How Brainstorming Software Works
ParaMind does not use random word jumbling because it selects Word Categories that are based on your words. If you are looking to brainstorm with a sentence that contains "apples," it will find the word "apples" in the Word Category lists and give you a list of fruits to put in your brainstorms. It does this by replacing words by its pre-existing Word Categories. You can also create as many of your own as you like. This is one way that it makes brainstorms that make logical sense. Another way is that just one or two words are replaced in your sentence at a time.
The "Create" menu is where most of the ParaMind action will take place. Other menus in ParaMind are essentially the same as in other Windows, Mac or Linux programs except where noted below. Here you find "Merge Wizard," "Merge," "Large Merge," "Substitute Highlighted Word," "Find Word to Substitute," "Replace by Category," "Category Type," and "Edit Categories." The Professional Version has additional features which will be discussed in a later chapter.
Merging is used when you want to create lists of new ideas based on your sentence. It is the root of ParaMind, the part that uses the "copy-merge" concept mentioned. You write a simple sentence that states the basics of your idea. You then choose one word in that sentence with the mouse and replace it with the many words in the ParaMind Word Category database. You simply highlight the word you want to remove with the mouse by double clicking on it. You then select a merge type from the "Create" menu. It displays the "Word Category" index, and then you select the category in the "Select Category to Expand" column. When you see the one you think will be a good direction for the expansion of your sentence, you click on "OK" and ParaMind will copy your sentence, each time substituting your highlighted word with a word in the category.
The first thing that ParaMind can do for you is to multiply your ideas. It is like a spreadsheet of ideas. It does this mainly by its "Merge" features located in the "Create" menu. An important part of this process is the "Find Word to Substitute Feature," which can suggest important Word Categories for you to merge with. To merge something means to combine it with something. You are not just combining your sentence that you type onto ParaMind with another sentence, but you are quickly copying the sentence and combining it with a list of words that you see as being a part of the direction you want your idea to go in.
To do this, you first type a sentence into the ParaMind screen or "editor." The editor works like a simple word processor does. You have an idea, any idea, and that idea can be first stated by a few simple words.
Let's use this sentence as an example:
I wish I knew a good way to create more ideas.
Then you pick a word in that sentence by double-clicking, or highlighting it with the mouse. The word you pick is a word that you see as being a good place for your sentence to be merged into by another word. That new word will then introduce a new idea for your original sentence.
I wish I knew a (good) way to create more ideas.
Here we are using "good" as a place to start merging. The parenthesis or brackets around "good" in the example is just a way of showing you that we will use "good" to merge from.
You are then ready to start developing new ideas. Select the "Create" pull-down menu by selecting it with the mouse. Pick a "Merge" function and you will see a list of words come up. Click on any of the words and you will see the words contained in that list. The lists are called "Word Categories." Click on each one and see what words are in them. Find one that you can see being a good choice for your sentence.
In our example, we are looking for a better way to describe the way to create ideas. The word "good" really doesn't describe it in any way. Everyone knows we all are looking for a good method to create ideas. So we look through the Word Category lists. "Good" is an adjective so let's look at Words Categories that say "Adjectives for..." to find replacement adjectives.
In the Adjective categories, "Adjective for exist" is a place to start to get a good broad base to work in.
The "Merge" feature will copy that idea and combine it with all the words in that category.
The program creates:
I wish I knew a (good) way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew an existent way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a current way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a real way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a true way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a non-existent way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a positive way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a negative way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a personal way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew an impersonal way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a subjective way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew an objective way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a relative way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew an unrelated way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a related way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a ready way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew an unprepared way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a natural way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew an artificial way to create more ideas.
Let's try another "Word Category," this time "Adjectives for nice 2".
Here is the result:
I wish I knew a sweet way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a well-behaved way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a truthful way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a smiling way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a respectful way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a prompt way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a polite way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew an obedient way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a lovable way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew an intelligent way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew an honest way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a good way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew an efficient way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a dutiful way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a capable way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a courteous way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew an affable way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a knightly way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a stately way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a kingly way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a lovable way to create more ideas.
I wish I knew a spiritual way to create more ideas.