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The Benefits of Mind Mapping for Writing (And How You Can Get Started Right Away)

Crafting a bestselling novel isn’t for the faint of heart. And not just because of all the writing, editing, and marketing. Trying to keep all those plot points, characters, settings, and other details straight can be a major challenge. And the further in you get, the more difficult it becomes. 

Fortunately, there is a way to streamline your writing process and reign in the complexity of your story’s world. Mind mapping for writing can help you get organized, stay focused, and write faster. And that means you’ll reach the finish line of your story sooner. 

But mind maps aren’t just for writing fiction. They can be used for all types of writing. And you don’t even need a stash of pen and paper. With mind mapping software at your side, you’ll be able to write better blog posts, research papers, and more .

Keep reading to discover how a mind mapping tool could be just the jumpstart your writing process has been needing.

What is mind mapping anyway?

Mind mapping is a technique that can be used to brainstorm ideas, organize your thoughts , or remember something more easily. The basic idea is to create a map of your thoughts by connecting related ideas with lines and arrows. This can help you to see the connections between different ideas and to remember information more effectively. 

Mind maps come in a variety of styles, from timeline mind maps to Venn diagrams . And each kind of graphic organizer offers unique benefits.

How can mapping be useful in writing fiction?

As any novelist knows, writing a book is no easy feat. You don’t just have to come up with a compelling story. You’ve also got to keep track of all the different characters and plot threads. 

Mind mapping can be a helpful tool for keeping everything organized. By creating a mind map, you can visualize the different elements of your story. 

For example, you might brainstorm story ideas for a single book or an entire series. Then, you could create a timeline mind map to give yourself a clear picture of when events take place. You could even include significant events that happened before or after your story. Mind maps can also help you flesh out your characters. They offer a place to describe them physically, psychologically, and in other ways. 

And with mind mapping software , you can even add images and links to show relationships to other characters or places.

How do you create a mind map for a story?

Want to know specifically how to mind map for fiction?

First, you’ll need to think through the kinds of mind maps you’ll need. Will character maps be beneficial? Could you use mind maps describing particular scenes or settings? Would a timeline be helpful? How about a mind map that divides your story into its various beats?

Once you’ve decided which mind maps will be best for your story, choose mind map templates that fit your need. Mindomo has a host of templates specifically for literature and writing. There, you’ll find everything from characterization study maps to story maps and more.

Once you’ve finished your mind maps, they can be used as a guide when writing the actual story. They’ll make it easy to ensure all of the important elements are included.

But a mind mapping tool won’t just help you keep each individual story straight. You can also use them to track your progress, setting yourself milestones for each section of the book. And if you ever get stuck, mind maps can provide a handy way to jump-start your creative juices. After all, they’re the perfect tool for brainstorming.

How can mind mapping be useful in other types of writing?

Maybe you’re not a fiction writer.  That doesn’t mean mind mapping isn’t for you. Mind mapping benefits extend to any type of writing.

Start by brainstorming your ideas and then organize them into categories. Once you have the structure of your post, use your mind map to identify your central topic. You can also use the mind map to come up with good ideas for supporting points. Then, you can add them as child branches on your map.

With a clear outline of your post or article, it will be much easier to write the actual content. And if there’s something you’d like to add or change while writing, simply update your mind map accordingly.

For maximum efficiency, you can also use a digital mind map for outlining and organizing the flow of the post. And you may even be able to create a mind map to illustrate your central topic or a supporting idea. Having all these elements at your fingertips will ensure that your blog posts are well thought out and organized. You can use mind mapping to structure an essay with ease.

With a mind map, you’ll save yourself from wasting valuable time and energy on unnecessary rewrites. Having a clear plan in place before starting your writing makes it much easier to stay organized. That way, you can produce better content faster. 

Use mind maps to structure your paragraphs:

Use mind mapping software like Mindomo to create mind maps

While mind mapping may sound like a complicated process, it can actually be quite simple. All you need is a piece of paper and a pen, and you can get started. However, pen and paper will only take you so far. If you really want to take full advantage of creating a mind map, you’ll need mind mapping software.

Mind mapping software like Mindomo makes it easy to create mind maps. You can start with a blank canvas or use one of the many mind map templates available. The software provides a variety of tools for adding text, images, links, and other information to your mind map. You can also customize the appearance of your mind map, including the color scheme, shape, font, size, and lines. Best of all, mind mapping is a fun and effective way to learn and remember information.

No matter what you’re looking to write, Mindomo has mind map examples and templates you can use to get started. Simply choose a template that fits your needs, add your own central topic, and edit it to your heart’s content.

That’s everything you need to know about creating a mind map for your next project.  From brainstorming ideas to tracking progress and getting organized, mind mapping can be a valuable tool for any type of writer. With the help of mind mapping software like Mindomo, you’ll be able to take your writing to the next level. 

So, what are you waiting for? Start mind mapping today and see how it can help you produce better stories, articles, and papers than ever before.

Keep it smart, simple, and creative! The Mindomo Team

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Free Mind Map for Essay Templates by GitMind

Making an essay is a common piece of advice offered to you along with your writing assignment. In that case, this post will teach you how to make mind maps as well as how to use pre-made mind maps for essay models. Mind mapping organizes information in a way that mirrors how our brains truly operate, as opposed to standard note-taking or linear text that you’ve been taught or have grown accustomed to. It can also help you avoid the stumbling blocks and overload created by overt analytical thinking. It lets you view more than one notion at a time, which helps to clarify your thoughts.

Free Mind Map for Essay by GitMind

Effective essay writing, essay topic template, paragraph essay organizer, mind map for essay benefits, how to create a mind map for an essay.

A mind map for writing an essay is a written piece in which you convey a certain topic and then back it up with facts, claims, analyses, and explanations. The five-paragraph essay is the most common style of an essay, though an essay can have as many parts as necessary. A 5 essay is comprised of five paragraphs. An essay, on the other hand, is divided into 3 sections: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

According to the mind map essay example, an essay is a written piece in which you convey a certain topic and then back it up with facts, claims, analyses, and explanations. The five-paragraph essay is the most common style of an essay, though an essay can have as many parts as necessary. A 5 essay is comprised of five paragraphs. An essay, on the other hand, is divided into 3 sections: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

Plan essay mind map template with this paragraph organizer. The introduction should begin with a broad statement and end with a thesis statement that zooms in on the themes you will discuss in considerable depth. The proof of your idea should be included in the body paragraphs. Lastly, the conclusions affirm your topic and the key ideas of your work and then zoom out with an assessment or comment on the greater issue.

Mind map for essay may be an excellent method for you to try if you want to attain higher levels of attention and creativity, as well as the improved organization and more succinct communication. The advantages of concept maps are numerous and diverse. In essence, they include: presenting an overview of a vast subject/broad issue and enabling you to portray it in a more compact manner and also creating a more appealing and entertaining structure for your ocular to look at, ruminate over, and remember.

Creating a mind map essay example is always challenging, even if you are a superb writer and are well-versed in the subject. In contrast to other types of writing, you need to cultivate an interesting way of thinking in order to persuade readers of your point of view. In this instance, a program like GitMind might be useful. It will enable you to write essays that need ordered thought. While there are various strategies for arranging the thoughts you want to include in your essay, many people connect using a mind map for essay writing to utilizing a mind map. This program makes it easy to brainstorm, convey your ideas, and clarify your position.

• To get started, go to the GitMind official website. and then press the “Get Started” button.

• Start designing your mind map for writing an essay by clicking the “Create MindMap” button.

• Select your favorite layout and begin entering data into each node.

• When you’re finished, just click the “Save” button to save your changes.

In summary, making a mind map for essay writing is a basic yet very efficient method of brainstorming and outlining your thoughts. A mind map represents your topic by using a primary thought and branches that explain the center notion. Terms and keyphrases, color codes for phrases and branching, and visual materials like doodles or symbols are all used in well-drawn mind maps. On a single page, you may generally summarize all of your essay’s main points.

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How to Create a Mind Map for Essay Writing

Last Updated: December 1, 2023 Fact Checked

Generating Your Map

Organizing your map for writing, expert q&a.

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 286,140 times.

If you’re a visual learner or just looking to switch up how you outline your essays, mind maps can be a game-changer. They make coming up with ideas for your essay and organizing them super easy. If you’ve never used a mind map for essay writing before, don’t worry—we break down everything you need to know to get started in the steps below.

Things You Should Know

• Get out a piece of paper and write your topic in the center. This can be a single word or sentence.
• Then, write down any words and ideas that relate to your topic. Circle them and then draw lines or arrows to connect them to the topic.
• Label each bubble idea according to where it fits into your paper. This can be a specific paragraph or a general section, like the introduction.

• Lay out the colored markers or pencils to which you have assigned meaning.
• Orient your paper so that it is in landscape position.
• If you don't have colored pencils or markers, don't worry. You can still make a mind map with just a pen or pencil!

• Circle your topic.

• Each thing you write down may give you another association. Write that down as well. For instance, writing "Impairment vs. disability" might remind you of "wheelchair ramps."
• Try to cluster related thoughts together ("wheelchair ramps"—"access to public life"), but don't worry if it doesn't always happen—you can draw a line between things you wish to connect.
• Look for connections between your unrelated thoughts and jot them into the picture.

• You might also label them "supporting argument," "evidence," "counterargument" etc.

• Include doodles if they occur to you, but again, don't get caught up in making them perfect.
• Depending on your age and essay topic, you might want to focus more on drawing pictures than writing out words.

• While there are plenty of programs available for purpose, you can also use free online mapping tools like Bubble.us, Mind42, or Coggle.

• Add details as you go. For instance, you may write some of the sources you are planning to use to the sections of your essay to which they apply.

• If you do this, you can start by drawing bubbles for the sections and continue by filling in the thoughts and associations.
• You can also organize your revised mind map into bubble for topic sentences that branch into smaller bubbles for supporting arguments and evidence.
• Once you've done this, you practically have a rough draft of your paper.

• Start each paragraph with a sentence that introduces the ideas of that paragraph, and write until you have incorporated all the information for that section.
• If you end up adding things that weren't on your map, look at your map to check that they fit, and consider penciling them in. One of the virtues of the map is that it keeps you on topic.
• Make sure you're not cramming too many points from your mind map into a single paragraph.

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/sites/default/files/docs/learningguide-mindmapping.pdf
• ↑ https://emedia.rmit.edu.au/learninglab/content/how-create-mind-map
• ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/using-concept-maps/
• ↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.

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Mind Map for Essay: Complete Guide With Useful Tips

Edraw content team, planning to create mind map for essays.

EdrawMind is a powerful tool that lets you create mind maps for essays. Learn from this essay writing tips guide to know everything about different essay writing. Try this mind-mapping tool today!

Essay writing is one of the most crucial parts of any academic curriculum. Most students consider writing an essay a dreadful task, but with the correct essay writing tips, one can easily master the techniques. In this article, we will show you the importance of mind maps for essay writing. Creating a mind map for essay writing helps academic students visualize the idea before they start writing it. Here, we will discuss different essays and illustrate how just by creating a mind map in EdrawMind, one can easily write long essays for their academic purpose.

1. What is mind mapping?

Before we begin understanding the benefits of making a mind map for essay writing, we should first understand mind mapping in detail.

In general, mind mapping is a diagramming technique that helps display information visually. Let us suppose you have to write about yourself, including your hobbies, details about your parents, the video games you love to play, and more. In this case, mind mapping would be the technique you will use to visualize the content going along in your 'about me' essay. Since most students prefer to outline their essays before actually converting them into long paragraphs, it is always considered good practice to make a mind map in and around the essay's primary topic.

There are a couple of ways that mind mapping benefits the students who intend to write a good essay.

• A student can visualize the entire essay even before starting to write it.
• A student can prioritize the segments based on their subtopics.s
• A student can go back to the mind map and understand if they have missed out on any important topic.

Once students have created a mind map, they can seemingly convert it into long paragraphs for an essay. In most cases, if a student can add the mind map to the essay, it will help the reader understand the important topics covered in the submitted long piece.

2. Mind Map Helps with All Types of Essays

In academic writing, there are six different types of essay writing. As a student, you can create a mind map for different essays and later use these steps to write the essay itself. Here, we have covered all the six different types of essays and helped you understand how mind maps benefit someone who intends to write astonishing essays.

1. Argumentative Essay

An argumentative essay is a form of essay writing that requires a student to go analytical by investigating a topic, collecting the data, generating the points, evaluating all the gathered evidence, and establishing a position on the topic. As you see, an argumentative essay requires the student to go in-depth about their research. If the student works on a mind map for an argumentative essay, they will be able to properly create different segments while outlining their investigative and evaluative stages.

When a student creates a mind map, it facilitates a visual sketch of the entire material the student has gathered to write the argumentative essay. In addition, by creating a mind map, the student ensures that they have all the relevant information before proceeding to write the essay.

2. Admissions Essay

Admission essays are essays that one writes to get themselves enrolled at any particular college or university. Admission essays mostly consist of a statement of purpose (SOP), a student's academic record, a student's record of extra-curricular activities, references, and personal details. An admission essay is considered a very important piece of writing because it allows the college or university to know the student better and learn more about any specific situation.

When a student is writing an admission essay, creating a mind map is extremely handy because it allows the students to jot down the details of all of their achievements in a manner that resonates with the admission process. In a mind map, the student can dedicate a specific portion to their SOP, add their academic record in other subtopics, and then work ahead to showcase their achievements. Once the mind map for the admission essay is created, the student can follow the basic steps to writing an essay.

3. Persuasive Essay

A persuasive essay is a type of essay where a researcher or a student supports their content with facts and logical reasons to sway readers to a particular standpoint. In general, while writing a persuasive essay, the primary intention of the writer is to persuade the reader and convince them on a specific issue.

As you see, a persuasive essay requires a detailed logical argument and an emotional appeal. Most students tend to create a mind map before writing their persuasive essay to find the loopholes in the early stages of essay writing. A persuasive essay consists of three important parts: issue, side, and argument. By creating a mind map for an essay, a student can create these subtopics and work on them individually.

4. Compare-and-Contrast Essay

When students need to point out the similarities and differences between two or more subjects, they create a compare-and-contrast essay around it. Writing a compare-and-contrast essay is great for illustrating what separates and unites related topics, particularly those topics or concepts that are often misinterpreted by each other. In a compare-and-contrast essay, a student does not choose two specific topics to provide a contrast. Rather, they compare and contrast two types of similar topics to highlight subtle differences. For instance, when someone has to compare and contrast between watermelon and muskmelon, they will choose two different breeds of dogs and cats to convey the exact difference.

By creating a contrast-and-compare essay mind map, one can easily note the differences and similarities between two subjects. A mind map will help brainstorm the topic, collect the sources, and outline the essay structure.

5. Personal Essay

As the name suggests, a student writes about their experiences without having to prove any particular point in a personal essay. In personal essays, the author only intends to introduce the topic to the reader and make them aware of the subject and the theme. In most cases, a personal essay is based on feelings, emotions, personal experiences, and personal opinions.

While creating a mind map for a personal essay, the author can work on some important elements, like creating a compelling hook, presenting an engaging story, introducing interesting characters, having an immersive setting, and presenting meaningful conversations. With the help of a mind map, one can easily separate all these elements into subtopics and work on them individually. This way, they can present a more compelling story without missing out on important details.

6. Expository Essay

An expository essay is a long-form essay where the author's primary intent is to explain or describe a particular topic by providing factual information. When an author starts preparing for an expository essay, they start by investigating an idea, evaluating the gathered evidence, expounding on the idea, and concisely presenting an argument. Often, students get confused between expository and argumentative essay writing. The core difference between the two genres is that an expository essay will contain the information and explain the topic in brief. At the same time, an argumentative essay will contain the writer's personal ideas, facts, and other statistics.

Since expository essays contain information based on investigation and evaluation, creating a mind map for such essay writing is recommended. Using a mind map, the author can easily visualize all the evidence related to the information and brainstorm the topic before starting the writing process.

3. Mind Map for Essay: Step by Step

Now that you have understood how students can easily visualize their ideas by creating mind maps for essays, let us give you a detailed step-by-step description of how you can use mind maps for essay writing. It should be noted here that these are generic steps and can easily be applied to all the different types of essay writing.

1 Find Essay's Topic:

The first step in essay writing is coming up with a unique idea or a topic less explored. If you work on an essay topic that is already covered several times by different authors, your research might be hard-pressed to develop a unique standpoint. Instead, it is recommended to come up with the essay topic you are personally interested in, or at least something you can talk about without major complications. Choosing your essay's topic that is close to you will make the entire task of essay writing less monotonous.

• Create a mind map in a tool like EdrawMind and name the primary topic, 'Essay Topic.' Now start adding different ideas as its subtopics. These subtopics can be anything that you are closely associated with. For instance, you can add different ideas that your professors might have suggested or some ideas that were previously discussed in the classroom.
• Add your own areas of interest to the mind map and try to connect the dots with the ideas that you must have added in the previous step. Once you have a few good ideas that intersect with your interest and the ideas that were previously discussed, you can start weighing them against one another by noting down their respective pros and cons. Remove the ideas that have several cons and start working on that essay topic with maximum pros.

2 Commence Research Process:

Research is one of the most important processes in essay writing. At the same time, students often get confused between different arguments and counterarguments presented to them from different research papers. Students often waste an enormous amount of time just trying to figure out how to put all the different information into one piece. What all these students need is to make a mind map for essay writing where they can easily collect and structure their data and information.

• Create a mind map for different sources and make additional notes in these mind maps as you go on through the text. EdrawMind provides you with a comment option that helps in taking additional notes as and when they are required.
• Sometimes, students create one single mind map where they list all of their resources and branch them out for every quote and information, they want to use in the essay paper.

3 Outlining Essay Paper in a Mind Map:

Before you start writing your essay, you first create an outline of your paper that will help create a coherent structure of your arguments, counter arguments, examples, and sources. By using a mind map, one can easily review the outline and access the information they require in their essay.

Creating a mind map to outline your essay ensures that one will walk through sources and information more efficiently. It also enables the author to find and review information whenever they are stuck at any point.

4. Useful Tips for Your Essay

Essay writing can be a fun exercise if you follow some of the general steps to writing an essay. A couple of important essay writing tips ensure that your final submission has no plagiarism, no errors, has a proper citation, and does not divert from the primary topic. Some of the most useful essay writing tips are:

• Plan & Schedule: After coming up with the right topic for the essay, a student must allocate proper time and schedule their research hours. Most of the time, students underestimate the amount of work required to conduct proper research to write a professional essay and end up submitting an essay that will fetch them poor grades. It is always advisable to plan and schedule the essay writing in such a way that they get proper time for researching, and a good amount of time in writing, followed by sufficient time to conduct the second round of editing.
• Structure, Flow, & Focus: If you have not decided on the right flow of your essay, chances are your reader might not be able to relate to it. So, whenever you start writing the essay, ensure that you have properly summarized the core introduction and main body and presented your case that leads towards a proper conclusion. By structuring and focusing on the flow, each section of your essay will add a definitive value to the argument that you are presenting. At the same time, you should also perform multiple revisions just to confirm that the different parts of your essay fit together as a logical whole.
• Proper Style and Formatting: A good essay is about the argument and the narrative structure, but at the same time, the style tends to influence your readers, as that is the very first thing the reader will see when they look at your essay submission. Before writing down the essay, understand the formatting and styling criteria from your professor. You can even consult them about the language guide and the style that you have to follow while submitting the essay. It might look like a very simple or a basic step, but when an author submits an essay that has a proper table of content, introduction pages, bibliography, indexes, annexures, and references, the reader will get an idea that the author has done their proper research before writing the essay.
• Visualize the idea: In most cases, authors start writing the essay as soon as they get an idea. However, if the content is large and the project demands multiple rounds of revisions, it is highly recommended to go ahead and create a mind map. A mind map for essays will help the author visualize the content in a concrete manner. At the same time, by creating a mind map, you will be able to follow the timeline and have sufficient time to make revisions.

5. Key Takeaways

Regardless of the course of study and institution, essay writing is one of the most important curriculum activities for all grades. Even the graduates and postgraduate students need to submit their research paper that somehow starts by writing long-form essays. In this elaborate guide, we walked you through different types of essay writing and helped you understand how making a mind map for an essay is not only a logical activity but also saves you time and other important resources. Instead of wasting your time and money on complicated tools, you should start using EdrawMind, which has hundreds of templates for educational, business, and personal use.

Unlike other tools, EdrawMind has an amazing user interface that provides easy drag-and-drop features. From changing the theme of your mind map to adding different comments in subtopics, you can modify your mind map in any way you desire. So, what are you waiting for? Download EdrawMind today and make a mind map for the essay. You can also try using EdrawMind Online, which comes with a personal cloud.

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How to Use Mind Map In Writing – A Thorough Guide

This guide is brought to you by Zen Mind Map, the simplest mind map maker.

Before we can delve into using a mind map for writing, we must first understand what a mind map is. Apparently, there are many self-published authors who launch successful book releases by a creative writing exercise called mind mapping.

Mind mapping is one of many idea-generating strategies that rely on the association, which then comes out as a diagram with figures, facts, concept maps, phrases, keywords, etc. Overall, it is a powerful writing habit inspiration, especially for first-time authors.

There can never be two similar mind maps, even if you use the same mapping software . However, there are some arbitrary steps that you must follow for this approach:

• Choosing a central idea
• Creating ideas connecting to this subject
• Adding in colors / images to associate with these ideas
• Rearranging the map so that it doesn’t look confusing
• Reviewing and storing the map for a subsequent writing process

How To Use Mind Map For Writing Process?

Using a mind map to find your topic, choose the central idea .

Indeed, the very first thing to do is to decide on the backbone of your essay, which is the subject. The best approach is to pick a topic that allows you to provide new findings/conclusions. 

The ideal topic should interest you, as it makes the process much less unbearable. At this stage, put something like “My Essay” in the center of your piece of paper.

Write Down Areas Of Interest (Potential Topics) 

The next thing to do is surround the center with ideas, which is very easy if you have some mind mapping tools. They can range from suggestions from your professor, subjects discussed in class to anything relevant.

Subsequently, quickly start noting down some areas in which you find interesting - They can be anything, as it does not need to be related to the main topic at this step strictly. Remember to use mind map templates with a clear color scheme.

All you need to do is write down anything that pops up in your mind, preferably instinctively. 

Review Their Relationships/Intersection 

Now you have two sets of branches, one being the relevant ideas and the other being your personal interest. Find areas where these two sets intersect with each other.

This process results in a set of ideas that are both relevant to your goal and your interest. 

Weigh Them Against Each Other With Pros And Cons 

The next step is to weigh every idea in the set, analyzing each idea’s pros and cons. 

Start The Elimination Process

Start the elimination process once you get the pros and cons of every single concept. Compare the list of advantages and disadvantages carefully, but mostly on the disadvantages. 

Yet, remember that challenges are inevitable, but they should never hinder you from turning in your work.

Eliminate the choices until there is only one.

Using A Mind Map Standard To Compile Research Materials

Make a new branch for each source .

With this approach, the topic will be listed in the center of your map, and the child branches will be the secondary sources. From these branches, create smaller ones consisting of the secondary source’s topic, central idea, and quotes.

This method most benefits projects that do not require you to focus entirely on primary source material. Instead, find other similar types of writing and present the link between them to enforce your point.

Make A Branch For Each Area Of Your Topic

There are some involvements from the secondary sources, but they are not prominent.

Note everything you need onto the map while working through the source’s text. You need to work a lot more, but the payback will absolutely be worth it. 

Using A Mind Map To Layout Your Outline

You will get a well-structured thesis outline out from the mind map. It allows you to generate a coherent structure consisting of examples, quotes, arguments, counter-arguments, etc., without losing grasp.

The visual representations of mind maps mean that you can quickly review your outline whenever you need to. All it takes is one look, and you can track your entire text structure from the thesis statement.

However, there certainly are some specific things that you need to pay attention to for a better creative process:

• Put a link between each topic with a corresponding research map created independently. 
• Next, put in some notes or deadlines at each level, ensuring that the writing project is never behind schedule. 
• Going over the deadline is always the clearest sign of bad writing.
• The last thing to do is export your finished mind map for easier access.

The Rules Of Mind Map For Writing Process

• The subject you want to discuss should always be at the center of the map. 
• Branches should be going out, each representing one single idea relating to the subject.
• The last rule to keep in mind is the use of visuals such as images, icons, and color themes. They will serve as mental triggers, sparking more ideas within your brain to create a positive loop within your brain.

What Are The Benefits Of Mind Map For Writing?

• Newbie authors will have a complete overview of the entire topic and a clear flow of ideas. 
• The second benefit of mind maps is that they let you see how the main topic connects with its supporting pieces. This results in an easier time planning resource materials and when to use them.
• Finally, this approach provides a much more enjoyable and attractive format to supply information to your brain. You will, in turn, remember the information more clearly, improving your writing potential.

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Mind Maps for Essay Writing: A Comprehensive Guide with Examples and Tips

5 minutes read

Mastering essay writing is an essential skill for academic success. One valuable tool to enhance this skill is mind mapping, a dynamic and visual approach to organize thoughts. This article will guide you through the benefits, creation process, practical examples, and expert tips for effective mind mapping.

Understanding Mind Maps: Definition and Benefits

A Mind Map is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlock the potential of the brain. It harnesses the full range of cortical skills – word, image, number, logic, rhythm, colour and spatial awareness – in a single, uniquely powerful manner.

Utilizing mind maps in essay writing offers several benefits. Not only does it provide a visually engaging way to organize ideas, but it also enhances understanding and memory recall. The science behind this phenomenon lies in the way our brain works. By representing information spatially and with images and color, mind mapping stimulates the brain in a much more rich and varied way than traditional note taking.

How to Create a Mind Map for an Essay

Mind mapping is an easy process which can be mastered with practice. Here's a step-by-step guide:

• Start in the center : Write your main idea or essay prompt in the center of the page and draw a circle around it.
• Branch out : From your central idea, draw lines out towards the edges of your page representing main thoughts or ideas related to your topic. At the end of each line, write a single word or phrase that summarizes the point, then draw a circle around that word or phrase.
• Add details : Draw smaller lines branching off from each main idea line that represent supporting details. At the end of these lines, write a brief detail or example and circle it.
• Colour your thoughts : Add colours to your different ideas to highlight them. Use pictures or symbols wherever applicable.

Essential tools for mind mapping range from simple pen and paper to advanced mind mapping software like Boardmix or EdrawMind.

How to Use Mind Maps for Effective Essay Writing

Mastering the use of mind maps for essay writing entails three primary steps – identifying an apt essay topic, kickstarting the research process, and finally, outlining your essay within a mind map. Here's a detailed exploration of these stages:

Step 1: Using a Mind Map to Find a Good Topic for Your Essay

Selecting an engaging and manageable topic forms the bedrock of an impactful essay. Mind mapping can be instrumental in this process by helping to generate and connect ideas creatively and logically.

Brainstorming Topic Ideas with a Mind Map

To brainstorm topics, start by jotting down a general area of interest at the center of your mind map. Let's say, "Climate Change." Now, let your mind flow freely and create branches from this central node, each representing a different aspect or question related to Climate Change - "Causes," "Effects," "Solutions," "Controversies," etc. From these primary branches, draw secondary branches for further thoughts, arguments, or subtopics. After creating this mind map, assess the feasibility and interest level of each potential essay topic, and choose the one that resonates the most with you.

Step 2: Start the Research Process

Once you've chosen your topic, it's time to delve into research. A well-researched essay strengthens your arguments and adds credibility to your work.

Collecting Research in a Mind Map

Begin by creating a new mind map with your chosen topic at the center. As you start reading relevant resources - books, articles, or websites - extract key points and note them as branches on your mind map. For instance, under the "Causes" branch for Climate Change, you could add sub-branches like "Industrialization," "Deforestation," or "Carbon Emissions." Under each of these, note relevant data or quotations from your sources. This approach helps to visualize how various bits of information relate to each other and makes it easier to structure your essay later.

Step 3: Outlining Essay Paper in a Mind Map

Having gathered adequate research material, it's time to structure it coherently through an essay outline. Creating this outline within a mind map ensures that no crucial point is overlooked and allows you to visualize the logical flow of your essay.

From your research mind map, create another one specifically for your essay outline. The central node should be your essay title or thesis statement. Create major branches for each key argument or point you plan to discuss. Attach supporting evidence, examples or sub-arguments as sub-branches. Under each major branch, ensure that there is a claim or unique viewpoint that you will defend or explain in your essay.

In essence, this mind map will act as the skeleton of your essay, providing a clear roadmap for your writing process.

5 Examples of Mind Maps for Essay Writing

Analyzing examples of mind maps for essay writing can provide a better understanding of how this powerful brainstorming tool works. Here are five detailed examples that demonstrate different ways to utilize mind mapping in academic writing.

Example 1: Argumentative Essay Mind Map

Let's consider a mind map developed for an argumentative essay about "Climate Change". The central node, in this case, states "Climate Change". From this central idea, branches emerge that represent the main arguments for the essay. One branch could say "Evidence of Climate Change," with sub-branches exploring different scientific studies that support climate change. Another branch might state "Effects of Climate Change," delving into the impact on polar ice caps, rising sea levels, and wildlife extinction. A third branch may argue "Solutions to Climate Change," examining renewable energy sources, deforestation reduction, and government policies. Each branch further divides into smaller branches providing details, examples, or counterarguments.

Example 2: Descriptive Essay Mind Map

Now, imagine a descriptive essay about "A Winter Morning". The central node would depict the essay's main theme. Major branches could represent sensory details, such as sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. For instance, the sight branch might have sub-branches like "white snow," "gray skies," or "bare trees." Each of these would break down into more detailed descriptions.

Example 3: Compare and Contrast Essay Mind Map

In a compare and contrast essay on "Traditional Classrooms vs. Online Learning," each of these educational modes could form a major branch from the central node. Sub-branches would then depict aspects for comparison, such as learning flexibility, student-teacher interaction, technology usage, assessment methods, etc. Each of these sub-branches would further branch out into specific points for both traditional classrooms and online learning environments.

Example 4: Cause and Effect Essay Mind Map

For a cause and effect essay on "Smoking", one major branch might represent "Causes of Smoking" such as peer pressure, stress, and advertising influence. Another major branch could depict the "Effects of Smoking," branching out into health impacts (lung cancer, heart disease), financial costs, and societal effects. Each point could further elaborate through additional branches.

Example 5: Narrative Essay Mind Map

A narrative essay on "My First Camping Trip" would involve major branches for each key event in the story's progression - setting up camp, exploring the forest, facing a wildlife encounter, handling a campfire accident. Sub-branches off these main events would provide specific details and dialogue to enrich the narrative.

Some Tips and Tricks for Effective Mind Mapping

For effective mind mapping, follow these tips:

• Be creative and make your map vibrant.
• Use single words or simple phrases for information brevity.
• Keep your mind map clear by using radial hierarchy or outlines to embrace your branches.
• Review regularly to reinforce memory.

While creating a mind map, avoid cluttering information on one branch. Use balance across your mind map while distributing information.

Reinventing Essay Writing with Mind Maps

Mind mapping, when mastered, can be a game-changer in your academic writing. It helps organise thoughts, enhances memory and understanding, and can make the essay writing process smoother and more efficient.

Through this guide, you've learned the benefits of mind mapping, how to create a mind map, seen some examples, got expert tips, and learned how to incorporate it into your essay writing process. Now it's time to put this knowledge into practice and start revolutionizing your essay writing with mind maps!

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• How to create a mind map

There are three steps to mind mapping.

Step 1: Brainstorm

A brainstorm is a thinking process commonly used in study and work situations. It can be done individually or in a group.

How to brainstorm

• Use a piece of paper to write down everything you can think of about a particular topic.
• Write the name of the topic in the centre of the page.
• Do not try to organise the information at all - the purpose is to get it out and onto the page.
• Use key words or phrases to write your ideas.
• Always use the paper horizontally as this way you can fit more information.

Example 1 - Brainstorm of the topic 'History of antibiotics'

Step 2: Organise the information

Organise the information in the brainstorm by identifying the main categories and linking the other information to those as follows:

• circle the main categories
• connect sub-points to main categories
• use colours and visuals where helpful.

Step 3: Complete the mind map

Rewrite the information under headings and sub-points to make the mind map easy to read. In this example the use of graphics and colours helps clarify the mind map.

Here is an example of how you might structure a mind map for an essay topic.

• The best mind mapping software

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How to Create a Mind Map for an Essay

It’s always challenging to write an essay even if you know the subject well and are an excellent writer. Unlike other types of writing, you must come up with an interesting line of reasoning to convince readers of your point of view.

Essay writing requires structured thinking. A good essay writer not only reads and makes notes but also uses critical thinking and analysis before penning the essay.

While there are many ways to structure the ideas you want to include in your essay, few, if any, can compare with using a mind map for essay writing. This tool makes it easy to brainstorm, organize your ideas, and argue your case.

Table of Contents

Benefits of Mind Mapping

Mind-mapping is a useful way to make notes, revise all your ideas, and organize your information. A mind map for essay writing helps you visually represent and connect ideas on a topic.

A mind map is effective for the following reasons:

• It will help you get clear on your key concepts around a central topic.
• It will help you define your concepts and show the relationships between them.
• It will make it simple to see all your ideas at a glance because you’ll spread them out on a single page.
• It will trigger your memory to associate previous ideas with the new ideas you’re developing.
• It will make it easier to write an essay because you’ll have identified what to say and how to say it.

3 Simple Steps to Create a Mind-Map for Your Essay

Step #1: brainstorm what ideas to include in your mind-map.

Brainstorming is a thinking process that you can do alone or with a group.

Brainstorm your essay by writing everything you can think about the topic. It’s unnecessary to write out sentences. If you use keywords and keyword phrases rather than write out a sentence, you’ll be able to come up with more ideas at a faster rate.

So, for example, if you are writing an essay about King Lear, you would not have to write out a sentence like, “William Shakespeare wrote a tragedy about King Lear, a man who bequeathed his power and land to his two daughters after they fawningly declared their love for him. ”

Instead, you only need to write: “William Shakespeare,” “King Lear,” “Tragedy,” “Power” “Land,” “Two out of three daughters,” “Obsequious declaration of love.” These keywords and phrases are enough to recall your ideas.

During the brainstorming phase, you need not organize information. Just get them out on paper.

Step #2: Organize Your Ideas Into Groups

Circle your key ideas and draw arrows to connect them to supporting ideas. Use colors to differentiate between various classes of ideas. You could, for example, write keywords about King Lear’s wealth and power in red and keywords about his daughters in blue. You could also choose different colors for arrows to designate different types of connections.

Step #3: Create Your Mind Map

The central circle of your mind map should be the title keyword.

From the central circle, draw arrows to other circles that represent smaller categories. For instance, you might have a circle for the introduction, a circle for the body, and a circle for the conclusion. Of course, you don’t have to use circles. You can choose another shape, like rectangles, if you like. You can also group similar categories into clusters by using wavy lines to show a group.

Finally, connect the supporting ideas you had brainstormed to their main ideas. For instance, under the keyword “daughters,” you could use supporting ideas adjectives like “fawning,” “manipulative,” “obsequious” to describe them.

When you’ve finished mind mapping, your diagram should resemble a spider’s web.

Although this may all sound rather complicated, it’s only because they are verbal descriptions of a mind map. Once you look at an example of your mind map, the idea of circles or rectangles, categories and subcategories, main ideas and supporting ideas, and the use of colors and lines to show connections between ideas will become instantly clear.

Tools for Mind Mapping

You can use a large piece of paper horizontally and several colored pens.

You can also use mind-mapping software. The primary difference between free mind-mapping software and paid mind-mapping versions is the number of times you can use the software and the number of templates you can use. Still, the main thing is that a free version of mind-mapping software is just as robust as a paid version. It will give you all the functionality you need to draw out a comprehensive mind map for your essay. You can also try out a trial version for 30 days to try out all the features of a mind-mapping app if you can’t decide whether you should use a free or paid version.

Enhancing Your Mind Maps

Technically, all you need is a blank sheet of paper and a pen to start mind mapping. But you might find it useful to use a variety of colored pens to make it easier to identify different categories of ideas. It’s also a good idea to keep your keywords short rather than use long phrases because this saves you space. Additionally, try adding doodles alongside keywords.

If you use mind-mapping software, you’ll find it easier to visually represent your information because you’ll have many more options, such as icons, colors, shapes, and other such features.

Mind Mapping Is Better Than Notes or Outlines for an Essay

Mind mapping is actually just another way of taking notes or outlining. But a graphic representation of your ideas is much more meaningful because your brain processes images better than interpreting the meaning of words. If, for example, someone had never seen an apple, it would take a lot of words to describe one, but if you just showed him or her a picture, they would instantly understand the features of the fruit.

Traditional notes use linear notes that start in the upper left corner of a page and go from left to right. With mind mapping, your subject starts from the center of a page and radiates outwards. Consequently, all your ideas are clearly visible at once. Similarly, it’s easier to understand a mind-map than a formal written outline .

How to Practice Mind Mapping

The best way to learn mind mapping is to look at examples. You will instantly understand how they work.

When creating a mind-map here are some ideas to keep in mind:

• Always begin with a central idea for your mind map.
• Use the first tier of your thoughts to describe your main ideas, the second tier to describe your supporting ideas, and the third tier to describe ideas that expand on your supporting ideas.
• Continue to reorganize your mind map until it outlines your argument in a logical sequence.

The more you practice and learn about mind mapping, the better you’ll get at it.

In summary, creating a mind map for essay writing is a simple yet highly effective way to brainstorm and outline your ideas. A mind map uses a central idea to represent your topic and branches that describe the central idea. Well-drawn mind maps use keywords and keyword phrases, color codes for words and branches, and visual cues, such as doodles or icons. You can usually outline all the primary ideas of your entire essay on a single page.

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How to Make a Mind Map to Unleash Your Imagination

Did you know that mind map ideas for students, a technique that has revolutionized the way students approach their studies, were inspired by the intricate structure of the human brain? Just as our brains interconnect ideas through billions of neurons and synapses, mind maps offer a powerful visual tool to mimic this organic process of idea generation and organization.

The concept was first popularized by British author and psychologist Tony Buzan in the 1960s. Buzan was inspired by the brain's natural inclination to think in a nonlinear and associative manner. He realized that traditional note-taking methods often failed to capture the true essence of how our minds work. In response, he developed mind maps as a way to replicate the web of thoughts and connections that occur within the human brain.

How to Make a Mind Map: Short Description

In this complete guide, we'll explore how to use the mind mapping method to assist you in organizing your thoughts more effectively and generating fresh ideas. Whether you're tackling a challenging research project, preparing for exams, or simply aiming to enhance your brainstorming skills, this guide will revolutionize your approach to schoolwork. By following these steps, you'll harness the power of mind mapping to excel in your studies:

Step 1 : Choose a Focus Topic

Step 2 : Start with a Central Node

Step 3 : Branch Out Key Ideas

Step 4 : Add Sub-branches

Step 5 : Use Visual Elements

Step 6 : Color and Highlight

Step 7 : Organize and Align

Step 8 : Review and Refine

Keep reading for a deeper dive into each of these steps and discover valuable insights!

What Is a Mind Map for Students

Within the mind mapping definition, it is a dynamic and creative tool for students designed to transform the way they organize and interact with information. Unlike traditional note-taking or linear text, a mind map offers a visually captivating approach to capturing and connecting ideas and concepts. At its heart, it's a visual thinking technique that mirrors the intricate way your brain processes information. The true magic of a mind map lies in its simplicity, allowing you to engage your cognitive functions in a more profound and enjoyable way.

Picture this: As you engage in the process of drawing mind maps, you're not just compiling information; you're actively participating in a process that's both analytical and artistic. This unique blend of creativity and logic enriches your thinking and problem-solving skills. It's an enjoyable way to study, brainstorm, plan, and even remember information.

Now, let's take a closer look at what a mind map actually looks like. Imagine a visual representation of interconnected ideas and concepts branching out from a central theme. Each branch represents a key idea or topic, while sub-branches delve into supporting details and related concepts. While it might appear a tad chaotic at first glance, mind maps are designed to emulate the nonlinear nature of thought. Once you embrace this unconventional approach to note-taking, you'll discover its transformative power in enhancing your learning process. So, let our essay writing service team dive deeper into the world of mind maps and explore how they can revolutionize your academic journey.

Exploring the Benefits of Mind Maps

Now that we've established what mind maps are let's delve into the benefits of mind mapping in education, including how they can aid in learning how to write a reflection paper .

• Enhanced Creativity : Mind maps encourage free thinking and association, fostering creativity in problem-solving and idea generation.
• Improved Understanding : The visual nature of mind maps makes complex topics more understandable by breaking them down into digestible components.
• Efficient Note-Taking : Mind maps streamline note-taking during lectures, helping you capture key points while maintaining a clear structure.
• Enhanced Memory Retention : Creating and reviewing mind maps enhances memory recall, making it easier to remember important information for exams.
• Effective Organization : Mind maps provide a structured overview of a subject, making it easier to see connections and relationships between ideas.
• Boosted Productivity : By helping you prioritize tasks and set goals, brainstorming mind map ideas increases productivity in both academic and personal pursuits.
• Enhanced Problem Solving : Mind maps facilitate the breakdown of complex problems into manageable components, aiding in effective decision-making.
• Visual Appeal : Their colorful and engaging format makes mind maps visually appealing, making studying a more enjoyable experience.

How To Create A Mind Map to Boost Your Creativity

In this section, let's unlock the steps on how to make a mind map—a vibrant and dynamic tool that will revolutionize the way you approach learning and idea generation.

Step 1: Choose a Focus Topic

• Begin your mind map adventure by selecting a central topic. This is the big idea, the core concept around which your mind map will revolve. It's like choosing the star of the show!

Step 2: Start with a Central Node

• Imagine this central topic as the heart of your mind map. Write it down in the center of your canvas or paper and draw a circle or box around it. This is your mind map's anchor point.

Step 3: Branch Out Key Ideas

• Now, let's breathe life into your mind map, drawing inspiration from mind map examples. Imagine branches sprouting from the central node, like the limbs of a tree. These branches represent your key ideas or main categories related to your central topic.

Step 4: Add Sub-branches

• Each key idea deserves its own set of branches. These are like mini-branches growing from the main ones. They contain supporting details, examples, or subtopics. It's like building a family tree for your ideas.

Step 5: Use Visual Elements

• Make your mind map a masterclass in visual analysis by incorporating images, symbols, or icons. These visual elements add depth and personality to your map, making it more captivating and enhancing your ability to analyze and understand complex ideas.

Step 6: Color and Highlight

• Let your artistic side shine! Color-code your branches and sub-branches. Highlight essential points to draw attention. It's like giving your mind map a vibrant coat of creativity.

Step 7: Organize and Align

• Arrange your branches in an orderly manner. This organization ensures your mind map is easy to follow. It's akin to tidying up your room – everything has its place.

Step 8: Review and Refine

• Your mind map is a living creation. As you use it, periodically revisit and refine it. Update information, add new branches, or make it more visually appealing. It's like nurturing a garden, tending to it so it flourishes.

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7 Mind Map Ideas for Students

In this section, we'll introduce you to 7 practical mind map ideas that can supercharge your study skills and help you succeed in your academic pursuits. Whether you're looking for better ways to take notes, brainstorm ideas, or tackle complex subjects, these strategies have got you covered. Let's dive right in and explore how mind maps can be your secret weapon for student success.

Brainstorming

Imagine your mind map as a launchpad for creativity. Mind map brainstorming encourages free thinking and idea generation. Start with a central idea and let your thoughts branch out like fireworks, sparking new connections and innovative solutions. It's the ultimate tool for turning your wildest ideas into actionable plans.

Note-taking

Mind maps transform the way you capture information. They replace linear note-taking with a dynamic, visual format. Use them during lectures to organize key points and concepts effectively. With mind maps, your notes become engaging visual snapshots, making revision a breeze and improving information retention.

Creative Writing

They're also perfect for crafting compelling stories, characters, and plotlines, as demonstrated by mind map examples. Starting with a central theme, branch out to explore character backgrounds, plot twists, and thematic elements. Whether you're penning a novel, screenplay, or poetry, real-life mind map examples can inspire your storytelling journey.

Language Learning

Mastering a new language becomes more engaging with mind maps. Use them to visualize vocabulary, grammar rules, and language concepts. Connect words and phrases to form a web of associations, making language acquisition a dynamic and enjoyable process.

Book Summaries

Mind maps condense complex books into manageable summaries. Begin with the central book title and branch out to capture key plot points, character developments, and important quotes. These visual summaries provide a quick overview, helping you grasp the essence of a book in a fraction of the time.

Whether you're a student tackling a challenging novel or an avid reader pressed for time, mind maps offer an efficient way to comprehend and retain key information from literary works, offering benefits akin to the convenience of ' pay for essay ' services in the academic world.

Project Management

Streamlining project planning with cute creative mind map ideas adds a delightful and engaging dimension to the otherwise conventional project management process. Rather than relying solely on text and tables, you infuse your project with a burst of visual appeal and playfulness.

Consider using adorable icons, colorful illustrations, or charming doodles to represent tasks and milestones. These whimsical elements not only make your mind map visually appealing but also serve as memorable markers, ensuring that everyone involved in the project stays engaged and informed.

Travel Planning

Now, prepare for unforgettable adventures by creating mind maps for traveling. Begin by centering your map on your destination, which is one of the main branches of your travel mind map. Branch out to cover essential details like accommodation, activities, and budget, nurturing the growth of new ideas for your trip. Use sub-branches to explore local cuisine, must-see attractions, and transportation options, creating a comprehensive travel plan. With a well-structured map, you'll map out the perfect itinerary and ensure nothing is left to chance, making your journey even more exciting.

5 Useful Mind Mapping Tools

Let's explore the world of mind mapping with these top-notch tools, each offering unique features and capabilities. Whether you're brainstorming ideas, planning projects, or even using an essay writing app , these tools can revolutionize your productivity and organization.

MindMeister

• MindMeister is a popular online mind mapping tool that allows you to create, edit, and collaborate on mind maps in real time. It offers a user-friendly interface, various templates, and integrations with other productivity apps like Google Drive and Dropbox.
• XMind is a versatile and feature-rich mind mapping software that offers both a free and paid version. It provides a wide range of customization options, including themes, styles, and layouts, making it suitable for various mind mapping needs.
• Coggle is a straightforward online mind mapping tool known for its simplicity and ease of use. It's great for brainstorming sessions and collaborative mind mapping. Coggle also allows real-time collaboration, making it perfect for group projects.
• Developed by Tony Buzan, the pioneer of mind mapping software programs, iMindMap offers a comprehensive platform for creating visually appealing mind maps. It provides various features like 3D mind mapping, brainstorming mode, and integration with other applications.
• FreeMind is an open-source mind mapping software that's simple and lightweight. It's an excellent choice if you prefer a desktop application and want to create mind maps without any distractions. FreeMind is especially useful for creating straightforward mind maps quickly.

To Wrap Things Up

To wrap things up, employing mind map ideas can transform the way students approach their studies. By harnessing their versatility, students can conquer complex subjects, improve memory retention, and elevate their creative thinking. So, don't hesitate to dive into the world of mind mapping—it's a game-changer for your education and beyond.

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Using mind maps to develop writing

Mind maps can be used for a multitude of purposes. This article outlines how they can effectively be used to help support and develop students' writing skills.

• A mind map is ...
• The advantages of mind maps
• Choosing a topic
• Note making
• Organising mind maps
• Continuation

A mind map is ... A mind map, or spidergram, is a strategy for making notes on a topic, prior to writing. It is a structured strategy, which shows the (hierarchical) relationship of ideas, as opposed to an unstructured strategy, such as brainstorming, in which students produce notes at random on paper.

Having an organised display of information from the outset of the writing process may help some students, as it is more easily converted into a draft, whereas in brainstorming, the random recording of ideas might lead to problems with the structure of students' texts.

The advantages of mind maps Making a mind map should be a spontaneous pre-writing activity. Students start with a topic at the centre and then generate a web of ideas from that, developing and relating these ideas as their mind makes associations.

Mind maps work well as their visual design enables students to see the relationship between ideas, and encourages them to group certain ideas together as they proceed. Mind maps work especially well when created in groups, since the discussion this engenders aids the production of ideas, and makes the task livelier and more enjoyable.

How to make mind maps with your students Choosing a topic Traditionally, students are given a topic to write on by the teacher. However, with certain classes, students may prefer to nominate the topic themselves. This can lead to greater interest in the task on the part of the student, as well as, perhaps, greater knowledge of the topic under study.

The mind map strategy can be used to explore almost any topic, though discursive essays and narrative work particularly well as they front students' ideas and lend themselves to discussing ideas in groups.

I usually start by writing the topic on the board. In the last writing class I taught, with a group of upper-intermediate students, I chose a discursive essay with the title "Why do people start smoking?" I chose this genre as we had recently been looking at the language used to give reasons and explanations. The discursive text is useful in highlighting this feature of English, and in raising awareness of the noun phrase, a particularly tricky area for intermediate students.

Note making Once the topic has been introduced, I encourage my students to close their eyes and think about it for a minute or two, in silence. They then have two minutes in which to note down their ideas. If they do not know a word in English, they can write it in L1 at this stage, as dictionaries or too much teacher intervention tend to halt and inhibit the creative flow.

Then, working in groups, they can compare and discuss their ideas, perhaps adding to their mind maps as they go. This stage also provides the opportunity for peer teaching, as other students may be available to provide the English word for the idea that was noted down in L1.

Feedback The next stage, in which the teacher makes a collective mind map on the board, is optional, but is useful for students who are new to the idea of mind maps, or for weak classes. It is also in this feedback stage that any remaining language problems can be ironed out. As the teacher elicits students' ideas, and reformulates expressions or corrects, students will learn how to express their ideas in English. Such personalisation is said to aid vocabulary learning.

Download an example of the mind map at this stage 90k

The map is fluid and changeable, and new connections or subgroups can be made, or branches added, as the students make suggestions. The end result should be an organised display of information, showing the central topic, and a number of subtopics and further points that stem from it. Organising mind maps In the next stage the students organise their mind maps into a linear format to decide the best way in which to present their points. They should first think about the overall structure, i.e. the order in which to relay the information, and then focus on the precise function each paragraph will have in their final text, as this helps to clarify their writing. This can be done in groups, or as a class with the teacher leading the discussion.

However it is carried out, it is important to provide a context and audience. I told my class, who were writing about drugs, that they were writing for their college magazine. Having an audience in mind helps students to decide which ideas are most important, and also helps students to choose the appropriate style.

Writing Students should then begin to write their compositions, working in pairs if they wish. After two paragraphs, they should exchange their compositions, so they become readers of each other's work. This allows for feedback, and possible re-writing. Once they have finished, they should again exchange their texts. This gives their texts a communicative purpose, as well as developing an awareness of the fact that a writer is always producing something to be read by someone else, rather than for the display of writing alone.

Continuation Once students are familiar with the idea of making mind maps, they can be encouraged to use this skill for further writing activities. It is a useful technique and often improves the clarity and organisation of student texts.

Further Reading 'Process Writing' by Ron White and Valerie Arndt 'How to Teach Writing' by Jeremy Harmer 'Writing' by Tricia Hedge 'Discourse Analysis for Language Teachers' by Michael McCarthy

Vanessa Steele, British Council, Barcelona

Techniques like this will help our students plan and perform their writing tasks in a very productive way

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How to Use Mind Maps for an Effective Essay Writing

Edraw content team, do you want to learn more about using mind maps for an effective essay writing.

EdrawMind specializes in diagramming and visualizing. Learn from this article to know everything about How to Use Mind Maps for an Effective Essay Writing !

Being a student, writing an effective essay is a difficult task for you. But you can make it easy if you know how to use mind maps. Creating a mind map for essay writing helps you visualize the idea before writing it.

So, do you want to create mind maps? If yes, read this article explaining how to use mind maps for essays .

1. What Are Mind Maps for Essays

A mind map is a technique for centrally organizing thoughts on a particular concept. This visual thinking tool makes it easier to analyze, remember, understand, summarize, and develop new ideas by managing the data. Let us know by taking a mind map essay example . You want to write about your best friend, including his hobbies, details about his parents, and his likes and dislikes. Mind mapping would be the technique you will use to visualize the content going along in your 'best friend' essay.

Here are some benefits of using a mind map for writing an essay:

• The student can order the segments according to their subtopics.
• The student can refer to the mind map to see if they missed any important topics.
• If a student includes a mind map in an essay, it will help a reader to understand the issues quickly.
• The student makes sure they have all the necessary information before writing the essay by creating a mind map.
• Before an exam, a student can quickly review his mind maps for revision.

2. How to Prepare the Essay Using a Mind Map

Now that you know what a mind map is and how beneficial it is for essay writing. So, let's learn how to prepare an English essay mind map for essay writing .

2.1 Research the essay's topic

Finding a unique concept or a less popular subject is the first step in essay writing. If you choose to write about a topic for your essay that has already been discussed, it may be difficult for your research to take a real stand.

Instead, choosing an essay topic that interests you personally, or at least isn't too difficult for you to discuss, is advised. The process of writing an essay will be less tedious if you select a topic that is personal to you. To research the case of an article, do brainstorming.

To brainstorm, take a piece of paper and write down everything you know about a particular topic. Then, write your ideas by using keywords.

2.2 Planning the essay

One of the critical steps in writing an essay is research. Unfortunately, students often waste a lot of time simply attempting to put all the various pieces of information together. So, creating an essay planning mind map is essential so students can easily organize and collect their data.

Moreover, making notes in a mind map as you read each source (book, article, or essay) helps you retain the information. You could also use a single map where you list all your references and make branches for each page, paragraph, and quote you plan to use in your essay.

To organize the information from the brainstorming, decide on the main categories. Then, tie the additional information to those in the manner described below:

2.3 Outline and write the essay

The third step is to create an outline of your essay before you start writing it. It will help you to organize your arguments, counterarguments, examples, and sources in a logical order. A mind map makes it simple to review the outline and find the data one needs for their essay.

Whenever you find yourself getting off track while writing or when you are unsure of where to go next, you can quickly review this outline. Then, once outlining is done, start writing.

3. Mind Map Templates for Different Essays

There are different kinds of essays in academic writing. You can make a mind map as a student for various essays and then use these procedures to write the essay. Let's see 5 different types of essay outlines explained with mind maps. These essay mind map templates help you to write outstanding essays.

3.1 Argumentative Essay Mind Map

To write an argumentative essay, a student must be analytical. He must research a subject, gather information, come up with points, analyze the evidence gathered, and take a position.

So, use an argumentative essay mind map. By doing so, you will have different segments while outlining the essay's investigative and evaluative stages.

3.2 Comparative Essay Mind Map

Students write this type of essay when they need to highlight the similarities and differences between two or more subjects. Writing this type of essay is a fantastic way to show those topics or concepts frequently misunderstood by one another. It is easy to see the differences and similarities between the two subjects in this essay by using a comparison essay mind map.

3.3 Research Essay Mind Map

A research essay is an essay that offers information on a specific subject that you have looked into and is unrelated to you. By doing research, you can find out more about the subject. The research outline mind map gives students a plan of action, especially at the beginning of the research. It can be applied as a critical thinking technique for problem-solving. Looking at this essay mind map template, you can easily concentrate on and comprehend the target ideas.

3.4 Thesis Statement Essay mind map

A thesis statement is a statement that summarizes the key idea of your essay. Usually, it follows your introduction. Your thesis will be slightly different depending on the type of essay you are writing. But the main point you want to make is always stated in the thesis statement. For this, follow the thesis statement essay mind maps. This essay mind map template is beneficial in deciding the best thesis statement for your essay.

3.5 Interpretive essay mind map

An interpretive essay is a form of writing that recognizes, assesses, and analyzes the author's methods in a specific work. This essay offers an interpretation of a previously published form of writing.

4. Tips for Essay Mind Maps

If you adhere to some tips for  mind maps for essays , writing essays can be enjoyable. So, here are some tips for essay mind maps that you must follow:

• Always place the topic you want to talk about in the middle of the mind map. 

You should save money to cover any unexpected financial needs.

• Use images, icons, and colors whenever you can. These serve as mental triggers and can help in your ability to generate fresh ideas.

Investing is essential for growing money so that you can achieve your goals.

• To write the ideas on to the branches, always use relevant keywords.

Financial security through insurance ensures that you and your family can get through difficult times.

• Draw lines to indicate cross-links between the information in different parts of a mind map.

5. Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed everything that you must know. So, if you want to save time and other resources, use mind map templates for different essays.

You can find these templates on EdrawMind . Unlike other software, this has an excellent user interface with straight forward drag-and-drop features. So what are you waiting for, then? Create a mind map for the essay right away by downloading EdrawMind.

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How to create concept maps in word [free templates included], how to create a mind map in microsoft word, how to make a concept map, create flowchart for decision making within 5 simple steps, guides for electrical drawing reading.

Extended Essay: Using Brainstorming and Mind Maps

• Extended Essay- The Basics
• Step 1. Choose a Subject
• Step 2. Educate yourself!
• Using Brainstorming and Mind Maps
• Identify Keywords
• Do Background Reading
• Define Your Topic
• Conduct Research in a Specific Discipline
• Step 5. Draft a Research Question
• Step 6. Create a Timeline
• Find Articles
• Find Primary Sources
• Get Help from Experts
• Search Engines, Repositories, & Directories
• Databases and Websites by Subject Area
• Create an Annotated Bibliography
• Advice (and Warnings) from the IB
• Chicago Citation Syle
• MLA Works Cited & In-Text Citations
• Step 9. Set Deadlines for Yourself
• Step 10. Plan a structure for your essay
• Evaluate & Select: the CRAAP Test
• Conducting Secondary Research
• Conducting Primary Research
• Formal vs. Informal Writing
• Presentation Requirements
• Evaluating Your Work

Brainstorming

Coggle.it is a free, easy-to-use web application for creating beautiful informative diagrams and mindmaps.

 For a tutorial video introduction, click the Coggle:  

Mind Map Inspiration

If you find it easier you can, of course, brainstorm and mind map on a big piece of paper with some colored pens or a big board with some post-it notes!

Choose whichever method works best for you.

At  Mind Map Inspiration  artist  Paul Foreman offers example Mind Maps ® for inspiration and motivation, plus mindmapping tips, drawing tips, techniques for enhancing your creativity, and improving idea generation.

See the process of mind mapping from start :

Mind Maps ® were invented by Tony Buzan

Mindmapping helps us progress from linear (one-dimensional) through lateral (two-dimensional) to radiant (multi-dimensional) thinking.

• << Previous: Step 3. Researcher's Reflection Space (RRS)
• Next: Step 4. Choose a Topic >>
• Last Updated: May 8, 2024 3:48 PM
• URL: https://libguides.westsoundacademy.org/ee

15 free mind map tools for writers

A few days ago I wrote about how to use the free online app Miro to plot out a story .

That’s all well and good if you already have an idea for a plot, and now just need to fine-tune it, maybe move some pieces around, add some clues and red herrings, that kind of thing.

But it’s not particularly useful when you don’t have much of a plot to start with.

That’s where mind-mapping tools can help.

In a lucky coincidence, I happen to be stuck in the early phase of my next novel. Turns out, I have to throw out the plot that I’ve got and start over with a new one, because the other one just wasn’t working. It was too similar to my last plot, and there was no way to connect it to my protagonist’s internal character arc in a way that wouldn’t feel clumsy and forced.  So I need to do some brainstorming.

I could use Miro again. It has a mind map function, of a kind. Or I could use pen and paper or move sticky notes around on a wall or floor or draw mind maps in the steam on the mirror after I shower. But who showers these days, amirite?

Anyway, why do something in a simple, familiar, guaranteed-to-work way when I can use this opportunity to test out new tools? And yes, procrastinate. I admit it.

There are a lot of mind mapping tools out there. Some cost a lot of money. I ruled those out right away.

I’m looking for a tool that’s easy to use, has a basic free plan that offers all the features I want, and I don’t want to have to download and install anything. In other words, I want my mind map in the cloud.

If you are the kind of person who doesn’t want to put their stuff in the cloud, that’s fine. And there are a lot of apps that you can download and run locally, including Diagrams.net , Scapple , MindNode , and MindMaster .

But I want my mind maps accessible from any of my devices, and I don’t care if one of their employees leaks my list of possible murder methods. If I become a big-name author who’s obsessed with preventing leaks, then maybe I’ll think about something with better security. But frankly, unless I’m JK Rowling, nobody is going to care about my process. Plus, I’m probably going to blog about it all, anyway.

So I didn’t test any of the downloadable ones. No point in spending a lot of time learning the interface if I’m never going to use it.

Another feature I want is to be able to import and export mind maps in case I change my mind about what platform I use. The most common format is FreeMind, and I want the exports to be free. Finally, I also want it to be pretty.

So here’s a summary of what I’ve got, with my personal, subjective opinions on whether it’s pretty and easy to use. Scroll down for a full description and sample mind maps for each one.

• Ayoa — Free for up to five mind maps then $10 a month. Pretty. Easy to use. No FreeMind exports.
• Bubbl — Free for up to three mind maps then $5 a month. Ugly. Easy. No FreeMind exports.
• Canva — Unlimited free mind maps, upgrade gives you more storage for $10 a month. Pretty. Hard to use. No FreeMind exports.
• ClickUp — Unlimited free mind maps, upgrade gives you unlimited storage for $5 a month. Ugly. Hard. No FreeMind exports.
• Cloud MindMap — Unlimited free maps, ad supported. Ugly. Easy to use. No FreeMind exports. Can install as Google Drive app. Ad-supported version and only slightly improved version of the free MindMaps app .
• Coggle — Free for up to three private mind maps or unlimited public maps, then $5 a month. Ugly. Easy to use. Free FreeMind exports.
• GitMind — Unlimited free mind maps, upgrade gives you unlimited exports for $4 a month. Pretty. Easy. No FreeMind exports.
• Google Drawings — Unlimited free mind maps, add 100 GB storage for $2 a month. Ugly. Hard to use. No FreeMind exports.
• Lucidchart — Free for up to three mind maps then $8 a month. Ugly. Hard to use. No FreeMind exports.
• Milanote — First 100 notes, images, or links are free, then $10 a month. Ugly. Hard to use. No FreeMind exports.
• Mind Map Maker — Unlimited free maps, ad supported. Ugly. Easy to use. No FreeMind exports. Can install as Google Drive app.  Another ad-supported version of the free MindMaps app , this one with a few more improvements.
• MindMeister  — Free for up to three mind maps then $5 a month. Pretty. Easy to use. FreeMind exports cost money. Can install as Google Drive app.
• MindMup — Unlimited free mind maps, upgrade gives you more storage for $3 a month — or completely free with Google Drive integration. Ugly. Easy. Has free FreeMind exports.
• Mindomo  — Free for up to three mind maps then $5 a month. Pretty. Easy to use. FreeMind exports cost money. Can install as Google Drive app.
• Stormboard — Free for up to five mind maps then $10 a month. Ugly. Hard. No FreeMind exports.

If you don’t care about FreeMind exports, Ayoa and Coggle are both pretty and easy to use, with Ayoa giving you five free maps instead of three, but Coggle’s premium plan costs just $5 a month, half that of Ayoa.

MindMeister and Mindomo are both pretty and easy to use and have FreeMind exports if you fork over some dough, and both have three free mind maps and a $5 a month paid plan.

But MindMup turned out to be my favorite. It’s uglier, but its easy to use, and when I installed it as a Google App I got unlimited free mind maps plus super easy integration with all my other Google Drive stuff. And I have a lot of stuff in Google Drive — I use Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Gmail, Google Calendar, probably other Google services I’m forgetting about, and I already pay extra for storage

If you’re a big Google platform user like me, you can go to your Google Drive home page, click on the gear icon at the top right, click on “Settings,” then “Manage Apps,” then “Connect more apps” then type “mind map” to get a list of apps that you install directly into Google Drive. Once installed, you can create a new mind map by going to your Google Drive home screen, clicking the “+ New” at the top left, hovering over the “more” on the menu, and selecting your mind map app. Once you create a new mind map, the file will appear in your Google Drive where you can organize it the way you would any other Google Drive file.

So let’s get started.

Brainstorming a crime with Ayoa

Ayoa is an online tool that’s free for up to five boards and $10 a month for the premium version for unlimited boards. So it meets my reasonable pricing criteria. Downsides include the fact that full integration with Google Drive, so that you can save your mind maps there, costs money. It also doesn’t support importing FreeMind or other open mind map standards.

I’m going to go through the steps of creating a mind map in detail with Ayoa, because it’s the first one that I’m using. Other platforms, for the most part, have a similar approach.

My books are a blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and mystery. The setting is a medieval world — but it’s virtual reality. The protagonist kind of has a magic power. And he solves crimes.

So let’s see if I can use an Ayoa mind map to come up with some ideas for a crime that my protagonist can solve.

First, you go to the free Aoya signup page .

I signed up for Ayoa using Google, so it only took a couple of clicks and I didn’t have to fill anything in. But you can also sign in with Facebook or Apple, or create a standalone account from scratch.

Then you can choose between creating white boards, task boards, or mind maps. I want the mind map.

There’s a few templates to choose from, but none of the pre-made ones seemed really appropriate so I went with “Create blank speed map.” Ayoa has a little guide that takes you through the process, in a pretty cute and easy way. Bonus points for Ayoa.

The nice thing about this tool is that as you add branches, it automatically rearranges everything to fit.

I was able to come up with five crimes off the top of my head — murder, rape, theft, blackmail and embezzlement.

Once you sign in — I signed up with Google — you have a choice of building whiteboards, mind maps, and task boards. Good to have other options, in case you decide you like Ayoa and want to use its whiteboards for story planning or if you plan to work with collaborators and want to create task boards.

I opted for the mind map.

Ayoa gives you a bunch of different templates to start with. I started with a blank speed map, but if I decide to stick with this app, I’ll probably check out some of the other options in the future, including the book review template.

The first time you create a new mindmap, Aoya guides you through the process, showing you how to add nodes and branches.

A node is any of the boxes or circles in a mind map. Branches and sub-branches are things that come off of it. A node might have a parent node that it’s connected to, a child node that connects to it, and sibling nodes which are other nodes connected to the same parent branch. You can hover over a node and click the green plus button that appears, or click on a node and hit enter to create a sibling node or a tab to create a child node.

This is the basic design principle that all the mind maps I’ve tested this week use. In fact, after I did a couple of these, I started skipping the guided tutorials because all the interfaces are basically the same.

Hitting “enter” to create a new sibling node and “tab” for a child node is very simple and intuitive and lets you build a mind map very quickly without thinking too much about the layout and design. Many of the apps on this list using the same system. Those that do make you click on a button to add a new node, or force you to drag a node icon from a menu bar. Both are annoying. If you’re a vendor reading this — please fix your interface so it’s consistent with industry standards.

Above, you can see my first mind map. I started out with just a few basic crimes — murder, blackmail, theft, rape, and embezzlement.

Yeah, that’s pretty weak. Well, that’s what Google is for.

After Googling around for different types of crimes, I added arson, counterfeiting, environmental crimes, data theft, bribery, and a few others. After a while, it was getting counterproductive. Did I really want my hero investigating violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act? Actually… maybe… in a later book… I might be able to turn that into something!

Now, the next step is to come up with examples of that crime that would work in my universe. For example, for murder, someone can be shot with an arrow, or stabbed, or trampled by a horse, or pushed off a roof. You can insert images and emojis, but you can’t add file attachments like Google Docs or Word files.

If the map gets too big to fit on your screen, use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out, or drag the map around.

If I were to use this for real to plan my book, I would keep going with detailed options for more of these. Probably not all of them — just whatever strikes my fancy — and keep going only until something rings a bell with me. Once I worked my way all the way out to the end of the mind map, I’d pick my favorite options and then add more branches, about how it would work out with different antagonists and different motives. For example, some of my potential antagonists might be too squeamish to stab someone in the back, or their motive might be strong enough for assault but not for murder.

You can change the mind map’s style at any time. there’s a “display options” button at the top left that lets you switch to dark mode, change the board type, change the style and colors of the nodes and arrows, and change the board’s background color.

Brainstorming crimes with Bubbl

In  Bubbl , the first three private boards are free, and after that it’s $5 per month. You can sign up by registering with the site directly, or with your Google or Facebook accounts. You can’t import any files, including FreeMind, and you can only save as images or text, no FreeMind exports. If you want to share your maps with others, you have to upgrade.

On the plus side, it’s a very simple app and easy to use and you can attach images — but if you want to attach more than one image per mind map, you’ll need to upgrade.

Overall, it’s simple to use but all the limitations mean it’s not one of my top choices for mind mapping platforms.

I also don’t like the way it looks.

Brainstorming things to steal with Canva

If you don’t know about Canva yet, you’re in for a treat. This is a fantastic tool to make social media banners, short story covers and book cover mockups. The book covers it comes up with aren’t good enough to sell, unless you’ve got maybe a specialized technical book, but they’re good enough to give you some personal inspiration, or for a temporary work-in-progress cover. And Canva is great for creating covers to illustrate short stories or blog posts.

And best of all, the free plan has unlimited documents. The only limit is the 5GB of cloud storage they give you. The paid plan, at $10 a month, gives you 100GB of storage. Canva also has downloadable apps for the PC, Mac, Android and iOS.

Canva also has mind maps .

The thing is, though, Canva is design software. It’s not actually mind mapping software. So the mind map templates it offers are more pretty than functional. So, for example, you can’t just click and add a tree branch to your mind map. You have to cut and paste an existing design element and drag it into the place you want it. It’s a little like using Miro for mind mapping, except that the design features are even more generic and less specific to flow charts. Plus, it doesn’t support the FreeMind open mind map standard.

I use Canva a lot for other types of designs, but I’m going to pass on using it for mind mapping.

Above, you can see a simple mind map of potential items to steal. Oh yeah, I’ve decided on theft as the crime. To create this mind map, I picked one of the mind map templates that Canva had and replaced their text with my own. If I want to add more items, I’d have to rearrange the whole mind map. I can click on each of the circles and move it around, or make it bigger or smaller, or change its color, and then I’d have to move all the other circles, and move all the lines, and it would be a big mess.

So Canva is great if you like the designs they offer and have the same number of items as their design has, but if you want a mind map that makes it easy to add new items and that readjusts itself automatically, Canva is not your bae.

Brainstorming crimes with ClickUp

ClickUp offers unlimited boards in the free plan, but a 100MB storage limit. For unlimited storage, it’s 5MB per month. But while ClickUp has a mind map tool that’s nice and interactive, the platform itself is more of a project management system with a lot of organizational features designed for corporate teams.

So while the pricing is good, and ClickUp is a good option if you plan to work on big projects with a lot of collaborators, it might be overkill for an individual writer.

The ClickUp mind map has only the minimum features — the sub-branches are easy to add and to change the text on but not to move around. Any node can be expanded to a full detail page or converted to a task for a team member to do. But it’s not particularly pretty. There’s no “undo” if you make a mistake. And you can only go two levels out. So, overall, not particularly practical for a good mind map. Plus, it doesn’t support the FreeMind open mind map standard.

Brainstorming motives with Cloud MindMap

I found Cloud MindMap in the Google Drive app store. I don’t even know if you can install it directly. The good thing about it is that it’s completely free. You just have to be tolerant of the ads on the side and bottom of the screen. It’s the ad-supported version of the free MindMaps app ., with some very basic improvements such as the Google Drive integration.

It’s easy to use, though extremely ugly. You can export as as image, and change the colors of the nodes and lines and do some basic text formatting, but not much else.

To create a new child node either click on an existing node and hit “tab” or mouse over an existing node, click on the red circle that appears and drag it over to where you want the new node to be. There doesn’t seem to be an easy way to create a sibling node.

At one point, I seem to have accidentally switched over into moving-things-around-but-no-typing mode. I saved the mind map to my Google Drive, closed it, opened it again, and I could edit the text on the nodes once more. This could just be a bug, since I couldn’t find any indication that it was a special mode. But given how little functionality a mind map app actually needs, it shouldn’t have a bug that a user would encounter after just a minute of use.

There are no templates, no themes, no design options to speak of.

Brainstorming motives with Coggle

With  Coggle , the first three private boards are free, and after that it’s $5 per month. But you can have an unlimited number of public boards. So this is an option if you don’t really care if people find and see your mind mapping boards. Plus, it supports the FreeMind open mind map standard in case you want to bring in mind maps from MindMup or other platforms.

Shift-enter creates a new sibling node, tab creates a new child node, shift-tab moves you to the parent node. You can drag nodes or entire branches around. And you can attach images, hyperlinks, or icons to each node. You can also zoom in and out and move the map around on your screen. It’s a very simple, sleek interface. If you’re looking for a mind map tool that makes it very easy to create mind maps, without a lot of bells and whistles, check this out.

Coggle makes it pretty quick and easy to create mind maps, but there’s no choice of templates or color themes. I’ve looked through their gallery of mind maps, and they all look generally the same, though some of them play around with different node arrangements, icons, or embedded images.

You can export as a PDF, image, Visio flowchart, or a FreeMind mind map so you can move the whole mind map to another platform. You can also drag FreeMind or text files onto the diagram to import them. That was actually pretty cool — I dragged a text file with a list of phrases on it and it automatically created a branch full of nodes, a new node for each line of text.

It also keeps a history so you can easily go back to previous versions of the map. It seems to save each change as a new version.

Brainstorming crimes with GitMind

GitMind offers unlimited mind maps on the free plan, but you need to upgrade, at $4 a month, to export more than once.

You can sign in with Twitter, Google, Facebook or register with the site directly.

The interface is simple and has all the basic functions mind map functions, including image attachments.

GitMind doesn’t support FreeMind imports. You can export as an image, PDF, text or GitMind export file. Each export costs two points, and you get two points when you start. To earn more free points, you can share GitMind on social media.

At first, due to the limitations and the limited templates, I didn’t think I was going to be using this one.

But I actually came back to GitMind for my next brainstorming task, creating a story outline. One thing I like is that you can click to hide all the subbranches, and click to expand them all again.

It’s also relatively easy to move things around. To take a node and all its children and attach them to another node, you just click on it and drag it over.

There are some minor annoyances, like not being able to resize the text boxes and automatically reflow the text. I had to do hard line breaks inside the text boxes to keep the text box from being a super-wide one-line box.

Brainstorming motives with  Google Drawings

Unlimited number of documents, integrates with all your other Google Docs. Has a feature where you can add comments to your text boxes. And once you make a mind map you like, you can save it as a template and use it over and over again.

However, while Google Drive has mobile apps for both Android and iOS that let you view the drawings, you can’t edit the drawings unless you open it in your smartphone’s web browser as a desktop site. Which is really difficult to use on a smartphone screen. Plus, it doesn’t support the FreeMind open mind map standard. And Google Drawings is a general design app, and not a particularly good one at that, so it’s missing the mind map functionality of being able to easily create child nodes and drag entire branches around.

I didn’t see any pre-made mind map templates in the Google template gallery, and couldn’t find many online, either. The drawing below was based on a template from Ditch That Textbook.

There are some pluses. First, it’s completely free. Second, if you’re already using Google Drive, it’s fully integrated with everything you’ve got. So, for example, if you have a spreadsheet where you track your writing projects, you can easily embed live links to the Google Drawing. You can also embed the drawing into a Google Doc word processing document, or into a slide deck, and sharing is simple.

I’m not going to be using it for mind maps. MindMup offers the same degree of Google Drive integration, with a better user interface.

Brainstorming a motive with Lucidchart

In addition to having a crime, I’ll need a motive. Time for another mind map. This time, I’ll use Lucidchart . The first three boards are free, and after that it’s $8 per month. But Lucidchart is a general-purpose charting app, so there might be a lot of features there that get in the way. Plus, it doesn’t support the FreeMind open mind map standard. And you can export as an image or as a Visio file, but not as a FreeMind file.

There are a lot of templates here, including more than 20 mind mapping templates, but only three of the mind maps are free. For the rest, you have to upgrade.

Lucidchart is primarily a chart creation tool. The kind of charts you might put in a presentation or a corporate report. So the nodes don’t resize automatically. Hitting enter or tab doesn’t create new nodes like in the dedicated mind mapping apps. There’s a lot of options for shapes and arrow types, so if you wanted to you can customize the look of your chart quite a bit. But the actual mind mapping isn’t particularly easy.

I’m not going to keep going with Lucidchart. All the design features are getting in the way for me, as is the lack of FreeMind imports or exports.

Brainstorming motives with  Milanote

In  Milanote , the first 100 notes, images or links are free, and after that it’s $10 per month.  Has Google and Apple sign-on options.

When you start out, it asks you what you do — I said writer — and then it takes you through to your first mind map in a very simple guided tutorial. Just a couple of clicks and I was there, plus in addition to mind maps it gave me a bunch of other writer-specific templates, including novel plan, character profile, story outline, and world building. Nice!

But, it doesn’t support the FreeMind open mind map standard.

And the interface isn’t as user-friendly as some of the other platforms. For example, to create a new node, you have to click on a blank area of the canvas — to deselect whatever node you were in before — then drag a “note” from the top left corner of the interface to where you want it. Then click on the node, and drag the little arrow icon in its top right corner to the parent node to create a line. Then click on the node to change its color using the icon bar at left, and click on the line to change its color, unless you want them to be the black and white defaults. Then type your text. Hitting “enter” or “tab” just adds lines and tabs inside the note — it doesn’t create new child or sibling nodes. And you can drag around a node — and all attached nodes follow — but the rest of the map doesn’t rearrange itself to move other nodes out of the way. So you can put nodes on top of nodes and make a mess.

You can add images, comments, hyperlinks, to-do lists or attachments, group cards into columns, or embed other boards inside your main board. You can also publish it to the Web, or embed it into a blog post or website.

You can export as a PDF, image, Word document, HTML, or plain text, but not in the FreeMind format that lets you easily move the mind map to other platforms.

It’s pretty easy to use, and the interface is nice and sleek, but it doesn’t make it as easy to add nodes as other platforms do. Also, you can’t click on the background to drag it around — you have to use the scroll bars at the bottom and on the right.

On the plus side, it does have other cool templates. Here’s one for a short story plot, that I used to outline my next short story.

I do like some of the functionality that Milanote has, and it can look really pretty. Am I willing to spend $10 a month on it? No, I don’t think so.

Brainstorming motives with Mind Map Maker

Mind Map Maker seems to be a clone of  Cloud MindMap , but with a couple more features. I also found it in the Google Drive app store. And like Cloud MindMap, it’s completely free and ad supported.

It has a website, but the home page looks like something created a decade ago as a hobby project.

It’s easy to use, though extremely ugly. But it has more features than Cloud MindMap. There are some additional formatting options, like borders around the nodes, and you can add images and attachments. The color picker is also much better, and there are more ways to save files.

To create a new child node either click on an existing node and hit “tab” or mouse over an existing node, click on the red circle that appears and drag it over to where you want the new node to be. Hitting “enter” twice adds a sibling node. You can drag branches around, but you can’t move a node from one branch to another.

When you create a new node, it doesn’t place it intelligently, and you can easily wind up with new nodes on top of each other that you then have to move around to see.

Again, there are no templates, no themes, no design options to speak of. I installed this app via Google Drive.

I actually decided to use this app — ads and all — as an embed in my novel writing database. Another feature of this app that seems to be unique is that the app makers offer unlimited free storage, if you don’t mind that it can be accessed by anyone with the URL. For example, here’s a quick story plot mind map .

Feel free to play around with it. If you do, and save it, it will create a new URL that only you will know — unless you share it, like I just did.

It doesn’t look like the images are saved in the free public save option, but they do get saved when I save it to my Google Drive account. I really like this app. It’s free. You quickly learn to ignore the ads. You can save locally, or to Google Drive. You can’t export as a FreeMind file or text file, and for future versions I’d like to see the creators add those options. Also, it’s hard to move a branch from one parent node to another. Right now, I just copy the whole branch and paste it where I want it, then delete the old one. It would be nice if they offered a feature where if you drag a branch on top of a new node it would disconnect from the old one and attach to the new one automatically. But those are pretty mild quibbles.

Brainstorming an antagonist with MindMeister 

So, I need a bad guy. Time for another mind map. This time, I’ll use MindMeister . The first three boards are free, and after that you have to upgrade to a premium plan, which is $5 per month.

The free version supports imports from the FreeMind open mind map standard in case you want to bring in mind maps from MindMup or other platforms. I tried it out and the import function works well.

It also lets you log in with Google and with Facebook single sign on. I logged in with Google.

You can add emojis, images and videos to each node, and attach longer notes, comments, tasks, and file attachments. The attachments can be files from your computer, or from Dropbox, Google Drive, or Evernote. You can drag nodes and branches around, change shapes and colors, font sizes.

If you don’t like the light blue theme, you can switch anytime to one of more than a dozen other color themes, or you can customize your own shapes and colors.

It saves previous versions that you can revert to. And, if you’re working in a team, you can create presentations from your mind maps, basically videos that show you building the mind map. It’s kind of cool, and if you worked for a corporation and you had a bunch of people working together creating mind map it shows who added what.

You can save your mind map to your computer or Google Drive as outline or as a MindMeister file. If you upgrade, you can also save as an image or PDF,  as a FreeMind file, as a MindManager file, or as an XMind file. The FreeMind export is particularly useful if you want to move your mind map to another mind mapping platform, but you have to pay to be able to do that.

It’s easy to use, has all the functionality I would need in a mind map tool. But the lack of FreeMind exports in the free version, and the limit to just three mind maps in the free plan makes it less appealing than some of the other on this list.

On the plus side, you can install it as a Google Drive app.

Brainstorming crimes with MindMup

MindMup has unlimited boards, as long as each one is under 100KB in size. For $3 a month, get boards of up to 100MB in size each, plus collaboration features and revision histories. Another difference is the free option only keeps your maps for six months, and the paid version keeps them indefinitely. But you can save your maps to Google Drive to avoid that limitation.

After playing around with this, I strongly recommend that if you plan to use the free version, start right out with the Google Drive option. I was literally not able to figure out how to save and reopen mind maps using the free option — it kept telling me to activate the premium account first. Which I didn’t want to do.

So, my recommendation is to follow this tutorial for setting up MindMup with Google Drive . It’s pretty quick and easy, and then basically it looks and feels like MindMap is just another Google app. Except you can’t open it  with the Google Drive app on your mobile device, not even to look at it. But. BUT. If you open Google Drive in your mobile browser, then the interface is fully functional! And we’re in business!

If you’re the only one working on a file, I also recommend turning on AutoSave in the File menu.

Now, to the interface. Adding, deleting and moving branches around is pretty easy. There’re buttons in the top menu bar for adding child branches or sibling branches, or you can double-click on a node and then hit “enter” to create a sibling branch. You can drag branches around, and all the child nodes come along for the ride.

You can also add images, notes, emojis, and attachments of all kinds. I created a MindMup mind map of more than 5GB by attaching files and images and MindMup didn’t tell me that I was going over the file size limits.

You can change the image thumbnail by going to Edit > Node Icon/Picture and changing the dimensions. The edit menu also lets you change the font on your nodes.

There’s also one unique feature I haven’t seen in other mind mapping apps — you can show or hide different levels. So, for example, you can show just the first layer of nodes, or the first two layers, or all the layers, or anything in between. So if you’re using this as an outlining tool, or a timeline tool, you can add or hide layers of detail. I like this very, very much.

Overall, this is one of my favorite mind map tools. The basic version gives me everything I want — unlimited file sizes, unlimited number of boards, easy sharing via Google Drive. Plus, Google Drives has a built-in revision history feature, in case you want to go to an earlier version of the map. And if you’re worried about MindMup going out of business — say, because it does such a bad job managing the free and the premium accounts — you can export all your maps in the open FreeMind standard, which is the most commonly used standard, and supported by MindMeister, Mindomo, Miro, MindNode, and Coggle.

I do wish it had better graphics for the nodes, but there are several themes you can switch between on the fly, and you can customize your own theme.

Brainstorming motives with Mindomo 

In  Mindomo , the first three boards are free, and after that it’s $5 per month. It supports the FreeMind open mind map standard in case you want to bring in mind maps from MindMup or other platforms.

You can sign up with Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Office 365, or Apple. I opted for Google. And you can import from a bunch of different file formats, including FreeMind, the most popular open mind map format, as well as Mindomo saved files — in case you run into your limit and save old ones to your computer — MindManger, Mindmeister, XMind, Bubbl, SimpleMind, iThoughts, and more.

You can create a couple of different types of charts, not just mind maps but also timelines, Gantt charts, business plans, break-even analyses, company org charts — lots of different business-friendly options. I went with mind maps, of which there are 40 templates to pick from.

The interface is easy. Click on a node then hit enter to create a new sibling node or tab to create a child node. You can move things around by dragging and dropping.

You can also switch the color themes at any time or customize your theme.

You can add notes to any node as well as images, attachments, videos, hyperlinks, and audio recordings.

I like the sleek, clean look of the interface. It really lets you focus on creating the mind map.

You can export as a text file or a Mindomo file. If you want to export to Excel, or a PDF, or Word, PowerPoint, image file, or FreeMind you have to upgrade to a paid version. And exporting to your computer is free, but exporting to Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive requires an upgrade.

I like the interface very much, but the lack of FreeMind exports is worrisome. And forcing people to upgrade to get an image export is just nickel-and-diming, since you can just do a screen save.

You can install Mindomo as a Google Drive app but it doesn’t increase the number of free mind maps you can have.

Let’s move on to the next app.

Brainstorming motives with  Stormboard

In Stormboard , the first five boards are free, and after that it’s $10 per month. It doesn’t support the FreeMind open mind map standard.

To sign up, you can create a new account, or log in with Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn or Facebook. As usual, I opted for Google and then picked the free personal plan.

The first annoying thing is that they invent new words for things. What is a “Storm”? Is a folder? A board? I decided to do their tutorial, and created a new storm, and chose the “Mind Mapping” template.

Then I clicked the green “add” button at the bottom to create a new node and typed in “Motives.” Now to add child nodes… can’t figure out how. Tab doesn’t work. I create a new node using the “add” button, but it’s not connected to the first node.

This seems to be more of a sticky-notes-on-a-whiteboard app than an actual mind map. Even though the preview of the template showed arrows. I searched the entire interface for how to add arrows and couldn’t find it. I clicked everywhere on the sticky notes. I clicked on the little arrows that show up on the sides, but they didn’t do anything.

Okay, I Googled how to do lines. It seems that those arrows on the sides do do something — you can click and drag to another node to connect them.

So the way this works is you create a new node, then you drag one of the arrows to another node to connect it.

This is too much of a pain to use. Also, I can’t figure out how to export a board. And it looks like you an import a spreadsheet but not a FreeMind file.

MindMup isn’t the prettiest of all the apps I’ve tried over the past few days, but I do like the fact that there seem to be no limits on how many maps I can have.

And I wound up going back to GitMind to do my plot outline.

But overall, I’d have to say that there’s no perfect mind map app.

The thing is, a mind map requires very minimal functionality. And, if you integrate with Google Drive and use Google Drive to save the files, it doesn’t even have to take up any of the app developers’ storage space. I think this is a great opportunity to do a Dropbox-style freemium app, where all the basic features are free and the interface is attractive and easy to use.

So far, I haven’t found one.

Am I missing any apps? Email me at [email protected] .

Edited by Melody Friedenthal

Maria Korolov

MetaStellar editor and publisher Maria Korolov is a science fiction novelist , writing stories set in a future virtual world. And, during the day, she is an award-winning freelance technology journalist who covers artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and enterprise virtual reality . See her Amazon author page here and follow her on Twitter , Facebook , or LinkedIn , and check out her latest videos on the Maria Korolov YouTube channel . Email her at [email protected] . She is also the editor and publisher of Hypergrid Business , one of the top global sites covering virtual reality.

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Individual Use

How Do You Create a Mind Map in OneNote: Organizing Lessons and Notes

We were calling out the students' attention—our journey nowadays amidst the contiguous occurrences. However, our learning journey is still continuous in this post-modern era. Fortunately, we have great technology to help us continue our academic journey. There is a lot of software that we can use to maintain the connection between our classmates and instructors. In addition, our notebook also comes online with OneNote. OneNote is the fantastic online notebook of Microsoft which we can use for taking notes and saving the critical lessons you need to remember.

Furthermore, this post proposes to showcase its unique features that we can enjoy. We are learning how to create a Mind Map with Microsoft OneNote . Join us and let us organize our thoughts and plans through OneNote. As a bonus, we will also give you an extra tool, MindOnMap Online, for an instant mind mapping process.

4 Best Mind Mapping Tools For Writers And Students (In 2024)

Mind mapping tools are invaluable for enhancing creativity in writers and students.

To create a mind map, begin with the central theme on your sheet or digital tool. From there, expand outwards with keywords, phrases, and facts to build a visual representation of your thoughts. For instance, I’ve made a simple mind map for essay writing to demonstrate this. You can continuously expand with branches and sub-branches as your ideas grow.

What is the Best Use for Mind Maps Among Writers?

• Showing linkages and similarities between the primary concepts around your topic
• Outlining your new book chapter and mapping out characters and events
• Brainstorming everything you already know about your new essay topic while writing notes and listening for the most significant points or terms
• Visualizing all parts of the topic in the initial phases of an essay
• Organizing your thoughts and facts on a single page
• Encouraging creative thinking and innovative solutions to challenges
• Reviewing learning in readiness for a test or assessment

What is the Best Way to Get Started with Mind Mapping as a Writer?

In the center of your page, set out your primary theme/main idea/crux of the matter point. You might find it simpler to sketch on the side of your page, which is easier to do in landscape orientation.

Use arrows, lines, speech bubbles, branches, and other colors to show the relationship between the core theme and linking ideas that flow from it. These connections are crucial since they may form the basis of your essay sections from which you’ll transition to new points.

Don’t create a masterpiece of calligraphic dark art. Without substantial stops or edits, sketch rapidly like a literary panther . Your first thought is usually the right one, so first put on paper what makes the most sense to you. Yet it’s also critical to consider all possibilities in the early stages of mind mapping, even if you don’t intend to use them.

Use different colors to represent different items, such as blue for something you want to include in your article, black for other interesting ideas , and red for things you ought to explore or consult with your tutor or lecturer about. It’s completely up to you how you do it, but try to be consistent so you can accurately reflect on your mind map afterward.

Make sure your page has some white space. The purpose of this is so that you may keep adding to your neural network over time. If the A4 sheet is too tiny for you, you may try A3, or use some of the great software tools that I discuss below.

The Best Mind Mapping Tools For Writers:

1. clickup – the best free mind-mapping tool online.

ClickUp is a productivity and project management program that also has a neat mind-mapping feature that helps you plan and organize your tasks, thoughts, and other information through beautiful mind maps. The mind mapping capabilities of ClickUp , allow you to visually connect activities and assignments, visualize processes and project or task structures, and manage your activities straight from a visual roadmap. You can create sophisticated unrestricted diagrams, and then transform nodes into tasks by using nodes as points of reference for work to be done. A productive writer can create and link tasks within a mind map using drag-and-drop functionality. If you’re an online content producer, you can share your mind maps with your team and other collaborators and change them in real-time. ClickUp has native connections with Slack, G Suite, Dropbox, and a slew of other apps, as well as Zapier connectors with over 1,000 more. Pricing: ClickUp’s free plan is comprehensive and contains all the essential features. The unlimited plan starts at $5 per month per person and includes more features.

2. MindMeister – The best mind map display mode

MindMeister is a cloud-based mind-mapping application with a stunning design that allows you to record, develop, and share ideas. The app allows users to work collaboratively, share, and present from anywhere in the world, whether alone or within a group. MindMeister offers a simple interface that allows you to quickly post ideas, connect photos, videos, files, and links, or use the drawing function to sketch out a notion. It’s more than simply a mapping tool though. It has some important collaboration functions that allow you to exchange ideas with your content team to vote, discuss, and talk in real time inside of the app. The auto-create or drag-and-select presentation tool makes it simple to transform your map into a presentation . You may share your images with a private URL, post them to Meister’s public map universe, or create an embed code. One thing I like about the app is that it isn’t overburdened with options. You’ll get a well-designed interface and a carefully chosen selection of templates, themes, and styles for creating ready-to-share mind maps. The basic setup is simple and quick. If you get lost, MindMeister has a comprehensive online help center with video tutorials and quick email support. The task management software MeisterTask interacts with MindMeister, allowing you to transform your mind map into a project and assign activities using the built-in connection. Pricing: You get up to 3 mind maps for free, or it’s $4.99/$8.25 per month for individual users (the higher tier gives you more options).

3. Milanote – The best multimedia mind-mapping program on the market

Milanote’s mind maps are simple, with nodes that may hold a range of information kinds such as text, video, and pictures. Milanote is a simple concept map creator that helps you arrange your thoughts and tasks into visual boards. As with other mind-mapping tools for writers here, it’s more than just a mind map creator. It allows you to add media content (pictures, videos, and links) to your boards while creating a conceptual map, as well as establishing as many layers of hierarchy as you like to dig deeper into themes. It also comes with a library of templates to help you get started on new projects faster. It’s also possible to communicate in real-time, which makes it ideal for brainstorming sessions with remote groups. Overall, it’s a simple diagram creator that allows you to interact and come up with fresh ideas. Pricing: It’s free for 100 notes, images, or links and 10 file uploads. It’s $9.99 per month if you want unlimited everything or $49 per month if you want to write in a team.

4. MindGenius – the top mind mapping program for beginners

Build mind maps with a built-in explorer for easy template exploration available in MindGenius. MindGenius is an idea map maker and project management tool in one. It’s intended for usage in academic settings as well as by freelancers , small companies, and advertising firms. MindGenius offers drag-and-drop mind map generation, project planning tools including Gantt charts and Kanban task views, and some basic project reporting capabilities. Sorting, highlighting, and labeling capabilities are included to help you organize and show your mind maps more successfully. Pricing: This one is a bit pricier. It costs $16.80 per month or $168 for an annual subscription.

What is the Best Way to Turn Your Mind Map into an Academic Essay?

Before you can start writing your article, you must first figure out the “main” point of your essay. What is the primary topic, major concept , or driving point you want your audience to understand? Whatever the subject, it’s always a great idea to consider the difficulties surrounding it, and mind mapping is a great method for that. The material in your sentences must have a connection to that driving point. Your thoughts are the starting point for deciding what to put in your paragraphs. Each paragraph in an article should ideally contain one concept or address one element related to your mind map’s core theme. Now it’s time for you to get started with mind mapping and try it out for yourself. You may do so by using some great and fun mind-mapping tools. You’ll find that they allow you to do much more than just a piece of paper and a pen.

Now, Use Your Creative Abilities to Make Beautiful Mind Maps

Mind mapping is a great tool for visual thinking and essay writing , especially in the early phases. It can also be used to generate ideas, visualize concepts, organize tasks, take notes, solve problems, make decisions, revise, and clarify your academic topic so you can begin working on assessment assignments . A mind map is a wonderful tool for learners since it allows them to ‘brainstorm’ a topic. Next up, you may want to check a guide to tools that will make remote work much easier .

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Rafal Reyzer

Hey there, welcome to my blog! I'm a full-time entrepreneur building two companies, a digital marketer, and a content creator with 10+ years of experience. I started RafalReyzer.com to provide you with great tools and strategies you can use to become a proficient digital marketer and achieve freedom through online creativity. My site is a one-stop shop for digital marketers, and content enthusiasts who want to be independent, earn more money, and create beautiful things. Explore my journey here , and don't miss out on my AI Marketing Mastery online course.