Prewriting Techniques: Freewriting



Prewriting techniques will assist you in opening up your memory and combining your ideas with your recollections and experiences to create an interesting and workable writing topic. These activities consist of three techniques, which include directed questioning, brainstorming, and freewriting.

If you have selected a topic that you like but don’t know how to start writing about it, try the technique of directed questioning. It will assist you in limiting the broad ideas that you already have. Another method in acquiring ideas is through brainstorming. Begin with an important phrase or word and record the ideas you’ve thought of.

Many people believe that they can also get ideas in creating a subject through freewriting, a technique that is designed to “free” the hidden ideas in your mind. This type of writing is called “free” in a sense that you don’t have to worry about your grammar usage, punctuation, etc. Your main purpose is to take down your ideas for 10 to 15 minutes without stopping. It can be focused or open. You can start to write your thoughts and impressions by an “open” freewrite. You can also try to select an idea from the open write that you’ve created to search for more ideas in a “focused” freewrite. Taking down your ideas about a particular thought will narrow down your topic, which can be your basis in your writing. If you don’t have any other ideas to write down, you can write the same words again and again to continue your line of thought and keep the creative juices flowing.

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