1. Free Writing Stream of consciousness writing is one of the most unpredictable forms of writing.

You do not know where your brain will lead you, but you can be assured that it will be interesting. There is no special preparation for this method. Open a new Notepad window or pick up a sheet of paper and start writing. 2. Wordplay Start writing poetry about your favorite topic. Use words that rhyme. Write the song that is going through your head. Pick your favorite prefix or suffix and start listing all of the words within which that fragment resides. Attempt to be as silly as possible. 3. What If? Most novels are written on the premise of what if? What if there were no water on our planet? What if there were too much water on the planet? What would happen if our feet were digitigrade instead of plantigrade? Ask some what if questions and see where the answers take you. 4. Mind Map Mind mapping is an exciting method of generating ideas because you are building on the idea of and then? You are mapping out those tangents that your mind takes. Take a concept or idea and write it in the center of your page. Write concepts and ideas around that idea until something interests you. When you exhaust the options for one of the topic, elaborate on one of the subtopics. 5. Analogy Take two unrelated topics and attempt to connect them. Start with the question How is _____ like a ______? and see what happens. Your brain is geared toward answering questions, so you will immediately start finding answers. Write down your list and see where it leads. 6. Role Playing How would someone else handle the situation that you are in? What would someone else have for dinner? This exercise is all about looking at the alternative perspective to a problem. How would the person that you dislike the most care for their pets? 7. Escapism Start with a common problem or situation that everybody has. Write a list of surreal solutions. There can be no reasonable or completely feasible answers on this list. Once you have your list, search for items which can be altered to become viable. 8. Outlining This brainstorming technique is perfect for analytical people. This is like the mind map method. You are using writing instead of drawing to convey your ideas. Start with a broad subject and break it into subtopics. The outline method is very useful for writing non fiction. 9. 77 Storms When you are brainstorming, aim for a specific number and do not stop until you have reached the number. Do not judge the ideas, merely fill the page. This will give you ideas and directions. 10. Questions

Look at the items which surround you and ask questions. What is the history of this object? Why is the mantlepiece made of faux wood? These questions are intended to be childlike because it will spur on your brain. Search for answers to your questions after ten minutes. Free-writing - Just write. Don't worry about format, topic, or anything else. Just write, about anything at all. It might be a description of your kitchen ceiling, or a diatribe about the lack of parking spaces at your local veterinarian's office. The important thing is that you get writing, and keep writing. Let one thought lead to another, or just write on one thing, in ever increasing detail. Maybe you'll write for a set amount of time, or maybe your aim is to fill a page or multiple pages. Pick out individual topics, ideas, names or anything else. Whatever you do, you'll soon have many ideas to work with. Breakdown - Take your initial topic, and write it at the top of the page. Divide the topic into subtopics, questions, themes, and such, listing them below. Continue to break down and list those subtopics as before. Listing/Bulleting - List everything about the topic, then list any related phrases, keywords, questions, sources, etc. If you can think of it, add it to the list. Then take each item from the list, and do it again. Cubing - Cubing refers to taking your topic and examining it from six different sides, like the six sides of a cube. Consider the topic in the following six ways: 1.Describe it 2.Compare it 3.Associate it 4.Analyze it 5.Apply it 6.Argue for and against it Now, examine your answers. Are there any connections between them? Do any themes emerge? Similes - Complete the following sentence: [Blank] is/was/are/were like [Blank]. By comparing your topic to another, seemingly unrelated word, you'll begin to see new ideas about your topic, better understand different aspects of it, and new ideas will emerge. Clustering/Mapping/Webbing - This technique allows you to expand on a topic in a freeform, organic manner. Write a keyword or words about your topic in the center of a blank page and draw a circle or box around it. Branch off in as many ideas as possible, connecting them visually to the topic. Then branch off from there. Go as far as you can or want to, continually branching off. Parts - Look at the relationships between the whole, the parts and parts of parts. Make the following lists on opposite margins of a sheet of paper: Whole...........................Parts Part..............................Parts of Parts Part..............................Parts of Parts Part..............................Parts of Parts Apply these labels to topics and subtopics, words, etc. Then draw conclusions about relationships, patterns, connections, etc.

Journalistic Questions (The Big 6) - Ask yourself the 6 important questions of journalism: 1.Who 2.What 3.When 4.Where 5.Why 6.How List related questions for each one, then seek out the answers; repeat as many times as you need to. Outside the Box - Try approaching your topic from a totally different angle. Ask questions from a seemingly unrelated viewpoint. You might think in terms of occupations, academic subjects, demographic groups, cultural groups, etc. Examine it fully from each new perspective, jotting down every thought, question, commentary, interpretation, etc. Charts/Shapes - Instead of words and phrases, think visually. Put things in terms of charts, shapes, tables and diagrams. If you can find photographs related to the topic, use them as well. List anything you see, any thoughts that come to mind and any conclusions drawn from the images. Slanting/Re-slant - Examine an idea or topic in terms of purpose and audience. If stuck, think about a different purpose or a different audience. For example, if you're writing about married couples with the purpose of entertaining couples with at least five years of marriage, try looking at the topic from the newlyweds. Referencing - If you have a basic idea or topic, look it up. Go to the dictionary, the thesaurus, the encyclopedia, an almanac, quote collection, any other reference. List any information. If you don't have a topic, open to a random page, pick any topic, then go from there. Combination of Techniques - Start with any technique then apply another technique to the results. For example, after listing and bulleting on your original topic, try referencing each listed item. 10 Classic Brainstorming Techniques 1. Listing

Think of a subject and list all of the ideas that come to your mind about it. List anything that lingers; words, sentences, headlines, phrases etc. List these ideas as they pop into your mind in no specific order. Keep adding to the list as new ideas are generated. This is one of the easiest ways to find many new ideas. 2. Mind mapping

A classic brainstorming approach and the brainstorming technique I find to be the most effective. It is also called clustering or webbing. This is a more visual brainstorming approach moving away from simple words and allowing writers to see things differently and branch off in new directions. Start off your mind map with a single image in the centre of the page. Draw lines branching out from the centre of the image in any direction. Write a single word on each branch. Complete your mind map. If you like to do your mind mapping on a computer try Tony Buzan's iMindMap, by far the easiest and most creative way to create a mind map and my personal favourite. 3. Free writing

Free is just as it name suggests, the process of writing freely uncensored, without any correction. Select your topic and write freely for 10 to 15 minutes. Write without stopping preferably in long hand without lifting your pen from the page or if you are using a computer type without pause. Do not make any corrections to spelling, punctuation or grammar. Do not stop until your allotted time period is over. When your 15 minutes are up, go back and read what you have written. Select one or two sentences that show promise. Start with these to point you in the right direction. 4. The five sense approach

Use the basic table below as your starting point. Paste or write your topic into the header box. Close your eyes. Think of your topic and imagine the scene before you. Describe it in detail using the five sensory words in the first column. Here is an example: "You are at the hospital. Listen to the beeping of the heart rate monitor, smell the disinfectant, feel the crisp white stand issue hospital gown on your skin. Taste the anaesthetic as it creeps into your body. See the white lights flickering overhead." Subject Smell Sight Hear Taste Touch Now go back and read what you have written. Select the most descriptive and evocative words as a starting point for your story or keep them all scattering them throughout. 5. Experimenting with format

Most people can start talking to a friend without a moment of hesitation. You can describe a situation to them easily and seldom find yourself at a loss for words. Use this technique as a way of having a brief written conversation with a close friend or family member. Now go back and read what you have written. Transform this writing into something else; the start of a story, the first chapter of your memoir, a poem or the first act of a play. 6. Inception point

We always start at the beginning, but breaking the rules can often bring inspiration. Try starting your story in the middle or even with the conclusion and working backwards. This works especially well if you still need inspiration for those gripping first few words. 7. Reversal

Write down your topic or subject and list a few random ideas, you can also use the list you have created in method 1. Challenge your first thoughts by creating a new list. Reverse each assumption and think of differing viewpoints, list as many opposing viewpoints and ideas as you can, these could just steamroller your story off in a totally new direction. 8. Similes or Metaphors

Complete the following sentence _____________ is like/as ________________. Write your topic or subject in the first blank space. Brainstorm as many possible ideas for the second space jotting them down as they occur to you. Review what you have written. Use one of these ideas as the backbone of your story. A simple yet classic brainstorming approach.

9.

Questioning

Use idea-spurring questioning words as a starting point for your inspiration. Where? When? Why? Who? How? What? Substitute? Combine? Adapt? Modify? Put to other uses? Eliminate? Magnify? Rearrange? Reverse? 10. Using Charts or shapes

If conventional words and phrases do not bring the inspiration you need try something more visually appealing. Use a conventional flow chart, pictures, diagrams, doodling, graph or table to remove yourself from the realm of words alone and move into a more visually appealing frame of mind. Seeing things from a different angle can also bring inspiration. Brainstorm in squares, triangles or in the actual shape of the topic of your brainstorm. Use any of the classic brainstorming techniques and brainstorming methods above to jumpstart your creativity. You can stop and try another classic brainstorming technique at any point. Try several different brainstorming methods to find the one you like best.