By Tammie, Brooke, Preston and Jonai Prewriting How is it different from writing a rough draft? By Tammie, Brooke, Preston and Jonai
You should try… Prewriting: A way to organize your thoughts, focus your ideas, and filter your mind.
Clustering/Webbing Freewriting Listing Outlining Research Dialoguing There are many ways to prewrite: Clustering/Webbing Freewriting Listing Outlining Research Dialoguing Let’s try to find one that not only interests you but also works for you!
Clustering/Webbing? What is Begin with a word that represents your main idea and circle it Write down a related word and circle it Allow one word to prompt another and watch as your ideas take on a pattern
Example of Clustering/Webbing Nature Whitman William Blake John Keats Thomas Moore Leaves of Grass For example, if you are doing your paper on nature in Romantic poetry, you would write “nature” and circle it. From here you can write down each word that strikes you, from names of poems to poets or whole phrases. Pastoral Poetry
Freewriting Another choice is Write down whatever comes into you head as you are thinking about your topic. Do not think before you start; just pick up a pen and write on the topic. Write sentences, but don’t worry about correct punctuation, grammar, or spelling. The point of this kind of writing is flow. Don’t reread what you’ve written until after you finish. Think of it as your MIND DUMP!
Listing It’s like writing your grocery list! Focus on your topic and make a list of your ideas and thoughts Freewrite paragraphs; list shorter or fragmented ideas It’s like writing your grocery list!
Outlining Place ideas into an organized, plotted outline. An outline will provide you with a brief overview of information and where you plan to place it in your paper.
Research Gather information in order to get acquainted with your topic Use secondary sources to formulate ideas or find a general direction to follow Try clustering or freewriting about your research
Dialoguing Dialoguing would be like such: Imagine two people or two opposing sides of your argument Write questions passing between the imagined sides regarding your topic Have the two sides raise points and generate ideas you will cover in your paper Don’t worry about sounding correct or rehearsed Dialoguing would be like such:
Prewriting is a very free and creative process. Feel free to combine any of the methods together to create your own individual process. Dialoguing + Freewriting = Kermit’s Prewriting Process After prewriting is finished, you can begin to draft your ideas into a paper.
How does a rough draft differ from prewriting? Prewriting is the informal creation of ideas for your paper while drafting is the formal crafting of your paper Drafts have some type of organization as well as a thesis, introduction, body, and conclusion. Drafts have a purpose and address an audience