With the publication of my humorous children’s novel, The Annoying Ghost Kid (Robert Evans Wilson, Jr., 2011), I have had the opportunity to go into elementary schools and teach kids a game that shows them how the creative process works. It’s a great way to come up with story ideas for books and movies. But it’s not just for kids; adults can use it as a powerful innovation tool to make their businesses more competitive.

In a classroom, I begin by asking the students, “What if you found a $100 bill?” That usually gets some “oohs” and “ahs.” I follow with, “What would you do with it?” That question usually gets me bombarded with 100 answers at once. The next question I ask is, “What if you woke up this morning and a cuddly lion cub was sleeping at the foot of your bed?” The kids are excited by that idea, so I ask, “How did he get there?”

“What if everything you touched turned to chocolate?” I ask. Several kids always yell out, “Yum!”

“What if you accidentally touched your best friend?” Oops! I continue to ask who, what, when, where, why and how questions until they begin to see a story forming.

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