What are Mind Maps?

Mind maps are creative ways to explore ideas and perspectives. They work well for brainstorming and outlining. Unlike traditional forms of outlining or brainstorming, mind maps provide freedom of both expression and form. However, just because you have plenty of freedom it doesn't mean you shouldn't follow some basic guidelines and guardrails to ensure your time spent will be worth it.

Ultimate Goal

Create a visual map of your ideas while gaining clarity as to how themes, concepts, characters, and more interlink.

Recommended Process

1. Center - For the most part, you'll want a theme, a character, or the book to be in the center depending on your project goals. Reference your prompt: does it ask to explore a character? The numerous themes of a novel or topic? A central concept, like 'fear' or 'loathing'?

2. From your center, I recommend:

   • Book Title -> Themes (2-5) -> Characters or Settings -> Quotes and Explanations

   • Themes -> Books or associated works -> Characters or Settings -> Quotes and Explanations

   • Characters -> Other Characters + Relationships -> Events and Key Plot Points -> Quotes + Explanations

   • Topic (Rhetorical) -> Different Angles and 

3. When to Stop - ALWAYS finish each thread with evidence and quotation

Benefits

• Aesthetically beautiful when you give it time

• Exceptionally useful for exploring character relationships, interplay of themes, and broadening out connections

• Excellent for broad, big-picture topics with complex, varied angles

Drawbacks

• Can be time consuming

• Not the best for documenting evidence for reuse later

• Lacks reuse capabilities

• Not that great for exceptionally narrow topics