Brainstorming and Ideating

Break down the assignment into parts to better understand what you’ll need to do. What are your specific tasks or goals? Create a checklist of the assignment to help you narrow down your focus and brainstorm ideas that will fit the prompt.

Do a quick survey of a general topic. Explore possible sub-topics to familiarize yourself with the topic and generate ideas. Try summarizing different authors’ ideas on the topic. We often write to learn. It’s not always the other way around! Don’t be afraid to explore a topic and learn about it. You don’t always have to write about what you already know!

Writing is a social process. Have a conversation and “try out” ideas. Have a debate. Talking out loud is a great way to figure out what you already know about this, what you’d like to know about it, and what you might be interested in learning about further.

You may have more ideas than you think! Try outlining or mapping your thoughts. It can help you to visualize the different ideas you have and how they are connected. This helps to identify places to keep researching, which can help you define your topic or position.

Set a timer for a short period of time and write down a list of ideas or everything you know about the topic. Don’t stop! Is there a topic or position on a topic that you can write a lot about in a short period of time?

Is there something that people don’t know about this topic? Where does disagreement or controversy exist in the readings? If you could poke holes in your own theories, what might that sound like? What might your favorite villain say about this? If you had to explain this to a relative, what would you say? Thinking about a topic or idea from a different angle can help us to get creative.

Identify a topic or position. Explain the different parts or subtopics. Provide background information. Identify stakeholders. Explain borders or boundaries. Explain impacts. Discuss purpose.

List tangible characteristics. Show cause and effects. Explain relationships. Show chronology or create a timeline. Describe the beginning, middle, and end. Show how parts fit together. Describe actions and their effects.

Name and describe the characters. Tell the action and what led to it. Describe the impact. Highlight conflict. Create tension and resolution. Define takeaways.

Start at the end and work your way back. Define where you want your reader to end up, then think what people need to know or agree to in order to get there. What might this journey look like? Where do they need to start? What do the steps look like?

Sketch your ideas. Draw boundaries and connections. Create a data viz. Illustrate a concept or story. Write about your illustrations instead of illustrating what you write.

Define the whole, the list the parts. How far can you break it down? What’s the smallest component? How are the parts related to the whole?

How are two ideas, stances, or parts related? How are they similar? How are they different? How might you choose between them? What situational factors might influence this decision? What has to happen for one to be better than the other?

Argue an opposite side. Play devil’s advocate. Poke holes in your own theories. Start in a different place and work your way back.