Young Writers Society

I cannot brainstorm when I'm sitting in front of a computer with a blank page in front of me... usually. I have to pace around, or hunch over a table with a piece of paper, or sprawl on a couch. I usually think of a specific aspect of something that I need an idea for, and just think about it till I come up with something. Sometimes it helps me to talk about it outloud, or I fire random questions at my poor little sister, who has no idea what I'm talking about, until it leads me to come up with something. At random times of day I'll all of a sudden have an idea and run for a piece of paper (I always have a pen on me) and then scribble furiously for at least five minutes, which means at the end of it the piece of paper is usually covered with extremely messy, big writing:) Sometimes, if it's just a small idea and I don't have paper handy I just right it on the palm of my hand. I remember this one time when I was on a walk with my friend and all of a sudden I had this really good idea for something that I hadn't been able to think of a good idea of before. So I just plopped down on the grass and started writing on my hand, and then the back of my hand, and I kept running out of room; I wrote on my arm, my ankle, and my friend was just standing there laughing at me. Bu I had to write it down! When I have an idea I have to write it down or I don't remember it all later.
So. How do you brainstorm?

I don't really do it at all, except for things like writing synopses if I want to summarise my book, then I find it helpful to do a spider diagram with all the different themes. Or if I'm trying to come up with a title or something like that. Otherwise I don't particularly find it helpful, but that might just be because of the way I work (all over the place to start, and then at some point it all suddenly fits itself together )

When I write out an outline funnily enough though, I can't do it on my computer either. I have to scribble it down in a notebook.

I'm the sort of person who does it all without paper. Thankfully I had an understanding English teacher when I was struggling with doing the outline for the term project. Process was part of the grade, so I had no choice but to do an outline. People say that you always have to write it down, but I don't think you do.

I HATE making outlines. Since I am required to do them, though, I write the paper first, and then I make the outline based on the paper (instead of the other way around)

I wasn't so lucky with my essay in high school. The school board noticed that students were having a hard time with essays, which is why process was a big part of the mark as well. For that reason, and to reduce the risk of plagiarism, the outlines were done in class so we could talk about them with the teacher.