Invention & Planning Techniques | Rhetoric & Composition | Study Hall

Summary

The video script from 'Study Hall, Rhetoric and Composition' explores various invention and planning strategies to enhance the writing process. It introduces techniques like freewriting, looping, and list making to stimulate idea generation. The script also discusses planning methods such as mind mapping and affinity mapping, which help organize these ideas into a coherent structure. These strategies are designed to boost confidence in tackling any writing task, whether it's a personal statement or a poem, by providing a flexible yet structured approach to drafting and revising.

Takeaways

• 🎬 Sarah Kay's method of identifying three things you know to be true can unlock poetic thoughts and is a strategy used in her workshops with Project VOICE.
• 📝 Freewriting is an invention strategy where you write continuously for a set time without stopping, which can help unlock creativity.
• ⏰ Creating constraints, like time limits during freewriting, can stimulate the mind and aid in the generation of ideas.
• 🔁 Looping extends freewriting by using the most promising ideas from one session to start another, iteratively building on your thoughts.
• 📋 List making is a common invention technique that leverages the brain's ability to link thoughts and can be a starting point for writing.
• 💭 Speaking aloud about a topic and listening back can be a useful invention strategy for some writers.
• 📊 Mind mapping is a planning technique that visually organizes ideas and can help identify main and minor points.
• 🔖 Affinity mapping uses sticky notes to group and categorize ideas, allowing for flexible planning and reorganization.
• 📖 Outlining is a planning method that structures ideas hierarchically, providing a detailed roadmap for writing.
• ✍️ The writing process is iterative, allowing for revisiting invention and planning stages as needed during drafting and revising.

Q & A

What is the significance of the three things Sarah Kay asks her students to list?

The three things Sarah Kay asks her students to list serve as a starting point for creative writing. By identifying three things they know to be true, students can tap into their own experiences and thoughts, which can then be developed into a poem or other forms of writing.

How does the nonprofit Project VOICE relate to Sarah Kay's teaching method?

Project VOICE is the nonprofit organization that Sarah Kay works with, which treats everyone as a potential poet. This aligns with her teaching method, which aims to help people tap into their poetic thoughts by starting with simple exercises like listing three things they know to be true.

What is the role of invention strategies in the writing process as described in the script?

Invention strategies play a crucial role in the writing process by prompting the generation of ideas. They are deliberate methods used to stimulate the mind and help writers come up with topics or ideas to write about, especially when inspiration is lacking.

Can you explain the concept of freewriting as mentioned in the script?

Freewriting is an invention strategy where one writes continuously for a set period without stopping, even if it means disregarding grammar, punctuation, or staying on topic. The goal is to generate ideas and overcome writer's block by focusing on the act of writing rather than the quality of the output.

What is looping, and how does it build on freewriting?

Looping is an invention technique that extends freewriting by creating a sequence of timed freewrites. After each freewrite, the writer pulls the most promising idea and uses it as a starting point for the next freewrite, repeating this process to generate and refine ideas.

How does list making as an invention technique differ from other strategies?

List making is an invention technique that leverages the brain's ability to think in linked thoughts. It starts with a central idea or question and then builds a list of related thoughts or ideas. This method is different from freewriting and looping as it is more structured and relies on the associative nature of thoughts.

What is the purpose of planning in the writing process?

Planning in the writing process is about organizing and structuring the ideas generated during invention. It involves narrowing down and arranging these ideas into a coherent order or framework that will guide the writing and ensure a logical flow of content.

Can you describe how mind mapping is used as a planning technique?

Mind mapping is a planning technique where ideas are visually organized in a diagram. It starts with a central concept and branches out into related ideas, often represented as bubbles or nodes connected by lines. This visual representation helps in identifying main ideas, sub-ideas, and the relationships between them.

What is affinity mapping, and how does it relate to mind mapping?

Affinity mapping is a planning technique where ideas are written on sticky notes and then grouped on a wall or board based on similarities or relationships. It relates to mind mapping in that both techniques help in organizing and categorizing ideas, but affinity mapping uses physical grouping and rearranging of notes for a tactile approach to planning.

How does the script suggest using invention and planning techniques together?

The script suggests using invention and planning techniques together by first generating a wide range of ideas through invention strategies and then narrowing and organizing them through planning techniques. This combined approach ensures that writers have a rich pool of ideas to draw from and a structured plan to guide their writing.

What does the script imply about the flexibility of the writing process?

The script implies that the writing process is iterative and flexible, allowing writers to return to invention or planning stages as needed. It emphasizes that while there is an order to the process, writers can adapt and use different steps based on their needs and the context of their writing task.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Introduction to Invention and Planning Strategies

The paragraph introduces the concept of using three true statements as a creative exercise to generate poetic thoughts, a method used by spoken-word poet Sarah Kay. It emphasizes the importance of invention and planning in the writing process, suggesting that these strategies help writers overcome the initial blankness when starting a new writing task. The paragraph also introduces the speaker, Dr. Emily Zarka, and sets the stage for a discussion on various invention and planning techniques that can be employed to enhance the writing process.

05:03

📝 Invention Techniques: Freewriting and Looping

This section delves into two specific invention techniques: freewriting and looping. Freewriting involves setting a timer and writing continuously without stopping, even if it means disregarding grammar or punctuation. Looping is an extension of freewriting where the most promising idea from one session is used to start the next, creating a chain of related ideas. The paragraph explains how these techniques can help unlock creativity by providing a structured approach to brainstorming.

10:03

📋 List Making and Its Role in Invention

The paragraph discusses list making as an invention technique, highlighting how it leverages the brain's natural tendency to think in linked thoughts. It suggests starting with a central idea or question and then listing related thoughts or ideas, which can help in generating a network of connected ideas. The example of a college personal statement is used to illustrate how list making can lead to unexpected but potentially more engaging ideas for a writing project.

🌐 Planning Techniques: Mind Mapping and Affinity Mapping

This section introduces planning techniques that follow the invention phase, focusing on mind mapping and affinity mapping. Mind mapping involves creating a visual diagram to connect and organize ideas, identifying main and minor points. Affinity mapping uses sticky notes to group related concepts on a wall, allowing for physical manipulation of ideas to find the best organization. The paragraph provides an example of how a student named Alma uses these techniques to plan her poem, demonstrating how they can help in transforming a broad set of ideas into a structured plan for writing.

🔄 The Iterative Nature of Writing and Planning

The final paragraph emphasizes the iterative nature of the writing process, where invention and planning can overlap and inform each other. It suggests that writers can return to invention for new ideas or to planning for further organization at any stage of the writing process. The paragraph also encourages viewers to try new techniques and to share their strategies in the comments. It concludes with a call to subscribe for more content and provides information about the Study Hall Project, a partnership between ASU and Crash Course.

Keywords

💡Invention strategies

Invention strategies refer to the methods used to generate ideas during the early stages of the writing process. These strategies are designed to stimulate the brain and prompt the emergence of thoughts and concepts. In the context of the video, they are depicted as essential tools for overcoming writer's block and initiating the creative process. Examples from the script include freewriting, looping, and list making, which are all techniques to help writers expand their idea pool.

💡Freewriting

Freewriting is an invention strategy where one writes continuously for a set period without pause, regardless of grammar, punctuation, or topic deviation. It's a technique aimed at unleashing creativity by eliminating the pressure of immediate perfection. The video script illustrates this by suggesting a timed session of freewriting to generate raw ideas that can later be refined.

💡Looping

Looping is described in the video as a sequence of freewrites where each new writing session starts with the most promising idea from the previous one. This iterative process helps in deepening the exploration of a concept and is shown as a way to build upon initial ideas and create a more structured thought process.

💡List making

List making is a common invention strategy that involves creating a list of ideas related to a central topic or question. It leverages the brain's ability to link thoughts and can lead to the generation of new and unexpected ideas. In the video, list making is highlighted as a method used by Sarah Kay to help people tap into their poetic thoughts by identifying three things they know to be true.

💡Planning

Planning in the context of the video refers to the stage of the writing process where ideas are organized and structured. It is the phase that follows invention and involves deciding the order and presentation of ideas. Planning helps in transforming a broad set of ideas into a coherent and structured format, ready for drafting.

💡Mind mapping

Mind mapping is a visual planning technique where ideas are organized in a diagrammatic way, often with a central concept and branching sub-ideas. The video uses the example of a student, Alma, who uses mind mapping to connect her ideas about love and pain, visually representing the causality and relationships between different concepts.

💡Affinity mapping

Affinity mapping is a planning technique where ideas are written on sticky notes and then grouped on a wall or board based on their similarities or relationships. This method allows for a physical manipulation of ideas, facilitating the organization and reorganization of thoughts. In the video, Alma uses affinity mapping to group and refine her poem's ideas into sections.

💡Drafting

Drafting is the stage in the writing process where the writer begins to put their ideas into a tangible form, typically in written text. The video emphasizes that drafting is an iterative process that can be informed by both invention and planning strategies, and may involve returning to these strategies as the draft evolves.

💡Iterative process

The iterative process in writing refers to the non-linear nature of the writing process, where one can return to previous stages, such as invention or planning, as needed. The video script explains that while there is a general order to the writing process, it is flexible and allows for revisiting earlier steps to refine and expand upon ideas.

💡Rhetoric and Composition

Rhetoric and Composition is the academic study of the art of persuasive writing and communication. The video is part of a series that explores various aspects of this field, with a focus on practical strategies for improving writing skills. The term is used to frame the discussion on invention and planning within the broader context of writing as a form of communication.

💡Project VOICE

Project VOICE is mentioned in the video as a nonprofit organization that Sarah Kay works with. It is dedicated to treating everyone as a potential poet, emphasizing the accessibility of poetry and creative writing to all individuals. The organization's mission aligns with the video's theme of empowering writers through structured invention and planning strategies.

Highlights

Sarah Kay's method of using three true things to inspire poetry writing.

The nonprofit Project VOICE encourages everyone's poetic potential.

Dr. Emily Zarka introduces invention and planning strategies in writing.

Freewriting as an invention strategy to prompt idea generation.

Creating a time constraint in freewriting to enhance creativity.

Looping as an invention technique to refine and build on ideas.

Adapting freewriting and looping to suit different writing tasks.

List making as a common invention technique to trigger new thoughts.

The brain's tendency to work in linked thoughts and its application in list making.

Using mind mapping to connect and organize ideas visually.

Affinity mapping as a planning technique to group and categorize ideas.

The iterative nature of the writing process allowing for revisiting invention and planning.

Practicing invention and planning strategies to build confidence in writing.

The importance of being flexible with strategies to best fit the writing context.

Encouragement to try new invention and planning techniques for various writing tasks.

Transcripts

Think of three things you know to be true.

For me, I'd say, one,

never separate from the group in a horror movie.

Two, don't mess with Ouija boards.

And three, duct tape is invaluable.

Believe it or not,

what we have with just these three things

is the potential for a poem.

In fact, this is a method spoken-word poet,

Sarah Kay uses when she leads classes

and workshops that help people to tap

into their own most poetic thoughts.

The nonprofit she works with, Project VOICE,

treats everyone as a potential poet.

In her famous Ted Talk,

she points out to a student that

while some people feel they cannot write poems,

almost anyone can make lists.

So she gives structure to the audience by asking

them to come up with three things they know to be true.

But if she just said, "think of a topic for a poem,"

many people's minds would go blank.

But by starting with a specific exercise and

identifying three things they know to be true,

maybe a poem comes from those three things and maybe not.

But there's something to work with and

consistently build from.

If we're lucky,

there'll still be occasional wonderful moments

when inspiration just shows up the minute we find out

we have a new writing task to accomplish.

But, that's rare for a lot of us.

And we want invention and planning strategies

to turn to when we want to write with

or without that inspiration.

Hi, I'm Dr. Emily Zarka.

And welcome to Study Hall, Rhetoric and Composition.

In other episodes about the writing process,

we've talked about the importance of invention

or the step of the writing process where we come up

with ideas. And planning,

which is the stage where we zoom in

and organize those ideas.

Now, in this episode,

we're digging into some specific strategies

we can use to make those steps work effectively.

But there are way more invention and planning strategies

out there than we can possibly cover.

And if your own strategies for these stages look different,

that's great.

Here we'll give you a few methods that have been

widely successful to help you launch your writing process,

if you've had trouble with invention and planning

or just need some fresh ways to get started.

But you can also find or create your own.

First, let's focus on invention.

Overall, invention strategies are ways to deliberately

prompt our idea-having muscles

rather than waiting for ideas to show up.

The goal is that by using invention strategies

we'll be more confident that we will come up

with ways to get started.

Even if we start out feeling like we need some caffeine

or a lightning bolt or something

Take freewriting,

which was written down as common wisdom

by author and editor, Dorothea Brande in 1932.

The way we start freewriting is

by focusing on the task we want to accomplish.

We might reread an assignment sheet for a class

or a request from a workplace supervisor

or just focus intently on our personal goal.

The second step is to create a constraint

or a limit on how long we'll write.

It could be two minutes

or it could be 10 or whatever works for you.

As you try freewriting,

you'll figure out what time lengths work best for you,

depending on your style and the writing you have to do.

If you're new to freewriting

or are starting a new kind of writing task,

I recommend just sitting down for 15 minutes

and trying to write something.

Then you can take a break.

Then the third step is to write without stopping.

Seriously, don't stop.

That means if punctuation goes out the window, keep going.

If you stray off topic, keep going.

Once our timer dings, we reread our work.

If we see things that are a good start

we consider highlighting or underlining them.

If we don't see a ton that we like

we start again with a new timed freewrite.

Who knows what will come out

when we're forced to keep writing?

This technique is a great example

of how creating a constraint

like a time limit can open our minds

and unlock some of our creativity on a given topic.

Then to build on our freewriting skills,

we can introduce another constraint

which creates a new invention technique called looping.

Looping is a sequence of freewrites where we start

with one timed freewrite and pull the most promising

or most central or most useful idea from that freewrite

to put at the top of the page for a new freewrite.

Then we use that idea from our first freewrite

to launch again into freewriting.

Then we pull an idea from the second freewrite

and start again repeating as many times as we need.

For instance, experiment with weather

something like four freewrites of six minutes each.

Or five fast, three minute freewrites works better.

But we can also adapt freewriting

and looping into whatever we need.

Like if we know that our project has multiple focus points,

we can do a freewrite for each focus area.

Then pull common ideas together

and do another freewrite on a central thread we found.

All invention techniques you read

or hear about are really just ideas and starting places.

For the last invention technique we'll talk through today,

let's go back to Sarah Kay's strategy

and a common invention technique. List making.

Lists are something many of us create

all the time for everything from groceries

to the monsters that would make the best companions.

And they rely on our ability to trigger a new thought

by thinking of a current thought.

Think of how writing down a bill we need to pay

on a to-do list might trigger us to think

about checking our bank account

and then trigger us to remember we should really

get cash to pay someone back.

Our brains often work in linked thoughts.

When we're using list making

during the invention stage of the writing process,

we intentionally start with the idea topic

or question that's at the core of the writing task.

So if someone was working on a personal statement

for college,

they'd start with writing the prompt

or a question from the college website

at the top of their list.

Then we make a list.

It could be key parts of that idea.

Like all the qualities we think the application reader

wants us to talk about.

It could also be key points that we need to make

or even all the different ways to answer a question

where we write all the personal qualities we think we bring

to a college experience.

While it feels like just making a list,

we're actually putting our brains

in a position to jump from one idea to the next.

Like connected stepping stones.

We may even end up in a place where we didn't expect.

With more ideas and ways to get started than before.

For instance,

the person applying to college might start writing

personality qualities like studious and outgoing

and end up talking about their out-of-the-box thinking

and willingness to try new things.

Realizing that those will make for more fun examples

than a more expected focus on past academic success.

Freewriting, looping and list making are only a few

of the strategies you can try.

Some people like to speak out loud

into a digital recorder about the topic

and listen to what they said as a form of invention.

Others start their thinking by analyzing

the assignment itself or by looking at the key terms

of their project guidelines in a dictionary or encyclopedia

and letting those core topics prompt ideas for the project.

Whatever it is,

invention strategies bring us to a place where

we can start giving a recognizable order and shape

to our project.

Molding it from a list, diagram,

or freewrite into something that will eventually

fit the genre or a specific kind of writing

that we're working toward.

Once we've generated the ideas,

now it's time to figure out how to use them.

Invention and planning can sometimes feel similar.

But think about invention as the widening stage

where we get as many ideas as possible

and planning as the narrowing and organizing stage

where we figure out how we'll address

our big old pile of ideas.

Planning is all about adding structure

to how we'll use our initial ideas going forward.

Maybe we're planning the order of the ideas will appear

or the order in which will complete tasks

as we progress through the process.

Sometimes there will be big picture

or macroplanning that needs to be done.

Like picking the four key arguments that we'll mention

in a debate speech,

or identifying the three areas we need to discuss

in an email.

Other times we'll zoom in on a topic

and get into the nitty gritty details, or microplanning.

Like identifying what we want each sentence

in a given paragraph to do.

Maybe to introduce a topic, cite a trusted resource,

elaborate on the point and transition to the next paragraph.

Let's look at an invention/planning technique

called mind mapping and how it works well

with another planning technique

called affinity mapping.

These two structures can help someone progress

from some of their invention ideas

to getting ready to draft.

Let's say one of Sarah Kay's students,

Alma is trying to write a poem

and used list making to write a bunch

of answers to the prompt,

"Why being vulnerable and willing to fall in love

sometimes ends up being painful."

Her list leads her to use the mind mapping

strategy to connect some of those ideas.

In her case, she ends up drawing arrows

of causality showing how certain experiences

of love cause hurt but also cause more possibility

for meaning and connection.

She adds more bubbles as she keeps thinking.

Since, even now, there's some invention going on too.

Mind mapping helps her see three main sections

with ideas that come from each one.

Noticing what ideas are main

and which ones are minor is part

of the goal of this kind of planning.

But once the mind map is done

she wants a little more time to strategize.

Alma starts writing half-formed lines and concepts

on sticky notes and putting them on a wall.

A technique known as affinity mapping.

Affinity mapping lets you group notes on a wall in lines,

clumps or some other way to show categories.

She lets her mind map guide her to create three sections

on the wall.

She uses the extra space on the notes to elaborate

on each idea to move forward in her plan.

And now she can move the sticky notes

and test individual ideas and lines out

in each of the three sections of the poem.

Even when she sits down to type up the full poem draft

she can return and move a sticky note,

placing it higher on the wall

or otherwise organize her thoughts visually.

This helps her keep the plan responsive

to any new ideas that continue to come to her,

all while confidently beginning to draft the poem

she's been brewing in the invention and planning stages.

Mind mapping and affinity mapping are valuable options

for any writer, even and especially for writing like poetry.

Which has a totally misleading reputation

for coming to people fully formed and

with no need for a strategic effort or prep work.

You don't even need a wall or a big piece of paper.

You can use text boxes and a word processor

or a single regular piece of paper

to make these same kinds of diagrams

and sticky note-like processes.

Of course, just like with invention,

there are tons of other planning techniques out there.

For instance,

plenty of people use outlining to great effect

for invention or planning, or both.

Outlines are like lists,

but they have subsections and even sub-subsections.

Maybe as we're transforming our ideas into a plan

we decide that our project will have four major sections.

And each section has multiple key points to cover.

With bullet points or subpoints

under those key ideas that we want to fill in

with different resources and tasks we'll need to do.

And just like mind mapping or affinity mapping,

when we delve into using an outline,

we get the chance to organize and reorganize our thoughts

making a guide for what we want to accomplish.

Because the writing process is iterative,

or able to be done over and over,

planning and invention can definitely blur and overlap.

You can return to the well of invention

during drafting or revising if you realize

you need more ideas or to widen things out.

You can also return to planning

if you realize your initial plan only led

through a certain part of the draft

and you need more organization and steps.

That's the weird and wonderful part of the writing process.

It's in an order for a reason,

but you can use any of the steps

when it makes sense to use them in your context.

That's a key takeaway from any invention

or planning technique too.

We want to make them work for us.

The strategies are designed to give us steps to follow.

Like writing things on sticky notes and moving them around.

But not to hold us back if we realize there's another way

or order that would work better.

And practicing these strategies helps us build confidence

that we can figure out first steps in any writing situation

and gives us a better idea for when we need a lot

of invention, a lot of planning, or both.

That way when we do run up against a task

that's harder or different from anything we've done before,

we've already been building this muscle

that helps us generate and organize ideas.

It'll be nice to have that toolkit ready to go

for our biggest writing challenges.

So next time you have a writing task to handle,

try out a new invention or planning technique.

And let us know in the comments what strategies

you use to build ideas and set yourself up

for drafting success.

Thanks for watching Study Hall, Rhetoric and Composition.

Which is part of the Study Hall Project,

a partnership between ASU and Crash Course.

If you liked this video and want to keep learning with us,

be sure to subscribe.

You can learn more about Study Hall and the videos produced

by Crash Course and ASU in the links in the description.

See you next time.