Pebblepup's Writing Den

I don’t know about you. But when I do a brainstorming session, I get a lot of ideas. Some are good, some are bad. That’s normal. I saved them all. You never know when you can come back, look at one, and see potential that you didn’t see before. This is what I mean by an idea bank every time you do a brainstorming session. Don’t get rid of the ideas you reject. Put them in your idea bank. Then when you’re stuck for something to write or work on. You can visit the bank and see what you have there. This is especially good if you don’t have the time or inclination to do a brainstorming session.

This could be as simple as leaving the notes from your brainstorming session to in a binder or a file folder. Or anything like that. The point is you don’t throw away ideas even if they seem bad. Because sometimes when you come back to them, they don’t seem so bad, or you see ways to tweak them. You could end up with an idea that turned into gold. You never know. More than likely, you won’t, but the possibility is there. A gold nugget hidden in the dross.

An idea bank is not that hard to create. All you need to do is save the notes from any brainstorming sessions you do, and that’s your idea bank. If you brainstorm on paper, you could put it in a simple file folder or a binder. I do mine on my computer. I have a mind map software, and I can save those mind maps as images. Then I paste them into OneNote, and they are there as notes. Sometimes I make lists. I do that right in OneNote. It’s easy to do. And it’s useful. I picked the ideas that come up that I like and leave the rest there and I can revisit it at any time and get more ideas.

Sometimes your idea bank gives you some ideas to start brainstorming on. What can I do with this? What could I do with that? That’s the sort of thing you need to ask yourself when you’re looking through your idea bank. The point is, don’t throw them away. You never know when you’re going to need them.

Only delete them from your bank when you’ve used them. Or cross them out on the page if you’re using paper and pen. that way, you know, for certain, that you’re not going to repeat yourself with an idea. So, the next time you do a brainstorming session. Save what’s left. You never know when it’s going to come in handy. And who knows, you might have some gold in there.