This document discusses prewriting strategies for developing ideas before drafting a paper. It identifies the author's purpose as informing readers about prewriting. The document explains that prewriting is the initial stage of the writing process used to discover ideas about a topic without fully organizing them. It then describes four common prewriting strategies: freewriting, brainstorming/listing, clustering/mapping, and answering journalistic questions. Examples are provided to illustrate each strategy.

1. Author’s Purpose
• I can identify my intended audience and
purpose.
• This will allow me to choose specific words,
formats, voice, tones, and that match my
purpose.

2. EASY AS P.I.E.
Persuade
• Contains mostly opinions. ...
Entertain
• The author is simply telling a story. ...
• Convey a mood.
• The author uses imagery and descriptive details
to create a certain feeling. ...
• Contains many descriptive details (adjectives) and
imagery.
Inform
• Express an opinion
• Teach a lesson

3. P.I.E

4. Prewriting Strategies

5. Pre-Writing
• First stage of the writing process
• Helps us discover our initial ideas about a
subject and put them on paper, though not
usually in organized form Common Pre-Writing Strategies
1. Freewriting
2. Brainstorming/Listing
3. Clustering/Mapping
4. Journalistic Questions

6. 1. Freewriting
• Jotting down all ideas on a particular topic on
paper even before researching about it
• Does not require complete sentences, proper
spelling, or correct punctuation and grammar
• About 10 to 15 minutes to write everything
that comes to mind even if it doesn’t
necessarily make sense yet.

7. Freewriting
Example (Freewriting of a student who needs to write a
paper about the environment):
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…

9. Brainstorming/Listing
Example (Brainstorming of a student who needs to
write a paper about the environment):
Environment
Problems
Future
Cars
Alternative fuels
Hybrid cars
Costs
Benefits?

10. 3. Clustering/Mapping
a. Placing the general subject in a circle in the
middle of a blank sheet of paper
b. Draw other lines or circles that shoot out
from the original topic.
c. Grouping the ideas that seem to go together

11. Clustering/Mapping
Example (Clustering of a student who needs to write a
paper on the value of a college education)

12. 4. Journalistic Questions
• Asking and answering who, what, when,
where, why, and how questions about the
subject
• Especially useful when describing a event or
writing an information report/essay

13. Journalistic Questions
Example (Questions of a student who needs to write a report
on the political conflict in the Middle East):
• Who is involved in the conflict?
• What issues most clearly divide those engaged in this
dispute?
• When did the troubles in the Middle East begin, and how
have they developed over time?
• Where does the conflict seem most heated or violent?
• Why have those living in this area found it so difficult to
resolve the situation?
• How might this conflict be resolved?

14. REMEMBER!
• Save all of your prewriting work.
• Your prewriting will look very different from
your final work.