Invention and Planning
When
you sit down to write...
- Does your mind turn blank?
- Are you sure you have nothing to say?
If so, you're not alone! Everyone experiences this at
some time or other, but some people have strategies or techniques to get them
started. When you are planning to write something, try some of the following
suggestions.
EXPLORE
the problem (not the topic)
1. Who is your reader?
2. What is your purpose?
3. Who are you, the writer? (What image or persona do you want to project?)
MAKE
your goals operational
1. How can you achieve your purpose?
2. Can you make a plan?
GENERATE
some ideas
1. Brainstorm
- keep writing
- don't censor or evaluate
- keep returning to the problem
2. Talk to your reader
- What questions would they ask?
- What different kids of readers might you have?
3. Ask yourself questions
A. Journalistic questions
Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? So What?
B. Classical topics (patterns of argument)
Definition
- How does the dictionary define ____?
- What do I mean by ____?
- What group of things does ____ belong to?
- How is ____ different from other things?
- What parts can ____ be divided into?
- Does ____ mean something now that it didn't years ago? If so, what?
- What other words mean about the same as ____?
- What are some concrete examples of ____?
- When is the meaning of ____ misunderstood?
Comparison/Contrast
- What is ____ similar to? In what ways?
- What is ____ different from? In what ways?
- ____ is superior (inferior) to what? How?
- ____ is most unlike (like) what? How?
Relationship
- What causes ____?
- What are the effects of ____?
- What is the purpose of ____? - What is the consequence of ____?
- What comes before (after) ____?
Testimony
- What have I heard people say about ____?
- What are some facts of statistics about ____?
- Can I quote any proverbs, poems, or sayings about ____?
- Are there any laws about ____?
Circumstance
- Is ____ possible or impossible?
- What qualities, conditions, or circumstances make ____ possible or impossible?
- When did ____ happen previously?
- Who can do ____?
- If ____ starts, what makes it end?
- What would it take for ____ to happen now?
- What would prevent ___ from happening?
Contrastive features
- How is ____ different from things similar to it?
- How has ____ been different for me?
Variation
- How much can ____ change and
still be itself?
- How is ____ changing?
- How much does ____ change from day to day?
- What are the different varieties of ____?
Distribution
-
Where and
when does ____ take place?
- What is the larger thing of which ___ is a part?
- What is the function of ____ in this larger thing?
C. Considering a subject from six points of view
1. Describe it
(colors, shapes, sizes, etc.)
2. Compare it (What is it similar
to?)
3. Associate it (What does it make
you think of?)
4. Analyze it (Tell how it's made)
5. Apply it (What can you do with it?
How can it be used?)
6. Argue for or against it
Adapted
from Linda Flower's Problem-Solving
Strategies for Writing,