4.2 Prewriting
Prewriting is the stage of the writing process during which you transfer your abstract thoughts into more concrete ideas in ink on paper (or in type on a computer screen). There are many different kinds of prewriting strategies!
Understanding the Assignment
Always read over the entire assignment sheet provided to you by your instructor. Think of this sheet as a contract; by accepting the sheet, you are agreeing to follow all guidelines and requirements that have been provided. This sheet is a direct communication from your instructor to you, laying out every expectation and requirement of an assignment. Follow each to ensure you are conducting and completing the assignment properly. Ask your peers or your instructor if you have any questions!
For example, after rereading the assignment, you might realize your subject is too broad for your class’s essay requirement. Maybe a few pages are not enough to cover all the concerns in a subject, something that is too broad. Maybe you see that your audience is interested in the subject, but they may want to read a paper about a more specific issue.
Choosing a Subject
In addition to understanding that writing is a process, writers also understand that choosing a good general subject for an assignment is an essential step. Sometimes your instructor will give you an idea to begin an assignment, and other times your instructor will ask you to come up with a subject on your own. A good subject not only covers what an assignment will be about but also fits the assignment’s purpose and audience.
You may find that you need to adjust your subject as you move through the writing stages. If the subject you have chosen is not working, you can repeat the prewriting activities until you find a better one.
When selecting a subject, you may also want to consider something that interests you or something based on your own life and personal experiences. Even everyday observations can lead to interesting subjects. It is easier to write about something you know or enjoy! After writers think about their experiences and observations, they often take notes to better develop their thoughts. These notes help writers discover what they have to say about their subject.
Although prewriting techniques can be helpful in all stages of the writing process, the following four strategies are best used when initially deciding on a subject:
- Reading
- Freewriting
- Asking questions
- Searching the Internet
At this stage in the writing process, it is acceptable to choose a general subject. Later you will learn more prewriting strategies that will narrow the focus of the subject.
Reading
Reading plays a vital role in all the stages of the writing process, but it first figures in the development of ideas and subjects. Different kinds of documents can help you choose a subject and also develop that subject. For example, a magazine advertising the latest research on the threat of global warming may catch your eye in the supermarket. This cover may interest you, and you may consider global warming as a subject. Or maybe a novel’s courtroom drama sparks your curiosity about a particular lawsuit or legal controversy.
After you choose a subject, critical reading is essential to the development of a subject. While reading almost any document, you evaluate the author’s point of view by thinking about his main idea and his support. When you judge the author’s argument, you discover more about not only the author’s opinion but also your own. If this step already seems daunting, remember that even the best writers need to use prewriting strategies to generate ideas.
The steps in the writing process may seem time-consuming at first, but following these steps will save you time in the future. The more you plan in the beginning by reading and using prewriting strategies, the less time you may spend writing and editing later because your ideas will develop more swiftly. Prewriting strategies depend on your critical reading skills. Reading prewriting exercises (and outlines and drafts later in the writing process) will further develop your subject and ideas
Freewriting
Freewriting is an exercise in which you write freely about any subject for a set amount of time. During the time limit, you may jot down any thoughts that come to your mind. Try not to worry about grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Instead, write as quickly as you can without stopping. If you get stuck, just copy the same word or phrase over and over until you come up with a new thought.
Writing often comes easier when you have a personal connection with the subject you have chosen. Remember, to generate ideas in your freewriting, you may also think about readings that you have enjoyed or that have challenged your thinking. Doing this may lead your thoughts in interesting directions.
Quickly recording your thoughts on paper will help you discover what you have to say about a subject. When writing quickly, try not to doubt or question your ideas. Allow yourself to write freely and unselfconsciously. Once you start writing with a few limitations, you may find you have more to say than you first realized. Your flow of thoughts can lead you to discover even more ideas about the subject. Freewriting may even lead you to discover another subject that excites you even more.
Some prewriting strategies can be used together. The key to effective prewriting is to use the techniques that work best for your thinking process. Freewriting may not seem to fit your thinking process but keep an open mind. It may work better than you think.
Asking Questions
Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? In everyday situations, you pose these kinds of questions to get more information. Who will be my partner for the project? When is the next meeting? Why is my car making that odd noise? Even the title of this chapter begins with the question “How do I begin?”
You seek the answers to these questions to gain knowledge, to better understand your daily experiences, and to plan for the future. Asking these types of questions will also help you with the writing process. As you choose your subject, answering these questions can help you revisit the ideas you already have and generate new ways to think about your subject. You may also discover aspects of the subject that are unfamiliar to you and that you would like to learn more about.
As you reflect and ask questions on your subject idea, you will begin to narrow your focus. Narrowing the focus means breaking up the subject into sub-points, or more specific points. Generating lots of sub-points will help you eventually select the ones that fit the assignment and appeal to you and your audience.
Searching the Internet
Using search engines on the Internet is a good way to see what kinds of websites are available on your subject. Writers use search engines not only to understand more about the subject’s specific issues but also to get better acquainted with their audience.
When you search the internet, type some keywords from your broad subject or words from your narrowed focus into your browser’s search engine (many good general and specialized search engines are available for you to try). Then look over the results for relevant and interesting articles. If the search engine results are not what you are looking for, revise your keywords and search again. Some search engines also offer suggestions for related searches that may give you better results.
Not all the results online search engines return will be useful or reliable. Give careful consideration to the reliability of an online source before selecting a subject based on it. Remember that factual information can be verified in other sources, both online and in print. If you have doubts about any information you find, either do not use it or identify it as potentially unreliable.
Finally…
Now that you have completed some of the prewriting exercises, you may feel less anxious about starting a paper from scratch. With some ideas down on paper (or saved on a computer), writers are often more comfortable continuing the writing process. After identifying a good general subject, you, too, are ready to continue the process.
Attributions
The Writing Textbook by Josh Woods, editor, and contributor, as well as an unnamed author (by request from the original publisher), and other authors named separately is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
This chapter has additions, edits, and organization by James Charles Devlin.
