The blank page. Is there anything more daunting for a writer than a blank page when you’ve got no idea what to write?

Fortunately, there are a few pre-writing techniques you can use to get the old juices flowing, and today I want you to introduce you to one of my favourites.

Clustering is a very simple pre-writing technique, similar to free writing, in which the writer begins with a single word or phrase, which they then use as a starting point to quickly brainstorm ideas for their story. It’s also a great way to get yourself out of a rut if you find yourself stuck halfway through a story with no idea how to proceed, as it allows you to come up with and exploring numerous different ideas for your story at once, while simultaneously organising them in a simple diagram.

You can do it quite easily with pen and paper, although I personally prefer to use Scapple by Literature and Latte, because it allows you infinite space to map out all your ideas without running out of space, no matter how complex they become (there’s nothing more frustrating than having your free-flowing stream of consciousness hindered by reaching the edge of the page).

So, ‘how do you cluster?’ I hear you cry.

First, choose a word or phrase for your central nucleus. This could be anything at all: a character’s name, a theme you want to explore (e.g.: love, greed, desperation) or even a good old fashioned writing prompt (e.g.: ‘that was the final straw’). Put it right slap bang in the middle of your page.

Now, beside this, add a new node connected with an arrow, and write inside it the first thing that comes into your mind when you think of your central nucleus. If you’re using Scapple, this is as simple as clicking on your central nucleus and selecting ‘add connected note with arrow.’

Repeat the process for that node, over and over again, noting down anything and everything that comes to mind and connecting them all together with arrows. Once you start to run out of ideas, just go back to your central idea and start the process over again. You will eventually end up with a mind-map, full of potential story ideas, interesting phrases and other juicy material you might never have thought of otherwise.

If you’re anything like me, you might also find it helpful to colour-code the various nodes on cluster, or move them around to create a more orderly diagram than you could ever produce on paper. Scapple, of course, makes this very easy to do.

Once your cluster is complete, try and free write a rough story based on any parts of the material you find interesting. You might find doing this stimulates further ideas, so don’t be afraid to go back and add to your cluster (or start a brand new one!).

Click here to buy Scapple from Literature and Latte for the very reasonable price of £18.99. You’ll find it under ‘Products.’