It is natural for writers to experience writer’s block or a lack of creativity in coming up with topics to write on. The pressure of writing for audiences that are constantly demanding to read enticing content can get too much.
The only solution to this problem is brainstorming. It helps you to generate more creative ideas for your content freely. Moreover, it gives you the liberty to think out of the box and discover your hidden creativity.
Why Is Brainstorming Important for Writers?
Do you remember the first time you started your career as a content writer? You had several exciting topics to write on, but now, you feel that your mind goes blank. What happens next? Will you stop writing? No, you start brainstorming!
Brainstorming is crucial for writing a new blog or article as it helps you to generate more ideas or solutions to the problem. Moreover, in writing, brainstorming helps the writers in the initial stage as it enables them to understand how to structure the content properly.
Furthermore, ideas are the most crucial asset in any communication, making brainstorming an essential part of the writing process. But, on the other hand, brainstorming can be challenging or even infuriating for many writers who wait for ideas to come to them.
Techniques To Brainstorm Better Writing Ideas
Use the following brainstorming techniques to come up with creative ideas for writing:
1. Concept Map
A concept map is a visual portrayal of the connections between ideas and concepts that helps you grasp the relationship between each idea and its relation.
Boxes, circles, or ovals indicate ideas or concepts in a standard concept map. Simultaneously, arrows or cross-links show the relationship between these concepts. Furthermore, the arrows generally include linking phrases or verbs to help you understand the concept map better.
Moreover, you can use a concept map maker to organize all your concepts and ideas in one place. If you are working in a team, you can share it with other members easily.
2. Starbursting
The starbursting technique needs you to focus on the 5Ws (who, what, when, where, and why) and 1H (how) for generating new ideas.
Put the main topic in the middle of a star diagram and write 5Ws and 1H questions on each corner of the star.
Next, for each point, create a set of questions around your idea. Because of its investigative nature, starbursting is popular among brainstorming methods: one question prompts another, and before you realize it, you have a strong plan.
3. Freewriting
Freewriting is one helpful brainstorming technique that enables writers to write anything about a topic in a continuous flow, hoping that one thought will lead to another. Moreover, this technique can help you, especially when other methods fail.
On the other hand, this technique allows you to write anything without any restrictions and lets you think out of the box to make your writing more creative and engaging.
Try different ideas, words, and phrases for straight five to ten minutes on a piece of paper or your laptop, and then read it thoroughly. You will find something useful in it that you can use in your blog.
4. Nut-Shelling
The summary of a topic is referred to as nut-shelling. Every idea connected to the topic is condensed into two to three phrases for this method. These phrases are constructed in such a way that they encapsulate the core of the subject.
Furthermore, these sentences are later modified and transformed into a topic-specific question or issue statement.
5. Clustering
In this technique, the writer writes the main topic in the middle. After that, the writer adds other words or phrases around them, circles them, and draws lines linking to the main topic. These terms are often called sub-topics or the main elements of the primary subject. Once again, the writer adds different words or phrases around the sub-topics.
This technique helps the writers to understand the topic and better analyze what they must cover to make their content creative and engaging.
6. Reverse Brainstorming
In reverse brainstorming, you can focus on making problem statements instead of creating new ideas. Afterwards, you find flaws in the topic and criticize it.
Figure out every point and then analyze how these problems can be solved. Then, in the end, find all the gaps and cover them with your creative ideas and concepts.
On the other hand, reverse brainstorming is crucial in generating unique and creative ideas for your content, even when working in a group.
Conclusion
Brainstorming helps in generating new ideas and concepts for your content. Several times, content writers find themselves undergoing writer’s block where they struggle with coming up with creative ideas; this is where brainstorming helps them.
Writers can use any of the above brainstorming techniques to make their blogs or articles more engaging, worth reading, and creative.