I'm selling as I can. Then I soak in whatever I've found until I can't help but write it out in copy form. I fit this together, revise it, and then send it in. Usually more revision follows.

The longer version includes outline templates, specific sources I go back to often, questions I always ask in the early meetings, and so on.

Point is, even the most creative breakthroughs often spring from time-tested formulas. You need to have a way of working through a project that works for you. And you need to apply it faithfully, almost obsessively, until it no longer serves you.

MIND SPARKER STEP #4: Get Excited.

If you don't care, you can't create. Or so Thagard warns scientists. Passion matters, regardless of what problem you're trying to solve.

Way back when, one of my mentors told me the same.

"You can't sell stuff you don't find worth selling.

Not well, anyway." I've never been able to prove him wrong, and wouldn't want to.

But I'll go one step larger. I've never met anybody "creative" who isn't also intensely curious about something... or even everything.

If you want to be more creative, you've got to tap that desire for discovery.

BRAIN-QUAKE STEP #5: Get around.

That is, per Thagard, be sociable. Good scientists seek out other good scientists. They talk, they share, and they study each other's success.

Much as writing seems like a lone venture, sometimes the opposite is true.

To get inspired faster, shape bigger ideas, and write better... get out and circulate with the other makers and shakers in your industry.

Get on copywriting forums and talk to each other.  Go to events where other copywriters hang. And don't skimp on the social time, because you'll be surprised sometimes at how much it can matter.

Before you start writing alone, work with a choice team -- maybe with members you hand pick for their powers of input -- to better gel your message.

Not only will you get others to do a lot of key ground work for you... you'll build consensus and support for your writing project early, too.

CEREBELLUM STORMING STEP #6: Use your world.

For a lot of scientists, the world is their laboratory. In marketing, we talk a lot about our "universe" too.

A copywriters' "universe" is the whole of his target audience. And it pays, in that context, to know as much about that universe as possible.

For instance, what other products do they buy? What do they care about? What do they do for fun and what keeps them up at night? What are they scared of, passionate about, or hungry for?

For some "creatives" it sounds counter-intuitive to look outside of themselves for the best ideas. Yet, that's often exactly where you'll find inspiration just laying around, waiting to be found.

So how about it?

Does Thagard's steps at least get you thinking?

Let's hope so.

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Special thanks to John for this article. Visit John Forde's website, www.copywritersroundtable.com to get $78 worth of free gifts.