Chip and Dan Heath’s engaging book, Decisive, introduced me to the acronym WRAP. The WRAP method has huge applications for writers of all kinds in generating better stories and richer content.
Before we delve into those possibilities, it might be helpful to realize that each letter in WRAP stands for an effective decision-making strategy:
Widen Options
Reality Test Assumptions
Attain Distance Before Deciding
Prepare to be Wrong
Let’s focus on just the “W”, Widen options, for this post. The key takeaway from this strategy to consider multiple ideas at once. According to Decisive, most people typically focus on only one idea. Adding even a second idea can improve the success of any decision, venture or novel.
How can widening options help writers? Consider these ways:
- Titles: Consider (at least) 10 different titles for your story, novel, screenplay or blog. Not just variations on the same title, completely new and different titles.
- Openings: Consider (at least) 10 different ways to open your story. What if you opened with a character introduction? Action sequence? A death? Description? Dialogue?
- Scene Crafting: Consider (at least) 10 different ways to write the next scene. What characters could be involved? What settings? What goals? What conflicts? What secrets revealed?
- Endings: Consider (at least) 10 different ways to end the story. Success? Failure? Death? Romance? Hint at Sequel?
In the next post, we’ll look at a few more success-producing strategies for widening options.
Until then, I’d love for you to subscribe to my blog. Thanks for reading.
What is one new idea you can consider for your writing in progress?
Christopher Kokoski 