Brainstorming Getting Ideas Before You Write 2001 by

Introduction Getting Started “Writer’s block” is a common problem to many students. This is when ideas for writing do not come very easily. It is easy to get very frustrated when beginning to write. Brainstorming activities can help you get ideas for your essay and help you become less frustrated.

Brainstorming Three Activities ü Clustering ü Listing ü Freewriting

ü Clustering Listing Brainstorming Freewriting Clustering 1. Start with the main topic of your essay. Write that word in the center of your paper. 2. Write down any sub-topics that are connected to that main topic. Draw arrows to the sub-topics from the main topic. Transportation Alcatraz Museums San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge Chinatown Fisherman’s Wharf

ü Clustering Listing Brainstorming Freewriting Clustering 3. If you have new ideas, connect those words to the appropriate sub-topic. Cable Car Civilian Prison 1934 -1963 Old Military Prison Alcatraz BART Transportatio n Bus American Legion Modern Art Museums Famous Prisoners Asian Art Museum San Francisco Restaurants Stores Theaters Golden Gate Bridge Chinatown Fisherman’s Wharf Clam Chowder Ships boats Completed 1937 Scenic View

ü Clustering Listing Freewriting Sunny View of Sky Example #1 View of Trees Yellow Bedroom Windows Favorite Room Soft Bed Rocking Chair Comfortable Furniture Big Closet Quiet Good. Sized

ü Clustering Listing Example #2 Freewriting Volleyball Housewife Cleaned Houses Waitress Soccer Liked Sports Hard Worker Went to church Very Religious Gave to charity My Mother Read many books Had many different interests Intelligent Taught Sunday School A Leader President of PTA After-School Club Coordinator

Clustering ü Listing Freewriting Brainstorming Listing 1. Start with the main topic of your essay. Write that word or words at the top of your paper. 2. Write down any word or phrase that might relate to your main topic underneath. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. Your goal is to write down as many ideas as quickly as possible. Why I Want to Become a Nurse

Clustering ü Listing Brainstorming Listing Freewriting Why I Want to Become a Nurse Like science Challenging job Like problem solving Opportunities for promotion Many jobs available in nursing Interested in study of diseases Good salary Like working in a hospital Interested in study of human body Want to help other people Flexible hours Will always learn something new

Listing Clustering ü Listing Freewriting Example #1 How to be a Successful Language Learner • Practice speaking with others • Take classes • Guess at the meanings of words • Listen to radio or TV • Ask others to correct you • Look for patterns in your errors • Organize your study time • Use special techniques to remember new words • Observe others • Ask for help when you don’t understand • Set reasonable goals • Review material regularly • Don’t be afraid to experiment • Use a dictionary • Study vocabulary in related topics • Choose a good textbook

Clustering ü Listing Freewriting Listing Example #2 Cambodia • Major Cities: Battambang, Phnom Penh • Artful dances • Angkor Wat • King Sihanouk • Borders Vietnam, Laos, Thailand • Pol Pot/Khmer Rouge • Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers • Weather: hot and rainy • Once a French colony • Minority Groups: Cham, Pear, Brao • Tuol Sleng Prison • Agriculture: rice, rubber, fish, timber • Cambodian writing: originally from India • Theravada Buddhism • Land mines • Education

Clustering Listing ü Freewriting Brainstorming Freewriting 1. Start with the main topic of your essay. Write that word or words at the top of your paper. 2. Freewriting is like talking to yourself on paper. Write as much as you can in connected sentences (not lists) about your topic. Write as quickly as you can without stopping to think about grammar or organization. My Favorite Book

Clustering Listing ü Freewriting Brainstorming Freewriting My Favorite Book My favorite book… I don’t know where to start. I read so many books that are interesting that it’s hard to choose just one. I guess I could start by talking about the kinds of books I really like. I like biographies and autobiographies the best. I really enjoy reading about another person’s life. One of my favorite books is called Roots by Alex Haley. How the author was able to trace his family history all the way back to Africa was amazing! Another book I really enjoyed was Carl Sandburg’s biography of Abraham Lincoln. What an incredible president! There also some very interesting books about leaders like Napoleon, Churchill, and Stalin. Well, I guess that gives me a few ideas about where I can start on my topic.

Clustering Listing ü Freewriting Example #1 A Problem I Have I have of course many problems in my life like everybody has, but right now I am feeling new problems like the cultural shock. I got out of my country and came to study in the U. S. A. One of the biggest problems is to make friends, to make or have the good old friends I have back home. It’s so hard here- you don’t know how to act, whether you should ask them their telephone number or wait for them to do it, whether you should call them very often or not. Are they bothered by my language problem? Can they not carry on a conversation with me because they always talk about local or national subjects about which I am not informed? This is really hard and sometimes makes me feel like a stranger in a group where everybody is laughing and talking and they supposedly were my friends. (Spack, R. , 1996)

Clustering Listing ü Freewriting Example #2 Things I Brought to the U. S. I have been living in the U. S. A. for about four years. When I cam here, I brought with me a few books, my favorite T-shirts, and a little handmade pillow from my mother. Among some of the books I brought with me is one called The Little Prince. It is a very interesting book. Every time I read it, I find new and different ideas that I can practice in my life. Some of my favorite T-Shirts are souvenirs from places which I had visited in Colombia where I come from and they remind me of the good times I had. The little handmade pillow from my mother is a small cotton square, with five lines around it and my Christian name on it. Sometimes when I have difficulties in my courses, I look at it asking for help like my mother used to give me when I was living at home. And what I left behind was a happy family life, my good friends, and a pretty city in the north of Colombia near the Atlantic Ocean, where it is always sunny and windy. (Raimes, 1987)

Practice Exercise Now you are ready to practice what you’ve learned. Click on the button to return to Unit A. Print and complete the Practice Exercise.

References n Power. Point Presentation by Ruth Luman: Modesto Junior College. n Raimes, A. (1987). Exploring Through Writing: A Process Approach to ESL Composition. New York: St. Martin’s Press. n Spack, R. (1996). Guidelines: A Cross-Cultural Reading/Writing Text. New York: St. Martin’s Press. n This project incorporates portions of copyrighted works. These items are included under the fair use exemption of the U. S. Copyright Law and have been prepared according to the educational fair use guidelines. They are restricted from further use.