Brainstorming
An obvious and simple way to get ideas is to simply brainstorm them. There are many ways to do this, but one of the most common ways is to simply get some paper and a pen out and start writing down thoughts as they come to your mind. The goal is to get ideas, so write any thought that comes to mind. Does one thought connect with another thought? One of the best forms of brainstorming is called mind mapping and it works this way. You start with one idea or thought and then draw a circle around it. Then you try to think of something that relates to that which has a circle around it.
Draw a circle around the related thought and a line between the two. Keep doing this until you run out of related thoughts to the first one, then start writing thoughts that relate to the others and lines between those. Pretty soon you have a page full of thoughts inside a circle all interconnected. It is possible by the time you’ve exhausted all of your thoughts or in the middle that you will have thought of at least one good idea that you can investigate further.
Sample Brainstorming Mind Map
You might try these brainstorming exercises away from your normal environment, away from distractions and in different settings. Computer software is available to do brainstorming on your computer. See the appendix for a list of creativity and brainstorming software. If you are thinking of working on a book with one or more other writer’s, try brainstorming together for even better ideas.
When you brainstorm there are no rules. You can do it however you like. Use random words, pictures, stand on your head or eat ice cream while you brainstorm. The only thing that matters is you come up with good ideas.