On Monday we used quotes to inspire our writing, thanks to Ann Bracken of The Possibility Project. Ann shared her expertise on the benefits of journaling last week and now she shares another wonderful journaling exercise.

For this exercise, we’re venturing into the world of mind mapping. Grab your journal and get ready for a creative twist on free association. As usual, when I’ve created my own word web, I’ll try to share it with you here in the comments.

Write Out Loud Exercise #5 – Webbing Words

For this exercise, you will cluster or web words that are related to your life. For example, if you want to change jobs but are having a hard time getting motivated to update and distribute your resume, you might choose the word “change.” Put this word in the middle of a piece of paper and draw a line coming from the word with a circle at the end for an associated word. Keep drawing lines and circles as words play off of each other in a visual form of free association. “This can help you find ares of potential blockage and resistance,” Ann says.

You could also use this exercise to develop a character or plot line. For instance, if your plot involves a murder, you might choose the word “discovery” and begin associating words until you’ve found what you or your characters are looking for.

This exercise can also be done online using free mind mapping tools like Mindomo or Mindmeister.

Please let me know how this exercise goes for you. I’ll be especially interested to hear if you tried out an online mind mapping tool. Did you enjoy this exercise? Did it help you discover something new or guide you to your plot points? Leave a comment or link to your exercise and I’ll be sure to check it out. Whatever your word web leads to, I hope it helps you to Write Out Loud!