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s a consultant at Ouachita Baptist’s Speer Writing Center, I help students with writing
issues like brainstorming, revision, and formatting, and one worry that comes up in
sessions is that a client does not know where to start. Even though they’ve read the
rubric for their assignment and might have an idea, they feel stuck. When an assignment
is long, it can be overwhelming, especially when a writer focuses on the final product
instead of the process. Right now, I’d like to share with you my first steps when
approaching a paper: prewriting.
Brainstorm
In the prewriting stage, or the brainstorming stage, I open the notes app on my computer
and begin to free write. Free writing is writing without worrying about grammar; when
coming up with ideas, writing proper sentences is not my priority. I think about what
I liked or hated about a certain author’s works or a selection of readings from the
class. Listing topics I have strong feelings about helps me get into the creative
mindset and come up with topics that I enjoy writing about. Using bullet points, I
write one or two words per work or author. Other times, I recall some themes, ideas,
or tropes we discussed in class and type them off the top of my head. Looking at either
one of these lists, I pick a couple that are my favorite. These topics act as a starting
place for my research.
Research
Research may seem like it is not part of a prewriting stage, but because I haven’t
even opened a Word document or decided my thesis, I consider it to be a part of this
stage. I open the proper search engines listed on the library website (like Ebscohost,
ProQuest, or JSTOR; it can differ for different majors), and enter these topics, along
with an author’s name or the title of a work. The list of results pops up, and I scroll
through to find certain titles that seem promising or fascinating. Once I’ve opened
enough articles, I start skimming. To make skimming easier, I hold down Command F
on the keyboard to search for a keyword from my list. I’ll copy quotes or page numbers
from those sources onto a new notes tab.
List
After compiling these sources and ideas, I’ll skim through the “good stuff,” or the
quotes I’ve collected from different sources. Reading clippings of multiple sources
in one go helps me see what is relevant, similar, different, and unsaid amongst the
sources. On the first note page, I use bullet points and write what was similar or
different amongst the sources. Or maybe I’ll list what to avoid so that I can bring
a new idea to the conversation. Maybe I agree with some writers and disagree with
others; maybe I agree with certain ideas of a writer’s work and disagree with the
others. Any or all of these things go into bullet pointed lists.
Thesis
From there, it’s time to come up with a thesis. I like to write a couple of different
theses based on the ideas that I liked, agreed with, or disagreed with. Often, I rewrite
one thesis several times, without deleting what I’ve previously written. Because I
have not deleted these, I can take the good ideas from the half-baked theses and put
them together to make the Ultimate Thesis. I might even rewrite that one. Once I have
my thesis, I make an outline, and I’m ready to begin the drafting stage.
Conclusion
This process may seem like overkill to you, and maybe it is. However, this helps me
thrive in writing papers and gives me places to go when I feel stuck or change course
in the middle of writing a paper. Maybe parts of this work for you, and other parts
don’t – that’s totally okay! Adapt it for your use. Feel free to add other prewriting
strategies that I haven’t mentioned like word-mapping or drawing. I’m not there to
judge or correct you. Your teacher isn’t going to grade this part (well, maybe they
are if they have a prewriting activity, but likely not). You’re the writer, so make
this work the best for your assignment and your major.
I also want to state that I don’t do this in one night. I usually do this over two-three
days, about three-four weeks away from the due date. That way, if my thesis needs
work, or I run into problems or questions, I have time to email or see professors
ahead of time. I may bring up something the professor will mention in class to clear
up other students’ confusion. Going to office hours helps professors know your face
and see that you care about their class; it might earn you some brownie points in
the process.
Though each writer writes differently, the prewriting stage is a part of every writing
process. I hope this gives you a place to go when you don’t know where to start with
an assignment. Again, please feel free to adapt this for your personal use. Happy
(pre)writing!
Lauren Bridgeman is a junior English education major; in the fall of 2021, you can
make in-person appointments with her Mondays & Wednesdays 7-8:30 PM and online appointments
with her Tuesdays at 8:30 PM and Fridays at 10 AM.
