Writer’s Block is an Old Wive’s Tale

Prewriting Strategies that will eliminate “writer’s block” once and for all!

This is NOT Prewriting!

Prewriting Eliminates “Writer’s Block”

• Writer’s block is what happens when someone who needs or wants to write attempts to write straight from a topic, idea, or prompt to a completed draft.

• When prewriting is done correctly, all ideas, notes, and task requirements come together to create an organized set of elements that guides and informs the drafting step of the writing process.

Planning/Organizing

Drafting

Assessing and Revising

Assessing and Editing

Evaluating and

Publishing

ResearchBrainstormClassify/Outline Map/web

Decide what your topic will be, and how you will relate it to your assignment. If you feel like you need to, you can write your thesis statement in this stage.

Prewriting is the Planning/Organizing Stage of Writing

thinking

Exploring

Researching

Discussing

Reading

Drawing Pictures

What Prewriting Looks Like

Taking notes

List Making

Planning

Reviewing notes

Organizing Notes

Mind-Mapping

What Prewriting Looks Like

How to do it: • Write for non-stop for ten minutes.• After free-writing, underline striking words or ideas that can serve as starting points for

further thinking and writing. • Use those words and ideas as a starting point to begin planning and organizing your

project.

Key terms: problems, environment, hybrid cars, what is it?, alternative fuel, popular

Example: I have to write a paper about the environment. I have no idea where to start! I know there are many problems with the environment, but I don’t know much about this topic. Maybe I could take a look at my biology book to come up with some ideas. I know my biology professor is also really into the environment, so maybe I could ask for his help. I remember he was talking about hybrid cars in class the other day and how much better those are for the environment. What is a hybrid car? I know it uses some sort of alternative fuel and they are becoming very popular. Maybe that is something I could write about . . .

Free-writing

Basic procedure:(1) Circle topic in middle of page.(2) Write down (and circle) other ideas and connect related ideas with lines. Any word or idea in a cluster can become the starting point of a new cluster, which can provide the basis for supporting paragraphs.(3) Review your clusters and remove

(erase, cross out, delete, etc.) sub-clusters or connecting ideas that are not specific enough to your main idea.

A visual form of brainstorming that helps a writer see relationships among ideas.

Mind-Mapping

A multilevel method for organizing thoughts and ideas using topics and supporting topics and/or a sequence of ideas. Your main topic should move from broad to specific within subsequent levels.

Outlining

HeuristicsExample: Suppose that your AP topic is the political conflict in the Middle East. Using the Journalism heuristic (5 Ws, and H), ask yourself the following questions:

Who is involved in the conflict? What issues most clearly divide those engaged in this dispute? When did the troubles in the Middle East begin, and how have they developed over time? Where does the conflict seem most heated or violent? Why have those living in this area found it so difficult to resolve the situation? How might this conflict be resolved?

Further narrow your topic by addressing only two or three heuristics, such as Where Why and How.

Possible twists, spin-offs, and related issues which identify specific aspects of a topic that augment and further narrow the topic.

Tentative Thesis:“A particularly heated and violent area in the middle East is the particularly inaccessible mountain region of Afghanistan which provides hiding places for the Taliban. Current attempts to access these regions by air are ineffective and fighting the Taliban on their own terms, by foot and pack animals, would be more successful.”

Examples:

Kinesthetics

Any type of activity requiring multi-sensory manipulation, such as clustering making a collage from magazine cut-outs, using post-it notes on a poster, etc. –anything that might augment your topic using at least two of the senses.

Discuss your ideas with a classmate, friend, or a writing center consultant.

Other Strategies

Often, brainstorming aloud and hearing your spoken ideas can help you think about ways to start your paper.

Combined StrategiesExample: I have to write a paper about the environment. I have no idea where to start! I know there are many problems with the environment, but I don’t know much about this topic. Maybe I could take a look at my biology book to come up with some ideas. I know my biology professor is also really into the environment, so maybe I could ask for his help. I remember he was talking about hybrid cars in class the other day and how much better those are for the environment. What is a hybrid car? I know it uses some sort of alternative fuel and they are becoming very popular. Maybe that is something I could write about . . .

Choose one . . .

two . . .

. . . or even three of these approaches, combine them, and start writing!

This presentation was brought to you by Marianne Kwiatkowski-Yee and the 2010- 2011 Suburban Campus Writing Group leaders from the University Center for Writing-based Learning at DePaul University.