How to Brainstorm Alone
Write down your goals and problems., Do word association., Freewrite., Draft a list., Doodle pictures.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Write down your goals and problems.
At the top of a sheet of paper or Microsoft Word document, write down what you want to achieve during the brainstorming session.
This will help focus your ideas.
You may even want to list a few different objectives.Your goals may be very vague such as “find a new career” or “write a short story.” They may also be very specific, such as “increase profits by 10%” or “start a flower garden in my backyard.” -
Step 2: Do word association.
Think of your central idea or problem.
Write down a few words that you immediately associate with those ideas.
Look over these new words and write down any words that you think are related.
As the words pop into your head, write them down, no matter how silly or strange they might seem.
For example, if you are writing a paper for English class, you can write down the names of the novels you read in class.
When you think of Jane Eyre, you may write down mystery, romance, madwoman, or governess.
The word governess might make you think of strong female character, working women, or education.
Continue writing down associated words until you have a strong concept in mind.
If you don’t have a central idea yet, you can just write down a random word.
Put down whatever comes into your head first.
This is effective for creative activities. , Sit down for fifteen minutes, and write down whatever comes across your mind.
Do not let your pen leave the page until the fifteen minutes are up.
This will help you start processing ideas.
While you might begin with no good thoughts, you may find you have stumbled upon some new ideas by the time your fifteen minutes are up.A good way to start is to state your goal, and write "I want..." statements after it.
For example, "I want to give a talk on effective brainstorming.
I want this talk to be twenty minutes.
I want to discuss in this talk how to freewrite." As ideas come to you, you may start writing naturally.
Even if you are thinking “I have nothing to write about,” jot it down.
The goal is to start writing.
Through the process of writing, you will think of new ideas. , Create a list of every idea that comes through your head.
You can write this on a piece of paper or on a bulleted list in a word document.
Include ideas that you think are silly or stupid.
Keep going until you have at least fifteen or twenty ideas.
Once you are done, you can go back over your list and cross out the ideas you don’t like., If you like to draw, doodling may help you come up with some ideas.
Start drawing a general vague idea of your main purpose or goal.
Slowly refine it with your pen.
If you come up with a different idea, sketch it down too.
Try to draw pictures as ideas come to you.
They won’t be perfect, but they will help you visualize where you want to go.
You can try starting off by drawing a representation of how you are feeling.
What does your current mental state look like? -
Step 3: Freewrite.
-
Step 4: Draft a list.
-
Step 5: Doodle pictures.
Detailed Guide
At the top of a sheet of paper or Microsoft Word document, write down what you want to achieve during the brainstorming session.
This will help focus your ideas.
You may even want to list a few different objectives.Your goals may be very vague such as “find a new career” or “write a short story.” They may also be very specific, such as “increase profits by 10%” or “start a flower garden in my backyard.”
Think of your central idea or problem.
Write down a few words that you immediately associate with those ideas.
Look over these new words and write down any words that you think are related.
As the words pop into your head, write them down, no matter how silly or strange they might seem.
For example, if you are writing a paper for English class, you can write down the names of the novels you read in class.
When you think of Jane Eyre, you may write down mystery, romance, madwoman, or governess.
The word governess might make you think of strong female character, working women, or education.
Continue writing down associated words until you have a strong concept in mind.
If you don’t have a central idea yet, you can just write down a random word.
Put down whatever comes into your head first.
This is effective for creative activities. , Sit down for fifteen minutes, and write down whatever comes across your mind.
Do not let your pen leave the page until the fifteen minutes are up.
This will help you start processing ideas.
While you might begin with no good thoughts, you may find you have stumbled upon some new ideas by the time your fifteen minutes are up.A good way to start is to state your goal, and write "I want..." statements after it.
For example, "I want to give a talk on effective brainstorming.
I want this talk to be twenty minutes.
I want to discuss in this talk how to freewrite." As ideas come to you, you may start writing naturally.
Even if you are thinking “I have nothing to write about,” jot it down.
The goal is to start writing.
Through the process of writing, you will think of new ideas. , Create a list of every idea that comes through your head.
You can write this on a piece of paper or on a bulleted list in a word document.
Include ideas that you think are silly or stupid.
Keep going until you have at least fifteen or twenty ideas.
Once you are done, you can go back over your list and cross out the ideas you don’t like., If you like to draw, doodling may help you come up with some ideas.
Start drawing a general vague idea of your main purpose or goal.
Slowly refine it with your pen.
If you come up with a different idea, sketch it down too.
Try to draw pictures as ideas come to you.
They won’t be perfect, but they will help you visualize where you want to go.
You can try starting off by drawing a representation of how you are feeling.
What does your current mental state look like?
About the Author
Sara Diaz
Brings years of experience writing about crafts and related subjects.
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