Prewriting Strategies

Summary

This video script introduces prewriting techniques to combat writer's block and enhance the writing process. It outlines four methods: brainstorming, freewriting, clustering, and questioning. Brainstorming helps generate topics or details, freewriting encourages continuous writing to uncover ideas, clustering visually organizes related ideas, and questioning prompts exploration of topic facets. The video emphasizes the importance of choosing a prewriting method that best fits one's comfort and style to ease the writing process.

Takeaways

• 📝 Pre-writing is a preparatory phase before starting an actual writing task, which helps in generating ideas and preventing writer's block.
• 🤔 The video introduces four types of pre-writing techniques: brainstorming, clustering, free writing, and questioning.
• 💡 Brainstorming involves creating a list of ideas, which can help in choosing a topic or expanding on details for an assigned topic.
• ⏰ Free writing is the process of writing continuously for a set time, disregarding grammar and punctuation, to generate ideas on a topic.
• 🔗 Clustering, also known as webbing or mind mapping, visually organizes ideas and their relationships, which is useful for detailed exploration of a topic.
• 📌 Questioning involves asking the five Ws and an H (who, what, where, when, why, and how) about a topic to uncover potential angles and details.
• 👉 Each pre-writing method serves different purposes, such as overcoming initial block, finding a topic, or fleshing out details for an essay.
• 👀 The video emphasizes the importance of choosing a pre-writing method that the writer feels most comfortable with to ensure effectiveness.
• 🔑 Pre-writing can significantly reduce the time and effort spent on writing by providing a structured approach to generating and organizing ideas.
• 🚫 The script warns against the panic and frustration associated with staring at a blank page, which can be mitigated by engaging in pre-writing activities.

Q & A

What is prewriting and why is it important?

Prewriting is the process done before actual writing where you think about the writing assignment and generate ideas. It is important because it helps prevent writer's block and makes the writing process smoother by having ideas ready before starting to write.

What are the four types of prewriting discussed in the video?

The four types of prewriting discussed are brainstorming, clustering, freewriting, and questioning.

How can brainstorming help with writing?

Brainstorming can help with writing by generating a list of ideas or topics to write about, which can be useful when you have no idea where to start or when you need to think of details for a given topic.

What is freewriting and how does it differ from brainstorming?

Freewriting involves writing down everything that comes to your mind in a set amount of time, focusing on quantity over quality. It differs from brainstorming in that it allows for a continuous flow of ideas without the need to organize them immediately, which can be helpful for both finding a topic and generating details.

Can you explain the clustering method of prewriting?

Clustering, also known as webbing or mind mapping, is a prewriting technique where you organize ideas by showing their relationships. You start with a main topic in the center and branch out to related subtopics and further details, connecting them visually to show how they relate to one another.

How does questioning help in the prewriting process?

Questioning involves asking the six reporter's questions (who, what, where, when, why, and how) about your topic and then answering them. This method is useful for generating details and can help when you are really stuck and need to find a direction for your writing.

Why might a student use freewriting to generate ideas about the environment?

A student might use freewriting to generate ideas about the environment to narrow down a broad topic into something more manageable. By writing continuously for a set time, they can explore various aspects of the environment and potentially identify a specific subtopic to focus on for their paper.

How does clustering help in organizing the writing structure?

Clustering helps in organizing the writing structure by visually representing the relationships between the main topic and its subtopics and details. This allows a student to see how different ideas connect and can serve as a blueprint for organizing paragraphs and the flow of the essay.

What is the benefit of using prewriting techniques like questioning when you're stuck?

Using prewriting techniques like questioning when you're stuck can help stimulate thought and creativity by prompting you to consider different aspects of your topic. It can lead to the discovery of new angles or details that can be explored in the writing, thus overcoming writer's block.

How can prewriting help reduce the panic associated with writer's block?

Prewriting helps reduce panic associated with writer's block by providing a structured way to generate and organize ideas before starting to write. This preparation can alleviate the pressure of staring at a blank page and having no idea what to write about.

What is the main takeaway from the video regarding prewriting?

The main takeaway from the video is that prewriting is a valuable tool for any writer, as it helps to prevent writer's block, generates ideas, and organizes thoughts before the actual writing process begins, making the writing task more manageable and less daunting.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Introduction to Prewriting

The paragraph introduces the concept of prewriting as a method to prevent writer's block. It explains that prewriting involves generating ideas before starting the actual writing process, which helps in overcoming the initial panic and confusion. The paragraph outlines four types of prewriting techniques: brainstorming, clustering, freewriting, and questioning. Each technique is briefly introduced, setting the stage for a detailed discussion in the subsequent paragraphs.

05:02

💡 Techniques of Prewriting: Brainstorming and Freewriting

This paragraph delves into the first two prewriting techniques: brainstorming and freewriting. Brainstorming involves creating a list of ideas, which can help in both selecting a topic and generating details about it. Freewriting, on the other hand, is a timed exercise where one writes continuously for a set period, disregarding grammar and punctuation, to spur the flow of ideas. Examples are provided to illustrate how both techniques can be applied to generate topics and details for writing assignments.

10:03

🌐 Techniques of Prewriting: Clustering and Questioning

The final paragraph discusses the remaining two prewriting techniques: clustering and questioning. Clustering, also known as webbing or mind mapping, is a visual method for organizing ideas by showing their relationships, which is particularly useful for detailing a topic. Questioning involves asking and answering the six reporter's questions (who, what, where, when, why, and how) about the topic to uncover details and potential angles for the writing. The paragraph provides examples of how clustering can organize ideas and how questioning can lead to a more focused topic, ultimately concluding that prewriting can significantly ease the writing process by reducing writer's block.

Keywords

💡Prewriting

Prewriting is the process of generating ideas and organizing thoughts before beginning the actual writing task. It is crucial for preventing writer's block and ensuring a smooth writing process. In the video, prewriting is presented as a set of techniques that can help individuals overcome the initial hurdle of not knowing what to write about, allowing them to start their writing assignments with a clear direction.

💡Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a prewriting technique where one lists all ideas that come to mind related to a topic. It can be used to generate a topic or to flesh out details about a chosen topic. The video illustrates brainstorming with examples such as listing memorable events for a writing assignment or identifying solutions to a workplace problem, showing how it helps in both topic selection and content development.

💡Free Writing

Free writing is another prewriting method where one writes continuously for a set period without worrying about grammar, punctuation, or structure. The goal is to let ideas flow freely. The video provides an example of a student who uses free writing to narrow down a broad topic like 'the environment' to a more specific one, such as 'hybrid cars,' demonstrating how it can lead to a focused writing direction.

💡Clustering

Clustering, also known as webbing or mind mapping, is a visual prewriting technique that involves organizing ideas and their relationships. It's useful for detailing a topic and seeing how different ideas connect. The video gives an example of a student who clusters ideas about how TV affects kids, showing how this method can lead to a structured outline for an essay.

💡Questioning

Questioning involves using the five Ws and one H (who, what, where, when, why, and how) to explore a topic in depth. This prewriting technique is particularly helpful when one is stuck for details. The video demonstrates questioning by applying these questions to the topic of media, leading the student to a more specific topic about the impact of technology on media.

💡Writer's Block

Writer's block is a psychological state where an individual feels unable to start or continue writing. The video emphasizes that prewriting techniques can prevent writer's block by providing a foundation of ideas before the actual writing begins, thus reducing the panic and frustration associated with staring at a blank page.

💡Ideas Generation

Ideas generation is the process of coming up with potential topics or angles for a piece of writing. The video discusses various prewriting methods that facilitate ideas generation, such as brainstorming and questioning, which help writers to identify and develop their thoughts before committing them to paper.

💡Topic Selection

Topic selection is the process of choosing what to write about. The video explains how prewriting techniques like brainstorming and free writing can assist in topic selection by helping writers to identify and refine the subjects they are most interested in or have the most to say about.

💡Organization

Organization refers to the arrangement of ideas and information in a logical and coherent manner. Prewriting methods like clustering help in organizing thoughts by visually mapping out how different ideas relate to each other, which can then be translated into the structure of a written piece.

💡Details Development

Details development is the process of expanding on a topic with specific examples, evidence, or arguments. The video shows how prewriting can lead to the development of details, such as when a student brainstorms solutions to a parking problem or when another student uses questioning to delve deeper into the topic of media.

💡Overcoming Initial Stuckness

Overcoming initial stuckness is about breaking through the initial barrier that prevents one from starting to write. The video suggests that prewriting is a tool to overcome this stuckness by providing a variety of methods to generate ideas and organize thoughts, thus making the writing process less daunting.

Highlights

Pre-writing is essential before starting an assignment to prevent writer's block.

Four types of pre-writing methods are discussed: brainstorming, clustering, free writing, and questioning.

Brainstorming involves listing everything related to a topic to generate ideas.

Free writing encourages jotting down all thoughts within a set time frame to stimulate ideas.

Clustering, or mind mapping, organizes ideas by showing their relationships to the main topic.

Questioning uses the five Ws and an H to explore a topic in depth.

Pre-writing helps in overcoming the initial panic and blocks associated with staring at a blank page.

Having pre-written ideas ready can alleviate the pressure of immediate writing.

Brainstorming can be used both to find a topic and to flesh out details about a chosen topic.

Free writing is beneficial for both topic generation and detailing when a topic is already known.

Clustering allows for visual organization of ideas, making it easier to see connections and structure.

Questioning is particularly useful when one is stuck and needs a detailed exploration of a topic.

Examples are provided for brainstorming, illustrating how it can lead to identifying a specific writing topic.

Free writing examples show how it can help narrow down a broad topic into a more manageable one.

Clustering examples demonstrate how it can organize a paper's structure before writing begins.

Questioning examples illustrate how it can lead to a specific angle on a broad topic, such as the impact of technology on media.

The video emphasizes the importance of choosing a pre-writing method that one is most comfortable with.

Pre-writing is presented as a time-saving strategy that makes the writing process more efficient.

Transcripts

I'm sure you've been in this situation

before you are assigned a writing

assignment so you go home and you open

up your computer or you take out a piece

of paper and you have no idea where to

begin before too long Panic starts to

set in as you continue to stare at that

computer screen or that notebook paper

and still have no idea what to write the

good news is that there's something that

can prevent this from happening and that

is pre-writing this video will talk

about what prewriting is and how it can

benefit you as well as show you several

different ways that you can accomplish

prewriting to help you generate some

ideas before you get

stuck so prewriting is simply what you

do before you write this is when you

think about that writing

assignment and you generate

ideas why would you want to take the

time to do this well that's simple

having some ideas first before you

write means that when you actually sit

down to write when you open up Microsoft

Word or you take out that piece of paper

you are already

started this means you won't have any of

that terrible writers block that creates

so much Panic this video we'll talk

about four types of prewriting and as I

talk talk about them I will explain what

each one is best for how to do it and

then you can choose the one that you're

the most comfortable with so the four

types of freewriting we will discuss are

brainstorming

clustering free

writing and finally

questioning okay so let's get started

the first type of prewriting we're going

to discuss is brainstorming

brainstorming is when you write down a

list of everything you can think of it

really is that

simple brainstorming can be used in one

of two different ways one way is

when you have no idea where to even

start and you can't even think of a

topic can also be used when you have a

topic but you need to think of the

details

so here's an example of how

brainstorming can work when you need to

find a

topic let's say the writing assignment

is

to tell me about

your a memorable

event and you have no idea where to

start you can't even think of an event

all you would do in this case is begin

making a list of all the different

memorable events in your life life so I

could simply say having a baby getting

married graduating from high

school first

day

of college first job um a special

vacation and my list could go on and on

and on hopefully by the time I'm done

brainstorming this list I will have

identified what topic I most want to

write about so brainstorming can help

you come up with a topic Toc but

brainstorming can also help you come up

with more details to write about a topic

so here's an example of a student who's

brainstorming a list for an essay on why

I want to become a nurse as you can see

through this brainstorming activity this

student has quite a few ideas already

written

down here's another example of a student

who has brainstormed a business problem

so maybe the assignment here was to

write about a problem at your work or

campus and so the problem was that the

visitor parking lot is always full by 8:

a.m. and so here this student has come

up with many ways to solve that problem

both of these sample brainstorming lists

show us that these students already have

several ideas in place so when they sit

down to begin writing their paper they

will already have a good idea of where

they should start the next type of of

pre-writing we're going to talk about is

free

writing free writing is when you write

down everything that comes into your

mind in a set amount of

time this is good for both situations

that we used you brainstorming in when

you don't have a topic at all or you

need details about a topic so here's how

free writing Works in freew writing you

would set aside a certain amount of time

a short amount of time let's say 3 to 5

minutes and then you would just write

down everything you can think about if

you can't think of a topic at all you

would Freer write by writing down

anything you can think of that you could

possibly write about you ignore sentence

structure mistakes

punctuation you just focus on getting

the ideas out

there if you're free writing on a topic

that you already have you would focus on

details about that topic that you can

think of so let's look at some

examples so here's an example free right

of a student whose assigned topic is to

write a paper about the environment

that's pretty broad though there's a lot

of ways you could go there so this

student used freew writing to try to

narrow the topic down into something a

little bit more manageable and figure

out exactly what about the environment

she wanted to say so here's her free

write 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 so

for this free writing experience the

student went from I have no idea what to

write about the environment to possibly

identifying a topic writing about hybrid

cars first the student thought about how

many different topics there were and

then identified two resources she could

potentially look at to try to find a

topic her Biology book and her biology

Professor then as she started thinking

about her biology class she remembered a

conversation about hybrid cars and

started thinking about those and now

she's come up with the topic for hybrid

cars

therefore by using freew writing this

student went from feeling overwhelmed

and not knowing what to write about to

having a

topic the third type of prewriting that

I'm going to show you is clustering you

may have heard this referred to as

webbing or mind mapping from other

teachers but all those three words mean

the same thing clustering allows you to

organize ideas as you think about them

by showing their

relationships this is good for when you

have ATI

topic but you need

details I will show you what this looks

like in several examples and it'll make

a lot more sense this is generally what

a cluster looks like you start with your

topic your main idea in the middle and

then you think

of smaller ideas that fit within that

topic and that's what's here in red

connected ideas then from there you

think of even finer details that can

connect to each of those red ideas and

as you go you come up with more and more

details the great thing is though you

see how all these details are related by

the lines let's look at some examples of

student

work here's a sample cluster on how TV

affects kids so from that topic this

student thought of some main ways that

TV affects kids such as kids don't have

as much social interaction when they sit

around and watch TV or they don't get as

much exercise maybe this student thought

about how um TV has a lot of advertising

and how that makes kids be more

materialistic also that TV has poor role

models and promotes violence then the

student thought about some of these

topics in a little bit more detail for

example TV has poor role models and from

there we have the smaller detail that

the criminals are glorified when it

comes to how TV promotes violence the

student thought about more details for

that including that TV shows murders and

fighting and TV depicts violence as

normal this is nicely organized from

here if a student were to sit down and

start writing she already has an idea as

to how this paper would be organized

there might be one paragraph on how TV

promotes violence and look there's

already two details to go with that

another paragraph could be about how TV

shows poor role models and we're already

have to a good start with one detail for

that

subtopic here's another example this is

an example of a cluster about the summer

so the student thought of some major

ideas about summer summer mornings a

warm breeze no shoes energy in the beach

and then from there the student thought

of details about each one of these

subtopics so let's just look at the warm

soothing Breeze this the student thought

of the scent of lilax putting flowers in

vases the curtains blowing and that

fresh air coming in for um energy the

student thought about different things

that he might do in the summer to get

rid of some energy like riding a bike or

swimming stent thought about things that

happen at the beach reading the Sunday

Times eating

croissants but what's great about this

is when this student goes to sit down

and rate this this essay he's already

off to such a good start he can have one

paragraph about the warm soothing Breeze

and he already has some ideas of what to

say can have another paragraph about how

he spends his energy the third paragraph

about the beach and so on so the great

thing about clustering is that not only

do you generate ideas but you get begin

to organize those organize those ideas

as you go

the last type of prewriting we are going

to discuss is

questioning questioning is asking the

six reporters reporters questions about

your topic so what are these questions

who

what where I can't type today I'm sorry

when

why and

how well why would you do this this

doesn't seem like any of the other types

of prewriting we were just thinking of

things off the top of our head this is

really good for when you have a topic

but you are struggling mightily with

details this is the prewriting you

should use when you are really really

stuck and you're starting to panic so

here's how this works you ask these six

questions who what where when why and

how about your topic and then you answer

them so let's see an example so in this

example the topic at hand was media and

so this student applied the who what

where when why and how questions to

Media so who well the student thought of

who uses media I do students teachers

parents everybody uses media what well

what is media it can be a lot of things

TV radio email newspapers Etc where is

Media it's almost everywhere homes work

cars cell phones when when was media

media has been around for a long time

but it seems more important now why hm

why do we have mass media maybe because

we have better technology now or people

live far away from their families and

can stay in touch and how well maybe we

have media because of better technology

inventions but the student says I don't

know how they all work now this at first

doesn't look like a whole lot but from

here this student could come up with a

more specific topic about media and that

to me would be how technology has

affected media so if we look at the

answers to the questions and we look for

Trends here we have media in a lot of

things look at TV radio email media is

almost everywhere including on your

phone media is a lot more important now

why do we have media because we have the

technology people can stay in touch and

how is Media accomplished through

technology inventions so from here a

great topic would be how technology

Innovations have impacted or increased

media so this student went from I have

no idea what to say about media to

having a topic so in conclusion

prewriting can really really help

prevent writer block by using prewriting

you can think about things to say or

come up with a topic if you are really

stuck and you can't even think of a

topic at all then you should use

brainstorming by making a list of topics

you might want to talk write about or

Freer writing by just writing down

everything that comes into your mind and

then going back over your free rate to

see if a topic has

emerged if you have a topic but you're

not really sure what to say about it in

your writing then you can use any of the

four types of pre-writing but you can

brainstorm by making a list of

everything you know or want to know

about that topic you can freew write

about the topic and just write whatever

comes into your mind and then see if a

if a potential more detailed subtopic

has emerged from your free right you can

make a cluster to generate some ideas

and see how those ideas connect to each

other or you can use questioning and ask

the reporter's questions to try to get

an idea of where your top could go but

no matter what method you choose make

sure it's the one that you're the most

comfortable with the one that you like

the most and the one that works best for

you prewriting might seem like a little

bit of of a different thing to do it

might not be something you ever really

tried before but I assure you if you

take the very short amount of time that

it takes to do prewriting you will start

writing those essays so much easier and

so much more quickly because you won't

be stuck wow