Don’t you just love the title… so cheesy I know! There is something to be said for having the creative juices flowing, or maybe the fact that I’ve had enough Diet Mt. Dew to keep me wired for the entire day. By the way, Mt. Dew corporation, if you are reading this; I would be the perfect person to endorse Diet Mt. Dew for you – I practically live off of it! But all jokes aside…
Lately, I’ve had to do a TON of brainstorming for multiple projects here at the office. It seems I’ve run through the entire spectrum of writing states – no ideas whatsoever, too many ideas coming a once, a steady stream of ideas…
Well here’s something a lot of people don’t talk about, what should you do when you are brainstorming for writing. Maybe because it is one of those topics where everyone is like “DUH, how to brainstorm is SUCH a given.” But really if you think about it, there are ways that you can optimize the effects of your brainstorming sessions.
The first thing… and maybe the best thing that I can think of, is that you should WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING!!! I kid you not my friends… even if it seems like the most ridiculous idea you’ve ever had, you can always come back to it and build on it or modify it. This goes to say, no idea is a stupid idea. Every idea you have has potential, it’s just that some have more than others.
Personally, I really like to keep a notebook with me, pretty much all the time. I get the most random writing ideas when I am driving, relaxing or even working! Having the notebook around to write them down in keeps them from getting lost.
I swear that there have been hundreds or thousands of times where I have come up with (in my opinion) a brilliant idea, but wasn’t able to write it down right away. Usually I can convince myself that I will remember my outstanding idea, but 99.9% of the time, when I finally get to a place to write it down I have forgotten it. I can blame that on the multiple concussions I’ve had from sports while growing up.
So rule number one should be to WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN. Even if you don’t have a notebook, write it on a napkin or text it to yourself on your cell phone. You will be so glad you did because you didn’t lose your idea into the great abyss.
-From the Writer’s Corner Office