{"id":466,"date":"2016-06-24T18:57:21","date_gmt":"2016-06-24T18:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level3-english\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=466"},"modified":"2016-10-06T20:21:06","modified_gmt":"2016-10-06T20:21:06","slug":"text-prewriting","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-engcomp1-2\/chapter\/text-prewriting\/","title":{"raw":"Prewriting","rendered":"Prewriting"},"content":{"raw":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">During the pre-writing stage, also known as the brainstorming stage, a writer seeks to generate and develop ideas about a topic.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Techniques and strategies<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\r\n \t<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">using free mental associations that might eventually lead to written notes or outlines<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">creating a personal inventory of interests and fascinations, likes and dislikes<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">conducting online or print catalog searches using keywords and questions<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">using the inductive or deductive reasoning process to identify a manageable topic<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">reading a text that addresses a similar topic; perhaps reading the table of contents, index, and chapter headings and subheadings to gain insight on the topic<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">creating a uniform set of questions to be answered about a topic (e.g. the \u201cfive Ws and an H\u201d model: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?)<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">writing handwritten notes\u2014organized or disorganized\u2014on a note card, on paper, or in electronic form<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">writing a preliminary outline\u2014formal or informal\u2014about the intended topic and subtopics<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">creating a graphic organization of ideas (e.g. Venn diagram or circle clusters)<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">writing a draft of the thesis or hypothesis with an outline of key supporting details<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">creating a very rough draft of the opening paragraph that includes a topical overview<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Starting off on the right foot<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-467\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2016\/06\/24185606\/8571446514_39c066d45d_z-268x300.jpg\" alt=\"Painting of person in purple shirt with head in thoughtful pose, bright colors streaming from his skull\" width=\"268\" height=\"300\" \/>The term \u201cpre-writing\u201d may be a bit misleading because writing can and often does occur at this critical stage. For example, written notes and outlines, including graphic organizers, can serve as a record of one\u2019s ideas and the sources of those ideas. A preliminary thesis or hypothesis could inform the process and the product.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">Many people do brainstorm via their thoughts without recording those ideas and sources in permanent form prior to the next steps in the writing process. Most emerging writers, however, need to record their pre-writing ideas in permanent form so that those ideas can clearly inform and guide the thinking and writing process, resulting in a coherent, well-organized product or text.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">Many students \u2014 and some teachers \u2014 want to skip the pre-writing stage because they see it as unnecessarily burdensome and time-consuming. However, teachers who dismiss the pre-writing stage as being completely unnecessary are performing a disservice to many of their students. Pre-writing is an essential part of the entire writing process because it enables the writer to begin documenting the process by which the eventual product will be formed and evaluated. It is part of a procedure that is necessary for accountability and reliability. Most professions include accountability and reliability in their standard operating procedures as written reports of preparatory work for use by the practitioner and for potential legal documentation and reference. Writers are no less responsible for accountability for their work than are lawyers and medical personnel.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Resources<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Skipping the pre-writing stage is like taking a vacation without first choosing a destination: If you don\u2019t know where you\u2019re going, how will you get there? Fortunately, pre-writing can take many forms, and there are strategies that suit every type of writer. <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The strategies and processes used in the pre-writing stage not only help the writer formulate a topic and solidify ideas, they also serve as a kind of rehearsal for the rest of the writing process. As the writer uses the vocabulary associated with a particular topic, he or she becomes more well-versed in the subject and is able to express ideas with more confidence, organization, and clarity. All of this brings to mind the old joke, \u201cHow do you get to Carnegie Hall?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">The answer, of course: \u201cPractice. Practice. Practice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">Just as a musician must practice his instrument in order to achieve his goal, the practice undertaken during the pre-writing stage guides the writer toward a specific goal: developing a well-defined topic that will eventually be couched in the language of a succinct thesis or hypothesis.<\/span><\/p>","rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">During the pre-writing stage, also known as the brainstorming stage, a writer seeks to generate and develop ideas about a topic.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Techniques and strategies<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">using free mental associations that might eventually lead to written notes or outlines<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">creating a personal inventory of interests and fascinations, likes and dislikes<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">conducting online or print catalog searches using keywords and questions<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">using the inductive or deductive reasoning process to identify a manageable topic<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">reading a text that addresses a similar topic; perhaps reading the table of contents, index, and chapter headings and subheadings to gain insight on the topic<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">creating a uniform set of questions to be answered about a topic (e.g. the \u201cfive Ws and an H\u201d model: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?)<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">writing handwritten notes\u2014organized or disorganized\u2014on a note card, on paper, or in electronic form<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">writing a preliminary outline\u2014formal or informal\u2014about the intended topic and subtopics<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">creating a graphic organization of ideas (e.g. Venn diagram or circle clusters)<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">writing a draft of the thesis or hypothesis with an outline of key supporting details<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\">creating a very rough draft of the opening paragraph that includes a topical overview<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Starting off on the right foot<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-467\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/107\/2016\/06\/24185606\/8571446514_39c066d45d_z-268x300.jpg\" alt=\"Painting of person in purple shirt with head in thoughtful pose, bright colors streaming from his skull\" width=\"268\" height=\"300\" \/>The term \u201cpre-writing\u201d may be a bit misleading because writing can and often does occur at this critical stage. For example, written notes and outlines, including graphic organizers, can serve as a record of one\u2019s ideas and the sources of those ideas. A preliminary thesis or hypothesis could inform the process and the product.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">Many people do brainstorm via their thoughts without recording those ideas and sources in permanent form prior to the next steps in the writing process. Most emerging writers, however, need to record their pre-writing ideas in permanent form so that those ideas can clearly inform and guide the thinking and writing process, resulting in a coherent, well-organized product or text.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">Many students \u2014 and some teachers \u2014 want to skip the pre-writing stage because they see it as unnecessarily burdensome and time-consuming. However, teachers who dismiss the pre-writing stage as being completely unnecessary are performing a disservice to many of their students. Pre-writing is an essential part of the entire writing process because it enables the writer to begin documenting the process by which the eventual product will be formed and evaluated. It is part of a procedure that is necessary for accountability and reliability. Most professions include accountability and reliability in their standard operating procedures as written reports of preparatory work for use by the practitioner and for potential legal documentation and reference. Writers are no less responsible for accountability for their work than are lawyers and medical personnel.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Resources<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Skipping the pre-writing stage is like taking a vacation without first choosing a destination: If you don\u2019t know where you\u2019re going, how will you get there? Fortunately, pre-writing can take many forms, and there are strategies that suit every type of writer. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The strategies and processes used in the pre-writing stage not only help the writer formulate a topic and solidify ideas, they also serve as a kind of rehearsal for the rest of the writing process. As the writer uses the vocabulary associated with a particular topic, he or she becomes more well-versed in the subject and is able to express ideas with more confidence, organization, and clarity. All of this brings to mind the old joke, \u201cHow do you get to Carnegie Hall?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">The answer, of course: \u201cPractice. Practice. Practice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p5\"><span class=\"s1\">Just as a musician must practice his instrument in order to achieve his goal, the practice undertaken during the pre-writing stage guides the writer toward a specific goal: developing a well-defined topic that will eventually be couched in the language of a succinct thesis or hypothesis.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-466\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Revision and Adaptation. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Pre-writing. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Vinetta Bell. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Learn NC. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.learnnc.org\/lp\/editions\/writing-process\/5805\">http:\/\/www.learnnc.org\/lp\/editions\/writing-process\/5805<\/a>. <strong>Project<\/strong>: A Writing Process. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Image of brainstorm. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: nist6dh. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/e4qUqA\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/e4qUqA<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":19,"menu_order":1,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Pre-writing\",\"author\":\"Vinetta Bell\",\"organization\":\"Learn NC\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.learnnc.org\/lp\/editions\/writing-process\/5805\",\"project\":\"A Writing Process\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Image of brainstorm\",\"author\":\"nist6dh\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/e4qUqA\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Revision and Adaptation\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-466","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":1841,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-engcomp1-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-engcomp1-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-engcomp1-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-engcomp1-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-engcomp1-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1738,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-engcomp1-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/466\/revisions\/1738"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-engcomp1-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/1841"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-engcomp1-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/466\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-engcomp1-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-engcomp1-2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=466"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-engcomp1-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=466"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-engcomp1-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}