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WRITING PRACTICE SPRING
Module 1
Mini-lecture:
Explore and Define Your Topic
Step 1
Reporter's Questions
Once you have identified a potential topic, the next step is to determine what you already know about that topic and what you need to find out.
Experienced writers use many strategies for exploring their knowledge of a topic and how interesting it really is to them. Here are a few. Ask questions. These classic reporter’s questions will assist you in thinking through a topic.
Step 2
Freewrite
Another way to find out how much you know about a topic is to freewrite: Write as quickly as you can without stopping for a set time, usually 5 or 10 minutes.
The goal of freewriting is to get as much down as possible. Don’t stop to correct mistakes. The constant flow of words should generate ideas—some useful, some not. If you get stuck, write the same sentence over again, or write about how hungry you are, or how difficult freewriting is, until thoughts on your selected topic reappear. After you’ve finished, read what you have written and single out any key ideas.
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You may want to use a keyword or idea as a starting point for a second freewrite. After two or three rounds, you will discover how much you already know about your topic and possible directions for developing it.
Step 3
Proposal
Develop a "freewriting" on your proposed topic with free text extension by following these strategies. Consider your audience and develop a clear and well-defined idea about your topic of interest. But, don't worry about form, style, or even grammar.
Feel free to write in a half-page, one, two, or three-page piece to express your idea. Use your word processor to determine the length of your proposal, then copy and paste it into the discussion board forum.
Step 4
Make an Idea Map
Still another strategy for exploring how much you know about a potential topic is to make an idea map. Idea maps are useful because they let you see everything at once, and you can begin to make connections among the different aspects of an issue—definitions, causes, effects, proposed solutions, and your personal experience.
A good way to get started is to write down ideas on sticky notes. Then you can move the sticky notes around until you figure out which ideas fit together. The image shows what an idea map on the freedom of speech case involving Joseph Frederick might look like.
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