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Some people get hung up here, but not you!
There are ways to brainstorm that are not stressful, and can actually be fun!
Are you familiar with a mindmap? You may have used a "pen and paper" version of this when you were in school, and were outlining a term paper or longer essay. In our high tech time, you can try (or purchase) various computer based mindmap software - completely color coded, with the ability to create subtopics, and a way to organize all that you create.
For me, however, I find it best to use the good old-fashioned pen and paper technique.
It's easy - here's what you do:
First, get a piece of blank computer paper (or larger, if you prefer) and draw a circle in the middle of the sheet. Now write your book title (or topic) in the middle. Next, draw lines from the center out which will attach to smaller circles (or bubbles), in which you'll write potential chapter titles. Don't worry about your exact titles at this point - you are brainstorming and you'll want to go with the free flow of thought.
For example, suppose my book title is "Organize Your Life". As I brainstorm what potential chapters I would like to include, I may come up with the following:
Organize Your Home Room by Room
Organize Your Vehicle
Organize Your Office (at home or work)
Organize Your Books and Files
Pretty easy, right? If I wanted my book to concentrate on just organizing at home, then I would focus on one room per chapter and perhaps add other chapters such as Top Tips, How to Love Where You Live, etc.
Now it's time for you to try it.
Again, just enjoy the process. This isn't set in stone - it's just a great way to generate ideas and get your brain thinking about how you'd like to lay out your book.
As you move along in the writing process, you may decide to rearrange chapters, rename some chapters, concentrate more on one topic than another, etc. If you find you have WAY too many ideas, consider writing a series on the same topic - a win-win solution for you and your readers!
Here's one more quick tip: If you are anything like I was, and put off writing for years, you may have so many ideas pop up that you aren't sure how to focus! There's an easy solution, though. Simply create one mindmap at a time, and store them all together in a folder, binder or notebook. Then when it's time to brainstorm again, you'll have it all in one place, and you can choose which to work on, and which ideas are jumping out at you for your book.
Contrary to what some may think, if you are an "idea sparking" type of personality, you may have to contend with "too many" thoughts rather than too few. Again, just go with the flow. Simply look at it as outlining ahead for your future books! You will still be focusing on your chosen book topic - but it helps to give all of those other ideas a place to "live" while you focus in on just one area.
So there you have it. You've made a quality decision to write (Step 1), narrowed down your passions and chosen a book topic or title (Step 2) and created a rough outline of your book (Step 3). You're on a roll!
You won't want to miss the next post - it's time to set (and implement) your goals. Let's move you from "To Do" to "Ta Da"!