Mind mapping is a method of outlining thoughts that proves especially useful for writers.
Mind mapping is a great tool for organizing writing. It helps a writer to present the content of the writing in the best possible structure. The process can also be helpful during brainstorming, helping the author to come up with new ideas and creating a logical flow for a thought process. Mind mapping can be done by hand, but software makes large mind maps easier to handle. Over time, mind mapping will become second nature for writers.
Instructions
1. Start with a central topic to be mapped and place it in the center of your page. All subsequent ideas will be tied to this central idea. If your writing assignment is about the American Civil War, that would be your central topic placed in the center of the page.
2. Create sub-topics that branch out from the main topic. These topics would be similar to chapter headings in a book. Print these subtopics each in their own color to form a visual division between them. Using the American Civil War example, your sub-topics could include "the Confederate army" and "the Union army."
3. Draw a line between related topics and their subtopics to create visual links between them.
4. Research or brainstorm each subtopic.
5. Add a second level of thought extending from each subtopic. Each of these sub-levels will pertain to their specific subtopics. You can expand further on your sub-topics by including the leaders for each side such as Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis.
6. Add a third and fourth level as they are needed. Continue the process until no more sub-levels can be created. Third level topics for the Civil War example could include each side's position on slavery and secession from the union.
7. Erase, add and move topics as the mind map grows.
8. Move to a mind mapping software if the mind map becomes too large to handle or if you would prefer an easier way of editing the mind map. FreeMind and XMind (see Resources) are two free mind mapping programs.
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