PREWRITING: STEP 1 IN THE WRITING
PROCESS College of the
Siskiyous
W RITING LAB
INTRODUCTION: Prewriting is the first step of the writing process.
If you take this step seriously, each step that follows will be less difficult and
time-consuming. Plus, prewriting can be fun.
During
P this step, you, the writer, will do the following:
ROCESS
Brainstorm your topic
Collect ideas for content material
Consider organization of content material
Prewriting Techniques:
There are many prewriting techniques. Although one technique may not work for you, it may work for
another writer. Experiment with each technique to figure out which one best suits your style and
purpose.
Freewriting: Jot down ideas about your topic in rough sentences and phrases. In freewriting, you
do not worry about grammar or punctuation or organization. When freewriting, you rarely lift
your pencil from the paper. The goal is to write down anything that comes to mind on the topic.
Questioning: Generate ideas and details by asking questions about the subject. You begin by
asking who, what, when, where, and why questions about your subject/topic. For example, if
your topic has something to do with the high cost of gasoline, you could begin by asking:
o Why is the cost of gasoline so high?
o When did the cost of gasoline jump?
o Where is gasoline the most/least expensive?
Making a List: Collect ideas and details that relate to your subject (brainstorming). In list-making, you
jot down all ideas that come to mind.
Clustering: Create a visual map of ideas on the paper. You begin with your topic in the center of the
page and draw lines or arrows from that topic to ideas/details. Example:
Outlining: This step usually comes after you have used one of the above techniques to brainstorm your
topic. When outlining, you begin to organize thoughts and ideas by grouping them together in a logical
sequence.
Adapted from Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2017