<em>Brainstorming generates the ideas that will eventually become your thesis statement and supporting points. Developing a clear thesis will help you know what to write and how to organize it. If you have writer's block or do not know where to begin, brainstorming can be especially helpful.</em>
The figurative meaning of the word is the nonliteral meaning, and not all figurative meanings are positive, so it has to be C. Sorry for the bad explanation :(
