How to Brainstorm for Writing Ideas

Brainstorming allows you to put your ideas in a coherent package.

Writer's block happens to everyone from time to time, from the student writing a nonfiction report to the novelist creating a storyline. Brainstorming is one way to find your stride again. The process is simple, though it goes beyond scribbling ideas on paper. You won't necessarily use all the concepts you come up with, but the ideas will help crystallize the theme of your paper.

Things You'll Need

• Timer

Instructions

1. Get piece of paper and writing instrument or sit in front of computer opened to Notepad or another writing program.

2. Set an amount of time -- five to 15 minutes will do -- and begin writing whatever comes to mind, such as words or phrases. Keep writing until your time is up. Use a timer so you'll know when to stop.

3. Check over the list for items that stand out or make you wonder why you wrote them. You might want to make a note next to them or mark them as special.

4. Find out if any of the subjects in the list can be grouped together under a larger theme that may make for a suitable topic for your story or essay.

5. Draw out branches or lines from a central theme once you have an sense of what you want to write about. This will interconnect various subjects. The theme should be at a central location. For example, suppose the theme is jogging around town. Draw a line to a subject that was thought of, such as "people I meet." Then draw lines from that sub-topic to subjects that branch off of it, such as "Mr. Fischer," "Aunt Matilda" or "baby in carriage." Also, these can be branched off further if you draw lines to various descriptions of these people. So you might write Aunt Matilda has "glasses," "gray hair," "a limp." Keep on branching until you're finished.

6. Hone your writing topic. Unless you're writing something lengthy, it will likely have to do with only one portion of your brainstorming sessions. That's OK. You can save the rest for future reference either in a safe place or on the computer.

References

• Purdue Online Writing Lab: Brainstorm for the Essay
• University of Richmond Writing Center: Brainstorming