Brainstorming Techniques

Presented by the Writing Center

This workshop will:

Provide hints and strategies to help generate ideas for essays

Discuss three different brainstorming techniques and how to apply them.

Emphasize that there is no correct way to gather ideas.

Keep these three ideas in mind:

• The subject chosen must be appropriate for the intended audience.

• The topic must be narrowed or expanded depending on the size of the writing assignment.

• Finally, the subject should be based on prior knowledge or a topic that can researched.

Heuristics-Generating ideas through questioning

Think about the following concerning the essay topic: Who? What? When? Where? Why?

These questions should “jog” the brain into thinking of ideas to write about.

They can also be used to determine which ideas need to be developed more and how to organize the paper effectively.

Clustering

Type of word / idea association Provides a “picture” of how ideas will be developed Clustering involves branching ideas from the central

word which should represent the essay topic

http://rbigausk.disted.camosun.bc.ca/2Findingideas2.htm

After Clustering…

• Adapt- how can this information be used to meet overall goal?

• Rearrange- what information can be removed, combined or broken down?

• Magnify- what ideas can be focused on for more clarity?

• Substitute- is there a better explanation or example that can be used?

Free-writing

• Free-writing – writing non stop for a certain period of time

• Start writing about anything that comes to mind pertaining to the essay topic

• Do not worry about grammar or punctuation This technique is effective in improving confidence when

writing because the main concern is not to produce a perfect draft but rather to generate ideas.

Brainstorming Handouts

• Generating Ideas for Writing

• A Writer’s Self-Help Worksheet

• Writing Process Checklist

• A General Mode Based Heuristic

Works Cited

Lamb, Annette. “Learning Resources: Graphic Organizers”. Eduscapes.com. 2005. Online. January 2, 2006, http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic73.htm

“Graphic Organizers”. EnchantedLearning.com. 2005. Online. January 2, 2006. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/tree/