The best soup I ever made was homemade chicken soup that I cooked up for a friend of mine after she had a new baby. For this soup, I wasn’t really following a recipe. Instead, I looked through my cupboards to see what I had on hand. I added the things I thought would be tasty in the soup: vegetables, rice, seasonings, etc. I’m not a great cook, but this soup was SO good. (It’s just too bad that I didn’t write down what I added or the amounts; I was never able to make it again.)

That big pot of soup is a lot like brainstorming for a paragraph, story, or article. When you brainstorm, try to think of every possible thing that might go in your story. It’s like looking through the cupboards and pulling out all the ingredients you might use. For example, if you’re writing about a trip to the beach, you’re list will probably include shells, sand, sandcastles, people, surfers, starfish, umbrellas, sunscreen, crabs, lifeguards, swimmers, jellyfish, and of course, the ocean. Continue writing ideas and phrases until you just can’t think of anymore. These are all your possible ingredients out on the counter.

But – you’re not going to put them all in the soup. If you do, chances are it won’t taste very good. Just like you go through the ingredients and decide just which ones will make the very best soup, pick out only those ideas that will make the very best story. If you find you need to add one or two more later on, they are already there, ready to go.

Ready to give it a try? Get a sheet of paper and brainstorm this topic: My Best Vacation Ever. What are some words and phrases you came up with?

Photo by Mconners