Use mind maps

THE PRINCIPLE

Using a graphic representation allows you to explore any idea more easily

Creativity guru Tony Buzan made mind maps popular and has written several books on how to draw them. The basic format is an oval or square in the centre of a piece of paper in which you write your main topic. Then draw lines radiating outward from the central shape, and on each line write a word or phrase that relates to it. You add sub-branches to those lines to go into more detail.

Below I’ve drawn a mind map exploring some different methods I might use to add interest to a workshop I’m going to give. Starting at the top right (about the one o’clock position) and going clockwise, I draw some branches, one for each main idea. These are props, multi-media elements, guest speakers, activities for the participants and surprises.

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Then I go back to each of the branches and draw extensions for each idea I have for that topic. This workshop is about how to make money by writing, so the first props that come to mind are magazines (and you’ll see that I’ve added further branches to indicate the two types of magazine I have in mind – those about writing, and those that use freelance writers). The next one is tea bags. Sometimes after lunch I hand out peppermint tea bags and have the participants sniff them because the smell of peppermint is supposed to revive your energy.

The next branch is ‘multi-media’, and the ideas are to project some YouTube videos of writers talking about their craft, and to play two audio interviews I have done in the past, one with an agent, the other with a friend who is an expert on pitching ideas.

Branch three is the notion of asking some guest speakers to take part, and the two who probably would be of most interest would be an agent and an editor.

For the fourth branch, ‘activities’, I might build in some games and a contest or raffle with my books as prizes. Another possibility is to ask participants to bring in something they’ve written themselves, and do a critique of it.

The final branch is for surprises – me videotaping the participants and showing them how to turn that into an article that could be sold, or inviting an interesting guest for them to interview and turn that into an article.

One advantage of mind maps is that you can fit a lot of information onto one page. It becomes easier to notice possible connections and combinations. For instance, if I have an agent as a guest speaker, instead of getting him or her to give a talk, I might make it an interview conducted by the students, and have each of them write a brief article that I would then critique.

Mind maps are also an excellent way to record input during a group brainstorming session. Do it on a very large sheet of paper and have two people doing the writing so no ideas are lost.

You can draw mind maps by hand but there are also many software programs, both free and for sale, that do the same thing.

Website bonus

At www.CreativityNowOnline.com, Bonus 12 is an article about some of the best mind-mapping software programs available and where to get them.

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