Mind maps can be a great place to start if you are having trouble organizing your thoughts or deciding what you would like to say about your topic.
1) Start with a blank piece of paper or the mind map template available to download below. Write your topic in the center of the page and draw several lines coming off that topic.
2) Begin to free write different words or phrases that come to mind when you think about your topic. Try not to overthink what comes to mind and just write down everything. If ideas are connected feel free to draw arrows or lines connecting those ideas. You can even draw pictures or link to interesting websites or sources of inspiration.
3) As you write more ideas on your page, begin to write down evidence or arguments you may use to support your ideas. These can be connected to larger arguments using smaller lines or arrows.
When your mind map is complete it may look something like this.
