During the prewriting stage, also known as the brainstorming stage, a writer seeks to generate and develop ideas about a topic.

Techniques and strategies

• using free mental associations that might eventually lead to written notes or outlines
• creating a personal inventory of interests and fascinations, likes and dislikes
• conducting online or print catalog searches using keywords and questions
• using the inductive or deductive reasoning process to identify a manageable topic
• 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
• creating a uniform set of questions to be answered about a topic (e.g. the “five Ws and an H” model: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?)
• writing handwritten notes—organized or disorganized—on a note card, on paper, or in electronic form
• writing a preliminary outline—formal or informal—about the intended topic and subtopics
• creating a graphic organization of ideas (e.g. Venn diagram or circle clusters)
• writing a draft of the thesis or hypothesis with an outline of key supporting details
• creating a very rough draft of the opening paragraph that includes a topical overview

Starting off on the right foot

The term “prewriting” 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’s ideas and the sources of those ideas. A preliminary thesis or hypothesis could inform the process and the product.

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 prewriting 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.

Many students — and some teachers — want to skip the prewriting stage because they see it as unnecessarily burdensome and time-consuming. However, teachers who dismiss the prewriting stage as being completely unnecessary are performing a disservice to many of their students. Prewriting 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.

Resources

Skipping the prewriting stage is like taking a vacation without first choosing a destination: If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you get there? Fortunately, prewriting can take many forms, and there are strategies that suit every type of writer.

The strategies and processes used in the prewriting 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, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”

The answer, of course: “Practice. Practice. Practice.”

Just as a musician must practice his instrument in order to achieve his goal, the practice undertaken during the prewriting 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.