Spider diagrams and mind maps - writing tools

Spider diagrams, mind maps, call them what you will, I've never been one for them so when I came across this idea again in a creative writing workbook I was tempted to ignore it. The idea is to start off with a circle in the middle of the page and a main subject written inside. From there you draw lines out from the main circle and add other bubbles with ideas for that subject to take then extending those to see what works. Today I took the plunge and tried it and it did sort of work, though my map looks nothing like those I see in books as my lines go all over the place and aren't easy to follow. It did help me decide on a short story idea - which one had the best chance of coming to something so that's the one I will go with. Will I use a mind map again? Maybe, if I'm stuck. What are your views on mind maps?

Right now I'm working on another short story. It's hand written, scruffy and unedited. I'm now typing it up amending as I go. I always find my writing skips between tenses. I started out this time in past tense and then slipped into present and back again! I had to make a decision and have gone with present. I think it works better for the story. I have loved writing this story. There was no real planning (life would be so much easier in I planned!). I had no idea how I was going to end it and then it came to me as the story unfolded. It's been good to get that creative spark going and nice to know I have another story in the pipeline.