Normal linear note taking and writing will put you into a semi-hypnotic trance, while mind mapping will greatly enhance your left and right brain cognitive skills.
Tony Buzan
Have you ever heard of a mind map?
A mind map is a tool for the brain that captures the thinking that goes on inside your head. Mind mapping helps you think, collect knowledge, remember, and create ideas. Most likely it will make you a better thinker.
A central theme is placed in the centre of a blank page. This is the title, the subject, a problem or just a thought.
From the central theme, associations radiate out. Associations that are directly from the central theme are called first-level associations. Second-level associations are then created, then third-level and so on. The brain thinks by imagination and association. When associations are created, connections are made. These connections are essential for remembering and thinking.
What comes to your mind when you think of a map? Isn’t it a reference point that allows you to get direction to a place? In most cases, there’s always a starting point and the desired destination. From the map, you get to determine the possible routes you can use and eventually, you pick the one that is most convenient.
In the same way, your book mind map will help you to draw the connections between related ideas. This will help you consolidate your thoughts in an orderly manner and avoid repeating yourself. Here, you don’t have to be neat. Just jot down all your ideas and see which ones relate to each other.
Centre Your Working Title
Your mind map helps you glance at your entire book in pictorial form. You can liken it to a pictograph that captures all the info in an article. This follows the principle that a picture is worth a million words.
The title should be right in the middle of your map. The rest of the ideas should stem from this title. It is also important to ensure that the ideas are not so far-removed from the title(s) you have chosen. That way, each idea will build up towards the main idea of the book.
Encircle the Sub-themes
What are the building blocks you’ll need to pass the message across? Ideally, they should be related to the working title of your book. You may not exhaust these at once, but put down the ones that come to mind immediately. Then you can always add to them as you go.
You may want to put big circles or boxes around these sub-themes. Leave enough space to add the details we’ll talk about next. You can also use sticky notes if you find that more interesting. The idea is to ensure there is a visible arrangement of thought.
Populate the Sub-theme Boxes or Circles
Within each of the spaces left for the sub-themes, write out the ideas you’ll use to capture the entire thought. To get several ideas in each sub-theme, consider breaking down your sub-theme into smaller categories. Then think of the details that you cannot afford to miss out on to communicate your message in detail.
Example:
Say your working title is Clothing Trends in 2020. Your sub-themes could be beach attire, official wear, casual wear, sports wear and smart casual. Then under each sub-theme, you’ll break down the different combinations of clothes/ colors, tops/bottoms, shoes/ hats etc.
Some mind map platforms include Xmind - and Lucidchart.
Finally, you can begin to consider which sub-theme should go first, second, third, and so forth. This will help you to finally draw your book outline, as we shall see later.
It’s time to reflect!
- What do you think is the most convenient place to draw your book mind map (on paper, laptop, tablet, other option)? Why do you think so?
- Where can you get more ideas for your book mind map?
- What are the challenges you might face while creating your book mind map?
It’s time to act!
Share your reflections with a partner or a writer’s group.
Find out how to overcome your challenges.
Whatever you do, don’t stop moving forward. You’ve made it this far.
Writing Checklist
Did I…
- Read Day 19 Insights
- Write my reflection from today’s reading
- Write my action plan
- Share my action plan for accountability with a partner or a writer’s group