It may not have been designed for writers, but yesterday another writer told a group of us about a fun-to-use brainstorming tool. Answer the Public was designed to help businesses see what people are searching about related products.
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Sounds kind of ho hum, doesn’t it. But click on through and type something into the search engine. I went with the suggested topic – chocolate.
First up are the mind maps. There are questions that people are asking about chocolate (will it kill a dog, are chocolate chips gluten free, can chocolate go off), comparisons (chocolate or crisps, chocolate vs vanilla), etc.
Next up are the “alphabeticals.” The person who told me about this site, told me about the alphabeticals. I had no clue what she meant but I’m a font nerd so I clicked through. It has nothing whatsoever to do with fonts. But it was still a lot of fun.
There are lists for each letter of the alphabet. The “A” list is chocolate + an A word. Chocolate almond cake. Chocolate afternoon tea. Of course, I had to check Q, X and Z. Chocolate quiz questions. Chocolate quotes funny. Chocolate xbox controller. Chocolate zucchini bread.
Think of all the ways that you can use this? A magazine posts a list of themes. Type the key phrase in and see what questions people are asking. See what recipes might relate to the theme. See what people are worried about.
You are developing a character. Everyone who loves chocolate each chocolate bars and chocolate chip cookies. But what if she prefers chocolate cookies shaped like zoo animals and chocolate pizza?
This could be a really fun way to create a quirky character, come up with curious shops to surround the square in a quaint town, or create a joke gift catalog for a story.
This may end up being too much fun. I regret nothing, I tell you.
–SueBE
One Writer's Journey 