Brainstorming.

Hello, once again, guys!  Today, I'll be talking briefly about brainstorming.  Now, I'm not sure how pansters do it, but I, as a plotter, like to brainstorm my ideas, before getting them on paper.
Now, my brainstorming process normally goes something like, I sit down, stare at my plot board, and force myself to think about it.  Then I just progress along the story line, slowly adding stuff.  Then, there are the days when my brother takes me to our local Starbucks, or to lunch, and we'll talk.  Those days are the real nuggets.  For example, recently me and my brother went to Starbucks, and we brainstormed.  I walked away with so much extra character development in two characters I thought were underdeveloped, and now I love those two, and almost regret making one a negative character arc.
Now, not everyone brainstorms, but I, from experience, would definitely recommend it.  It really is helpful to have someone as your partner, too, since there are two minds working at it.  Now, I've never worked with other people, but I would think that you would also be more effective with someone you're really close to, because then you guys know each other's brain process better than most.
How you brainstorm is a tricky question, because everyone probably does it different.  I like to sit down, present my brother with things I feel like there are holes in, and fill him in on my thought process and see where he runs.  Today I found out that one of my characters is a nun who gets abducted right before she takes her vows.  Another is a gambler who hides his age, and ends up becoming a bounty hunter.  Originally, the girl was just a typical valley girl teen who didn't have anything special about her, and the other character was a 14-year old hustler, who just becomes more and more rebellious.  This is why I like brainstorming so much.  It morphs so many things into something you never thought of, and it's even more brilliant than the last idea you had.  Now, of course, some ideas get tossed out the window, but that's all okay.
Now I said it was a brief post, so don't say I didn't warn you.  How do you like to brainstorm?  Do you like to brainstorm?  Let me know in the comments!

-Viola June HFA-DGN