Get Started Writing With a Mind Map

Ready. Set. WRITE!

The most important sentence in any article is the first one. If it doesn’t induce the reader to proceed to the second sentence, your article is dead…Of such a progression of sentences, each tugging the reader forward until he is hooked, the writer constructs that fateful unit, the “lead.” (On Writing Well, William Zinssler, 1976)

The trouble is that I usually can’t write the lead first. Rather than trying to force the perfect lead, I usually start by brainstorming my thoughts and organizing my resources with a mind map. After the project has begun to take shape, the lead usually comes easily. The point is to get started. Rewriting and editing are for crafting the language.

Mind mapping is the diagramming of ideas and concepts to help streamline thought processes and organize information. Applications  help users organize, house and link thousands of pieces of information, including reports, links and text, in a personalized and visual way. Granted, for most projects you don’t need “thousands” of pieces of information, but mind maps are scalable and useful for small or large projects.

Gartner Research Director Donna Fitzgerald, who writes about mind maps and uses one herself says, “It  allows you to make your thinking process and ideas concrete. It should be the first thing you pull up when you think through a new project.” (CIO Magazine, May 11, 2009)

Here is a simple mind map I made for a recent post on writing for the web. This image was captured midway through the process and has twelve sub-categories linked to a main idea. The final article was a ten-point list, so at some point I dropped or combined some categories.  The greatest thing about mind mapping software is that links, text, PDF’s, images, spreadsheets and documents can be stored inside each category.  In this program, Spinscape, double click on the box to open it. Now, type, paste or link to just about anything.

Spinscape is an online application that is available free to single users (with limited features). The available free features offer all the functionality I need to write a simple article or copy for a website. The premium pay version allows multiple users to share maps and collaborate online.

One of my favorite tools for writing is Inspiration, a mind mapping tool developed for education. I also think that it’s the best thing since white boards and a fistful of markers for planning and project managing  small websites. I don’t know much about designing large sites, so I would not presume to give advice about it.  As with other mind mapping solutions, linked categories allow you to organize ideas, links, pictures and text quickly. A large cache of arrows, lines, color options and category icons allow you to create a visual map of your material. And here comes the best part—in no particular order. Select the Outline option and your notes are transformed into a heirarchical outline that can be exported to Word. Nifty. There are probably more elegant tools, but this one is flexible, fun, inexpensive and easy to use.

There are too many programs available to consider reviewing or recommending specific ones here. They have common properties and individual strengths. What I can recommend is mind mapping. Do a search, ask a friend, download a free trial, but find a mapping program and get started. If productivity is your aim, you can’t miss.

To get you started, here is a gallery of mind blowing maps and a quick 8 step guide to bursting your creativity dam with mind mapping.

If you’ve got a favorite mind mapping tool, please share it in comments. I love new toys.

Tagged as: brainstorming, mind mapping, organisation, organization, organizing writing, productivity