What do
writers ask themselves
when they are brainstorming topics

This is how authors do it:

Explanation:

They ask themselves as many questions as they can about the topic and answer them briefly. Since their goal is to get as many ideas as possible, they ask themselves wh- questions: what, which, why, where, when, who, and (even though it doesn't begin with a w) how. And then they answer those questions.

Hope this helps!