[header] How to plan an essay using a mind map [title] Set up your supplies. [step] You will need a piece of paper, a writing utensil, and some colored pencils or markers. Pull out a few of the colored pencils or markers and assign meaning to a few of them. 
For instance, you may say that orange is for topics you need to research further, a green marker is for an essential point, purple is for counterarguments, and yellow is for supporting examples. [substeps] Lay out the colored markers or pencils to which you have assigned meaning.