I was poking around the internet, seeing what peeps are suggesting about techniques to gather ideas. Lucky me– I came upon a discussion in answer to the question “What is the best way to gather good ideas?”
And, for a bonus, the discussants are IT people. Given the innovation and productivity within IT, some of their approaches are applicable to our work as writers.
One response struck me because of the writer’s belief that the “brain works in the most amusing of ways.”
The writer says that to gather good ideas she reads lots of texts and envisions “what if” situations. She writes down ideas that she gathers through “what if’ing” and through brainstorming.
Then she sleeps on it to give her brain some down time to process and play with her ideas.
The sleeping on it also allows her to keep from being bogged down in the details.
The next day she writes more, based on what her rested brain gives her, organizes the ideas, and adds a bit of “dressing.”
I have increasingly come to believe that a tired brain gives tired ideas. Many people are stuck in the days of all-nighters and think they can soldier through and produce a great text at 4 am.
Give your brain the opportunity to work in its amusing way. Sleep on it and come back to your work the next morning.
How do you gather good ideas? I’d love to hear from you.
Nancy
Nancy Whichard, Ph.D., PCC
Your International Dissertation Coach and Academic Career Coach
www.smarttipsforwriters.com
www.nancywhichard.com
nancy @ nancywhichard.com
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