In an earlier blog post, I wrote about brainstorming techniques to help overcome creative blocks. I soon began getting requests for a brainstorming worksheet PDF when people would land on that page.
That blog post includes some resources, including a brainstorming worksheet PDF. They aren't free, however, though they are modestly priced.
I even created a guide for young writers who are interested in writing their own mystery stories, using some of these brainstorming techniques.
But what I see are a lot of hits on that page, they see there's writing and "buy now" buttons, and they pop out to go find a free download somewhere else. Totally fine.
Of all of the brainstorming techniques that are out there, and there are many, there's one that works the best for me, with an optional add-on to kick it into high gear.
Yes, you can do complicated techniques with all kinds of cool worksheets, including:
Mind maps
Crazy 8s
Starbursting
Questioning
Hybrid
Round-robin
Etc.
Admittedly, round-robin is probably the most fun on that list, building on the ideas of others.
It's kind of like that party game where each person has a stack of paper in front of them. They write down a random phrase without showing anyone else. Then everyone passes their paper with a phrase to the left. That person has to draw what that phrase looks like, and when time is called, pass that drawing to the left. The new recipient has to write down what that drawing is. This continues until the paper arrives back to the original person and everyone laughs at the craziness.
When I worked with our church youth group years ago, on the long drives in which I was the driver and tired of the chaos, I would start a story. Then, a student would pick it up and build on it until the last student finished it. I've done something similar with art, where each person painted on what the person before had done.
Round-robin is sort of like that, forcing people to build on the idea that came before. It's both brainstorming and a team-building exercise.
Most of the rest are variants of the same thing, encompassing three main goals:
Get new ideas / Solve a problem.
Do it quickly.
Do it in a way everyone can be involved.
The last point is important, as quiet or introverted people don't always desire to interrupt, yell, or be pushy about being heard, even though they might have great ideas. So that's why structured brainstorming is a go-to for a lot of people.
But what if it's just you, not some group?
The best brainstorming doesn't require a clever worksheet. If you don't want to buy the brainstorming worksheet PDF you don't have to because if you have paper or a screen, you can do it on your own.
And let me give you a hint about the motivation: deadlines.
Which is another fancy way of saying time constraint. Pull out your notebook or open a new document on your computer. Don't fuss about formatting or anything. Don't even give the document a title. You don't know the title until you're done, nor do you know that you'll keep the thing.
Think of the problem you want to get past.
Just throw everything in your head on the paper or screen. Words. Ideas. Hate mail. Frustration. Crazy ideas that would never in a million years be possible. Stuff that comes to mind as you're emptying all of that other stuff out of your mind.
To force yourself to start or stop, throw on a time constraint. Five minutes. One minute. Thirty seconds. Choose whatever kick in the pants you need, and then stick to it. In art school, the best part of class was gesture drawing time. One minute to draw the model. Then 30 seconds. Then 10 seconds. You learned pretty quickly how to find the important lines.
Sure, it's not as orderly as a worksheet, but if you're like me, most of the problem isn't a lack of ideas; it's too many ideas all vying for limited space. You have to get them out of your head and make room.
The solution or great idea is in there, pinned against the wall of your brain wishing the bouncer would insist some of the party be thinned out.
Comments