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Develop Topics for Writing Using Mind Mapping Software

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As any writer knows, coming up with a topic on which to write is usually the most difficult part of the writing process. Writers can, thus, find themselves wasting valuable time as they struggle to begin this process due to the lack of an interesting and engaging subject matter. There are many tools available to help writers find a place to begin their narrative. Yet, few, if any, of these tools are likely be as effective for writers as a Mind Mapping software tool. The advantage of Mind Maps for writers is that they allow one to literally “map out” his or her thinking process in a spatially formatted and highly intuitive manner. Moreover, Mind Maps allow users to add graphics, images and colors to the map to make it easier to conceptualize. Therefore writers have the ability, using a Mind Map, to brainstorm ideas for topics in a way that naturally engages their mental and creative processing.

What is Mind Mapping Software?

Mind Mapping software is any software that is used to create diagrams, pictures, and other graphic visuals in order to show the relationship between ideas or other types of information.1 With Mind Maps, the key concept or main idea of the information being presented is represented by a central image, located in the center of the map. Any themes surrounding the main idea are shown on “branches” that are attached to the central image, with subsequent themes of less importance attached by “child branches” or “twigs”. The resulting diagram is a “map” of the ideas and information shown in a spatial, rather than linear, format. Moreover, along with the ideas shown on the map are visual graphics, images, and colors that the constructor of the “mind map” associates with each of the themes and ideas. Mapping out information in this manner is widely believed to allow the brain to process the information in a way that is much more consistent with its natural functioning.

Developing a Writing Topic Using a Visual Mind Map

A writer has been suffering from writer’s block for several hours. Having racked his brain for writing topics, he decides to use a Mind Map to help him focus his thinking, and, he hopes, come with something on which to write. He begins his Mind Map by placing a representative visual image in the map’s center. He then lists any words or phrases that come to his mind on “branches” that he attaches to the central image. On “child branches”, he lists possible story titles that include each word. He next begins brainstorming ideas for plotlines surrounding each title, listing them on “twigs”. Throughout his Mind Map, the writer uses images and colors to make his map more associative and the process of connecting his ideas easier. When he has finished his map, the writer has a diagram of story and plot ideas similar to the attached Mind Map diagram.

Beginning the Writing Process Using the Visual Mind Map

After brainstorming possible story titles and plotlines, the writer is now able to begin writing. He finds that, after using the Mind Map to help organize his ideas, he was left with several writing topics and a clear focus for beginning his narrative. The spatial layout of the Mind Map, as well as its highly associative imagery, allowed the writer to innately connect the flow of ideas from random words to concrete plotlines. Thus, the writer found Mind Mapping to be an invaluable tool for battling his writer’s block and helping him to begin the writing process.

  1. Farrand, Paul; Hussain, Fearzana and Hennessy, Enid (May 2002). “The efficacy of the ‘mind map’ study technique”. Medical Education 36 (5): 426–431.

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