Brainstorming is the term commonly used to refer to any type of prewriting that authors use to help themselves generate ideas and work out the connections between larger and smaller concepts. 

Brainstorming is an invaluable process used by writers at all skill levels, regardless of their experience.  Good writing is understood to be not the product of a “genius strike of lightening” but the product of a series of trials and errors, beginning with the early stages of prewriting that are generated through brainstorming.

It is also important to note that writers are not permanently linked to their original outlines.  During the research and/or writing processes, authors usually find that their initial “Plan of Action” needs to be revised and, in some cases, completely rethought.  Don’t be afraid to see your writing as a work in progress that can and, in some cases, must be modified to match the evolution of your work.  All writers go through this very normal process.  This is good writing in action!!

Strategies for Effective Brainstorming

Common Prewriting Techniques

          A.  Word Map                     – use circles, etc. to show relation between ideas

          B.  List                                 – list any and all ideas/items about your topic

          C.  Scratch Outline             – briefly highlight the main points of your paper

          D. Question and Answer   – ask as many questions as you can think of 

          E.  Free-write                     – be the creator, not the editor of your work

Samples of Each Brainstorming Strategy Based on the Following Prompt

Writing Prompt: The social and political movements of the past thirty years have contributed to a more “open” society with increased rights for the citizens of our country.  This openness has, in turn, led to an expanded desire - if not demand- for increased personal freedoms.   This evolution in thought is generally regarded as an overall positive development.   Many, however, debate the nature and degree of the rights that should be afforded to our society’s children and adolescents.  As the pace of the culture speeds up, many are concerned that our young people are engaging in increasingly “adult” behavior; this is especially true with respect to dress standards and norms.  To remedy the perceived threat as embodied by current dress fashions, many parents and educators have begun to advocate for dress codes in the public school systems.

Writing Task: Develop a position paragraph in which you either support or reject the school uniform policy and in which you proved clear reasons and examples for your claims.

Word Map - use circles, etc. to show relation between ideas.  Allow the spatial relationships on the page to provide you with a visual representation of the ways in which your topics and subtopics can be connected with one another.

List - list any and all ideas/items about your topic.  Using a list allows the writer a great deal of freedom.  You do not have to conform to any preset standards or ideas.  Just allow any and all of   your ideas to come forward, writing them down sequentially. After you have completed your first draft of the list, review it and eliminate those ideas that you are certain will not benefit the draft you are working on.  You can use the remaining items to begin to determine which are the main ideas, which are the supporting ideas, and in which order you would like to arrange them in your document.

          Initial List                                   Revised List  (* shows unnecessary items)

          Cost of uniforms                          Cost of uniforms

          Uniform manufacturers?             Uniform manufacturers?*

          Cost of clothes                             Cost of clothes

          Colors of Uniforms                      Colors of Uniforms*

          Behavior Control                          Behavior Control      

          Fewer Fights?                              Fewer Fights?

          Styles of dress for girls               Styles of dress for girls

          Styles of dress for boys              Styles of dress for boys

          Competition                                 Competition

          Parental Attitudes                        Parental Attitudes

Scratch Outline - briefly highlight the main points of your paper.  Using the list you have generated, make an informal outline that will serve as a starting point in your efforts to organize your work. Remember, though, that this is just a starting point and you are not obliged to keep the order you establish during this prewriting activity.  Allow this to be a springboard exercise that helps you to think about order and structure.

                   Scratch Outline

I.   Current Styles of Dress

A.   Girls

B.   Boys

C.  Cost

II.   Behavior Control

A.   Fewer fights

B.   Better Attitudes

III.   Parental Concerns

Question and Answer - ask as many questions as you can think of.  During this process, allow your mind to flow freely and ask as many questions as pop into your head.  These may be questions that you yourself would like to know more about and/or they may be the questions that you think your audience will be asking and looking for answers to.  Use the list to determine which questions you know the answers to and which questions you will need to research further.  Begin your list free form, allowing the questions to emerge as they come to you.  Eventually, you can use this to determine what type of order/structure you wish the paper to take.

          Questions                                             Answers

          Who benefits the most from uniforms?                 Parents, Administrators

          What is the cost of the average uniform?            ???

          What is the cost of kids’ clothes?                         ???

          Have uniforms actually been shown to improve  ???    

          school conditions?

          Whose rights matter more?                                  The school?              

          The individual?                                                       I think it depends

          What about freedom of expression?                   Not sure what I think yet

Freewrite  - be the creator, not the editor of your work. Let your thoughts flow freely without interruption for @ 5 minutes.  This process will allow you to “get the juices flowing” and may help you to uncover your thoughts and feelings surrounding the topic.  It may also help you to remember long-forgotten experiences and ideas, all of which can help to guide you towards the position you will take in your writing. Just remember that your freewriting is not your first draft. Instead, it is a warm-up exercise to help you formulate your ideas. Read through your freewriting and then work with the information that relates to your prompt. You can do this by highlighting the sentences or ideas that can be used in your first draft and adding your notes to help you find ideas that address your prompt. Your notes can then be used to create a scratch outline, Q & A list and/or word map.

Well, I’m not sure how I feel about school uniforms…I don’t know if I would force my kids to wear one to school but then again I had to wear one and it turned out Ok…I didn’t really like the colors that were chosen for us, but then again everybody had to wear the same thing so after awhile we didn’t really notice the difference.  Also , I had an easier time getting ready in the morning , especially since I had to get up early to catch the morning bus; it was so much easier to not have to spend time picking out an outfit.  I did hate that the girls had to wear skirts…it used to get so cold in the in the winter and the tights didn’t really help…I would certainly make sure my kids could wear pants!...Also, I guess we looked better – with everybody wearing the same thing, it gave us a nice uniform (pardon the pun!) look.  Since we all kind of looked the same, I noticed that people fought less and teased each other less about clothes (although that didn’t stop them from finding other things to pick on each other about)….The uniforms, once bought, probably end up saving the parents money too b/c they don’t have to constantly spend money trying to keep their kids in the latest styles (at least not at school).

Final Draft/Completed Paragraph:

          School uniforms provide many benefits to students, parents and educators.  First, students will always know what they are wearing, and they will not need to rush or feel pressured to find a “cool” outfit each morning.  Additionally, they can spend their allowance on fun clothes for their free/play time.  Second, parents will have the benefit of knowing there is structure in their children’s educational environment, and they can rest assured knowing that, at least while they are in school, their children are not wearing “objectionable” styles.  Further, parents can save money.  Third, educators can also enjoy the benefits of the uniforms in so much as the student body will usually have a presentable appearance.  Moreover, educators will be less likely to encounter the types of arguments and fights that are generated by teasing and/or competition related to style choice.  For all concerned, school uniforms are an invaluable addition to the academic learning environment.

Information provided for CLASS by Nancy Armstrong, ECLP Faculty Associate

Additional information provided by Anne Garrett and Ann Marie Ross, ECLP Faculty Associates

Revised and updated by Peggy Ozaki, spring 2007