Do you rely on your writing skills for your job? Are you a blogger that needs to be at the top of your game at all times, making sure your writing is concise, engaging, and unique? Does it feel as though you haven’t been hitting the mark as of late, and your readership numbers are suffering because of it?
The blogging industry is quite competitive in that if your content doesn’t appeal to readers, they will move on and find another blogger to read.
This means you don’t want to let things slide, and you want to work on the issue as soon as it becomes a problem.
So, if you’re suffering from a bit of a creative block/writer’s block or your writing just isn’t resonating with readers, then it’s time to improve your writing using concept maps. What are concept maps, and how can they help you? Let’s peel back the layers and take a look.
What Is a Concept Map?
Concept mapping is a creative and effective tool that people can use in all different jobs, with writing/blogging being one of them. This tool is meant to help you visualize various ideas and concepts to bring them together cohesively and effectively. It is a way to get all those random ideas and thoughts out of your head and start to flesh them out so you can build from them.
Part of what makes concept mapping so effective is that it’s a diagram, which means you can quickly see ideas and thoughts. These are connected and placed based on their priority level. Let’s say you have a blog you want to work on; your main concept or idea will be at the top of the graphic, with all other ideas stemming from it. It’s a form of brainstorming but allows for better organization of your ideas.
You Can Break Things Down to the Smallest Details
As you embark on your concept mapping journey, you may also be surprised to see how much detail it allows you to add. For example, you have that main story idea/concept, but then you can start to break the story down into sections, subsections, paragraphs, and so forth – getting as detailed as you want. Before you know it, you’ve formed an entire story that will weave together seamlessly since the concepts were all tied to one another.
It’s Meant for Those Who are Visual Learners
Many people consider themselves visual learners, meaning they need to see things in a diagram or graphic form to truly absorb them. If that sounds like you, then concept mapping will be a natural fit and could be why your writing is currently falling short.
Concept Mapping Can be Done Digitally
Another cool feature about concept maps is the fact they can be done digitally. There is no need to bring out a pad of paper and pencils, jotting down ideas and erasing them, basically creating a giant mess on the page. Digital concept maps allow for a streamlined and clean approach that ensures your ideas are prominent and perfectly planned out.
If you happen to be co-authoring a piece, you can even share these digital concept maps with them, allowing the two of you to brainstorm and collaborate in real-time. This can help ensure the writing is more cohesive.
Weave Keywords and Phrases Into the Story
Now let’s say your blog has a set of keywords and/or phrases that need to be included in it. Again, concept mapping can be beneficial. You will add those items to the map and then create ideas, phrases, and concepts that start to link everything together. It will ensure that the keywords feel natural and work with the blog or story.
Remember, your concept map can be expanded as much as you need or want, with ideas stemming from each other. Everything flows downward from the main theme/concept. The bigger the story, the bigger the concept map may need to be.
Don’t Forget Essential Details
As a writer, one of the worst things you can do is leave out essential details and information. This can happen by mistake once you get caught up in the moment and the piece. How many times have you published content only to realize after the fact you left something important out?
With concept mapping, everything is right there in front of you, you’ve got a visual blueprint of how the story needs to be structured, so there is no such thing as forgetting key details. The concept map ends up almost writing the story for you.
Give Your Writing the Boost It Needs
While writing may be something that comes naturally to you and that you excel at, it doesn’t mean every story is going to be a huge success. Sometimes you can feel as though the content missed the mark, it wasn’t your best work, and it lacked focus and cohesion. This is exactly where concept mapping comes into play, and it can have a massive impact on the quality of your writing.