Anyone Can Have a Good Idea
Being creative entails more than just having a good idea. Much of the creativity is in the execution.
For some reason, people with little writing experience tend to overestimate the value of their ideas. Reasonably good ideas are a dime a dozen, even in these inflated times; brilliant ideas can be priced accordingly as well. The point is that having an idea is the beginning of a long road to success, not the end of it.
I’ve encountered this sort of thing before: “I had this great idea for a book and then this other guy wrote it and is making a fortune an it’s not fair!” And then more recently this issue came up in one of the many Internet lists to which I subscribe. A list-member believed that his concept for a commercial blog – along with the title for said blog – had been stolen from him, and he was contemplating legal action.
Which shows, of course, not only a lack of understanding of how things work, but also a rather inflated sense of the importance of an idea all by itself.
We all know that branding is valuable — priceless, in fact, as the Mastercard television advertisements remind us. But branding doesn’t happen because of a sole idea. Brand owners took a long route to success: trademarking the brand, making enormous investments that:
- tie the brand to the product in question;
- introduce collateral branding (creative designs, like the bottle shape of Coca-Cola);
- market and advertise the brand and product;
- offer ongoing support
Most reasonable people recognize the value of a good idea — but they also recognize the value of someone who is good at putting ideas into action. They would rather honor your idea if it’s worthwhile, and possibly have you generate more good ideas in the future, than steal it from you. And a good idea is more than a name: it’s a specific, detailed, and well-researched plan or product that can be put to use.
Whether is business or publishing, you can’t copyright a title: that’s why you occasionally see books or movies with names that are identical or almost-identical to others that are completely unrelated. You can trademark a unique identifier, such as a product name or logo, but only for a specific use. Thus we can have both Apple Computers and Apple Records.
In any case, keep thinking of good ideas. Collect your good ideas. They’re a wonderful place to start. But be sure to take the next step - implement the ideas. That’s how you’ll move … beyond the elements of style!
Posted in Publicity, The Writing Life, About Writing, Creativity on June 25th, 2007