3 Brainstorming ideas for writing articles

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Create a list

People often say two minds are better than one.  You many not have always found that was the case but if you’re struggling to find ideas for articles why not have a brainstorming session with a friend.  Make it lighthearted and fun.  It doesn’t matter what ideas you come up with.  The whole idea is just to get your mind thinking creatively.  Don’t dismiss any ideas that you or your partner have.  Just get them written down and refer to the list later.

Use mindmapping

If you’re not familiar with mindmapping it’s a great way to generate ideas.  Although in the example below I used some free online software to generate a mindmap, you can just as easily do it with pen or paper.  Try and let your ideas flow as freely as possible and don’t worry too much about getting a perfect looking map.  Put your central idea in the middle of the page and add related as they come into mind. You may never use some of the ideas that you put down, but that doesn’t matter.

When you have done as much as you can on your mind map you can start to use it for inspiration.  In this case I might have a site that sells toothbrushes and decide to do a series of articles around hygeine, and how to clean teeth properly.

Brainstorm by posing questions

Another great way to brainstorm ideas is to ask questions round a central theme.  For instance one of my friends has a site on ladies motorcycle helmets.  Now I know nothing about motorcycle helmets but I would find it relatively easy to generate some article ideas by brainstorming some questions.

Here are the questions I thought of in 5 minutes.  They are in no particular order

1. What size are helemets sold in?
2. How do you measure your head for a helmet?
3. What different types of helmets are there?
4. How do you clean helemets?
5. What saftety standards are there for helmets?
6. Are cheap helemets a waste of money?
7. How often should I clean my helmet?
8. Can I wear makeup under my helmet?
9. What should I do if the visor gets scratched?
10. Can I wear glasses inside a helmet?
11. Where can I get a helmet customised?
12. How closely should a helmet fit?
13. Can I return a helmet if I am not satisfied with it?
14. Should different helmets be used for different types of riding?
15. Is it safe to ride without a helmet?
16. What laws are there on the riding of helmets?
17. Are there any rules about the colours of helmets?
18. When should you buy a new helmet?
19. Are there any substances you shouldn’t use on a helmet?
20. Where can I get stickers for my helmet?
21. How can I stop myself from sweating inside a helmet?
22. Should I tuck my hair inside a helmet?

So without any real effort I have come up with 22 ideas.  If you’re going to work in this way always set youself a time limit.  5 – 10 minutes.  Don’t get hung up on whether everything maes perfect sense, just get it down.  Although I did this by myself you can always ask someone else what questions they might have about a particular topic.

Summary

These are just 3 ways in which I like to brainstorm ideas for article writing.  There is no right or wrong way of doing.  You have to do what works for you.  However, I would use a variety of techniques and mediums so that you dont struggle for ideas.