Brainstorming

Hey guys :) So I've been kind of in a funk about what to write about, I've been re-editing and going back and forth with my own writing and it made me think, I should write about brainstorming. I know a lot of people think of brainstorming as something you did in elementary school, but as a writer, it is a highly useful tool.

I've had countless times when I'm writing something and I'm just blazing along doing my thing but then I just hit a wall. I've always blamed it on writer's block and put my work aside (see my post about writer's block!), but really it's no one's fault but my own. Planning ahead not only helps you prevent writer's block, but it also helps your story become much more cohesive than if it had been written without prior planning. The thing with writing lengthy compositions is you (if you're like me) tend to forget what you wrote earlier and you change small details or forget certain details. These details may seem minuscule at first, but when you read over your writing, you'll wonder why your character with blue eyes suddenly has auburn eyes. These small mishaps can be prevented with brainstorming, but so can larger mishaps, say for instance entire plot twists. Plot twists are good fun to write about (more on this later) but at the same time, it requires very careful timing and planning. Brainstorming makes inserting these little twists much easier because you know in advance everything that will happen.
Now that we've covered the importance of brainstorming, the last thing I want to talk about is the process of brainstorming. Everyone has their own tried and true method of brainstorming but if you're in a bit of a funk, here's what I do: (CAUTION: I'm very detailed about brainstorming)
What I do when I brainstorm, is I break my story into several parts and do a summary of each. For example, the first thing I do, is do a profile on each character. I describe their personalities, their appearance, personal histories and any other relevant information. After doing a complete profile on the main characters, I do a history on the setting (this is primarily because as a fantasy writer, my locations are fictional) this is not strictly necessary, but it is recommended if your plot involves elements from the past. After this, I write out a synopsis of the story. The difference between a synopsis and a summary is the amount of detail in each. The synopsis is your story highly condensed and smushed together, but not as vague as a summary. The synopsis is where you will want to include details that would be involved in plot twists :)
Wow I really blabbered a lot today, but I hope it was informative :) Like, dislike, agree, disagree, whatever you want, let me know in the comments below :)