The Art of Brainstorming

When I was in elementary school, I learned about the introduction of the writing process: brainstorming.

As a first grader, I was afraid of brainstorming, but not in a metaphorical way. I thought it would hurt, similar to a brain freeze.

Later I learned the hard truth that, yes, brainstorming can give you quite the migraine...but over the years I’ve discovered that this can be avoided. Here is my list of preventative measures; hopefully at least one of them will help you reduce some frustration.

1. Try not to open the computer.

As an easily distracted writer, I’ve tried everything to avoid going off-task from turning off my phone and hiding it in a drawer to disabling my WiFi and strictly working on Microsoft Office. Whenever I wrote essays in high school, I’d reward myself for writing a page with a five-minute YouTube video. Despite my efforts, the internet always won. Especially when I became frustrated with brainstorming, I’d turn to social media for inspiration, but inspiration quickly morphed into distraction. It took me an embarrassing amount of wasted time to realize that a productive brainstorm session meant using an old-fashioned notebook and pen.

2. Keep the brainstorm session short.

Whether you’ve got a short attention span or just dread the process, I’ve learned that shorter brainstorm sessions typically result in better ideas and fewer frustrations. Setting a 15 or 20 minute timer creates a sense of urgency and forces you to write down whatever comes to mind. Doing this exercise several times a day until you produce what you want can prevent a brainstorm burnout. If you’re anything like me, you can only take so much intense thinking at a time without getting a migraine.

3. Find a time when you’re most awake.

I think anything that requires concentration for more than five minutes needs to happen when you’re not tired. Sometimes it takes some experimenting to discover when that time is, but it’s most likely not in the middle of the night. Of course, there are night owls who come up with their best ideas while lying in bed. For me, I tend to write the most productively in the morning after I’ve gotten a good night sleep. Trying to come up with a topic for a term paper at midnight usually results in annoyance and frustration after a long day of classes.

4. Talk to someone about your ideas.

I’ve had multiple writing partners. Bouncing potential ideas off one another before you put pen to paper is incredibly insightful and rewarding because you begin to see your ideas in a new light. In my freshman writing seminar at Stanford, my instructor grouped us into trios for brainstorm feedback every time we began a new assignment. My peers encouraged me to try different keyword searches in databases when I became discouraged in my quest for sources. They pointed out strong points in my outline and weaker areas that could benefit from further exploration.

5. Tune out your inner critic.

I constantly have to remind myself that brainstorming is just getting my ideas onto paper. My high school English teacher once said that your first written ideas are just a ball of clay that you have to mold into something more. You have the material to work with, but it has no shape or form. Just because an initial idea might not excite you doesn’t mean it’s not a good blueprint for something down the road in the outlining or drafting process. Cut yourself a break and let your mind wander without boundaries during your brainstorm session.

Hope you find these tips useful the next time you need to brainstorm. And now -- because it’s important to practice what I preach -- I’m off to brainstorm for my next blog post!