Unit 1 - Chapter 2: Learn about Prewriting to Generate Ideas
brainstorming
As in freewriting, the purpose is to generate lots of ideas so you have something to work with and choose from. Write everything that comes to you about a topic—words and phrases, ideas, details, examples. After you have brainstormed, read over your list, underlining interesting or exciting ideas you might develop further.
Ask Your Own Questions
If the reporter's six questions seem too confining, just ask the questions you want answered about a subject. Let each answer suggest the next question.
Keeping a Journal
Keeping a journal is an excellent way to practice your writing skills and discover ideas for further writing.
Asking Questions
Many writers get ideas about a subject by asking questions and trying to answer them.
The Reporter's Six Questions
Newspaper reporters often answer six basic questions at the beginning of an article: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Writer uses the questions to focus their ideas.
inner critic
The inner critic is the voice inside that says, every time you have an idea, "That's dumb; that's no good; cross that out." Freewriting helps you tell this voice, "Thank you for your opinion. Once I have lots of ideas and words on paper, I'll invite you back for comment." Sometimes freewriting produces only nonsense; often, however, it can help you zoom in on possible topics, interests, and worthwhile writing you can use later. Focused freewriting can help you find subjects to write about.
focused freewriting,
The subject might be one assigned by your instructor, one you choose, or one you have discovered in unfocused freewriting. The goal of most writing is to produce a polished, organized piece of writing; focused freewriting can help you generate ideas or narrow a topic to one aspect that interests you.
Freewriting
These are the guidelines: for five, ten, or fifteen minutes, write rapidly, without stopping, about anything that comes into your head. If you feel stuck, just repeat or rhyme the last word you wrote, but don't stop writing. And don't worry about grammar, logic, complete sentences, or grades. The point of freewriting is to write so quickly that ideas can flow without comments from your inner critic.
clustering
To begin clustering, simply write an idea or a topic, usually one word, in the center of a piece of paper. Then let your mind make associations, and write these associations branching out from the center. When one idea suggests other ideas, details, and examples, write these around it in a "cluster." After you finish, pick the cluster that most interests you.
clustering
a technique for generating ideas for a piece of writing in a visual format; it involves writing down a topic and then branching out with thoughts and ideas associated with that topic
freewriting
a technique for generating ideas for a piece of writing; it involves writing anything that comes to mind for a set period of time
focused freewriting
a technique for generating ideas for a piece of writing; it involves writing anything that comes to mind on a topic for a set period of time
brainstorming
a technique for generating ideas for a piece of writing; it involves writing down any thoughts about a given topic
"blank-page jitters"
if you write on a computer, try prewriting in different ways: on paper and on the computer. Some writers feel they produce better work if they prewrite by hand and only later transfer their best ideas onto the computer.
