Try Scapple for mind mapping your writing ideas

In an earlier post, I wrote about the power of clustering to generate new ideas. Normally, I use paper and pen because there’s something about writing my ideas out longhand that gets my synapses flaring. But recently I discovered Scapple, an online tool that helps you get ideas down on the page and then make connections between them.

Scapple is for Mac and sold by Literature & Latte, the people who created Scrivener. You can use Scapple as a mind mapping tool or not. The program doesn’t force you to make specific connections. It doesn’t expect you to start out with one central idea off of which everything else is branched. There’s no built-in hierarchy–every note is equal, so you can connect them however you like.

“The idea behind Scapple is simple: when you are roughing out ideas, you need complete freedom to experiment with how those ideas best fit together.”

The program allows you to choose what fonts, sizes, and colors you want to use to map your ideas out. I’ve used Scapple in a few brainstorming sessions now, and it’s so fun to use that I find myself looking forward to my Scapple time. I’ve even used it to map out the next chapter in my book.

Have you tried Scapple? If so, please share how you’ve used it.

Scapple sells for $14 with a 30-day free trial. Check out their website for more information and be sure to read my previous post on mind mapping, “The power of clustering to generate new ideas.”