Free writing

Free writing is a technique in which you just write down whatever is going through your mind. Sometimes this is called stream-of-consciousness writing. Think of your thoughts as a river running through your head.  As we have discussed in class, the first step in writing is always thinking and brainstorming to organize your thoughts on a topic.  In free writing, you are still thinking first and letting your thoughts guide your writing. When you free write, your writing probably won't be very organized and coherent, but your writing will document to some extent the random thoughts that are flowing constantly through your mind. You might discover something about yourself that you didn't know because we are not always aware of the thoughts that are going on in our heads.  One thing is for sure, we all have thousands of thoughts every day, so there are always plenty of thoughts to write down. You may try this technique in your daily journal for this class, especially if you have writer's block.  Give it a try and see what you think!

What is writer's block?

Have you ever sat down to write and you can't think of anything to write about?  Maybe you had a case of writer's block.  This happens to many people, including famous authors. There are at least two solutions. First, go do something else and come back to writing later. Don't pressure yourself looking at the blank computer monitor wondering what you should write. Second, just write about anything that is going through your mind---and there are always thoughts flowing through your mind, even when you are asleep--and before you know it, you might "break the ice" and start writing up a storm.  It's like jumping into a cold swimming pool. You hate to do it, but after you are in the water, it feels fine. I chose the second approach today. I couldn't think of what to write, so I decided to write about writer's block. And now I am finished with my post for the day and I have overcome writer's block, for now.   What do you do when you have writer's block?

Here is a link to some information on Purdue University's OWL (Online Writing Lab) with some ideas about writer's block. Click on the following link to learn more:  Purdue OWL Writer's Block

The power of a story

Everyone likes a good story. Narrative is a big word for story. Stories, or narratives, can be entertaining and educational. They can make you laugh or cry, or both.  They can teach you about history and culture. Storytelling began as a way for the older generation to pass along their ideas and beliefs about the world to the younger generation.  Stories can be real or make-believe, or a combination of both. Sometimes true stories can be the most powerful kind.

We have all had a lot of interesting experiences in our lives that we can tell or write about.  If you have travelled or lived in a foreign country, I'm sure you will have many interesting, and sometimes funny, stories to tell.  You can write a five-paragraph about an interesting experience from your life. It will include an introduction paragraph that that sets the stage for the story, three body paragraphs that tell the story, and a conclusion paragraph.  Your story should include a setting, the place where it happened, a plot, what happens in the story,  characters, the people in the story, and a climax, probably at the end of your story, which is the high point of the story, followed by the conclusion. The conclusion might include what you, or others, can learn from your story. We call this kind of ending "the moral of the story."

Storytelling is more of an art than a science. The success of your story is based on how the people who hear or read it react to it. If it makes them laugh and cry, or scratch their heads, it's probably a good story. It's about feelings and emotions. Remember that there are three main reasons that people write. It's as easy as P.I.E.  People write to Persuade, Inform, or Entertain. A good story can entertain and inform, and maybe even persuade. That is the power of storytelling.

So what should I write about?

Many students ask that question.  I can't answer the question for you. You need to look within yourself to find the answer.  Think about what you know about, are interested in, and would like to learn more about. Then you will discover the answer to your question:  What should I write about?  Don't write about something that you are not interested in and is boring to you. In your daily journals, write about things you are interested in and want to share with me, your reader. I'm interested in knowing something about your daily routine, but not about what you do every day. I'm more  more interested in knowing what you are thinking about, your plans, your memories, your fears, your joys.  Think about "growing the garden of your mind" as Mister Rogers used to say.  Here is another Remix video about the wonderful Mister Rogers. Mister Rogers Remix, Side B

Thinking about writing, writing about thinking

Everything begins with a thought.  This is what my mother used to tell me. Anything we do in life first starts in our heads as a thought, idea, or concept.  Some of these thoughts become reality when we act on them and do or make something. A house, a vacation, an academic degree, a new car:  all of these things began in the mind as thoughts.  It is the same with writing. No matter what kind of writing it is--a letter, an email message, an essay, a blog post, an article, a tweet, a book--they all began in the mind.  When you have a writing assignment in school, first spend some time thinking about what you are going to write before you start writing. If you do the thinking step first, the writing will be better. Fred Rogers used to have a children's show on television called Mister Rogers. Maybe you used to watch  it when you were a child.  He talked about thinking, creating, imagining, and being curious. He called it "the garden of your mind."  I am attaching a video remix of Mr. Rogers for you at the following link:  Mister Rogers Remix

Writing Basics: Writing an argumentative/persuasive essay

If your instructor asks you to write an argumentative or persuasive essay, your main task is to convince the reader to agree with your opinion on some subject.  Let's say that you are against smoking and want to write a persuasive essay about why people shouldn't smoke.  Before you start writing, stop and think about why you believe that people shouldn't smoke.  Pick out your three strongest reasons/arguments to support your opinion.  They might be that smoking 1) causes cancer, 2) increases the chances of having a heart attack, and 3) exposes others to second-hand smoke, which can be almost as dangerous as smoking. You have just decided what the body paragraphs of your essay will be.  Now, think about why people who smoke would disagree with you; they might say that they are free to smoke, that it makes them feel good, it reduces stress, and so on. This is called the counterargument.  Now think about how you would refute, or argue against, this counterargument.  This is called your refutation.  You now have the general outline for a six-paragraph essay.

I. Introduction, with hook and thesis statement
II.  First argument against smoking
III.  Second argument against smoking
IV. Third argument against smoking
V.  Counterargument and Refutation
VI. Conclusion

You now have an outline and can start writing the first draft of your essay.

Basic Writing: Prewriting and brainstorming

Thinking is the first step of writing.  Before you start writing an assignment, spend some time thinking about what you are going to write about.  Here are some tips for prewriting and brainstorming activities that will help you write a better essay.

1. Do a "brain dump." Think about what you are going to write about and then write down on a piece of paper all the ideas and words that come to your mind about the topic.  Don't worry about spelling at this point. Just write down as many of your thoughts as possible.

2. Talk about your topic.  Talk to as many people as you can about what you are going to write about and ask them what they think about your ideas.  This will help you have it clear in your mind what you want to write about.  Take some notes on what people tell you.

3. Sleep on it. As you are getting ready to go to bed, read the notes you have written down from steps 1 and 2 and put them on your bed stand next to a pencil or pen. When you go to sleep, your subconscious mind will think about your topic and "work" on it during the night.  If you wake up in the middle of the night with a thought, get up and write it down with your notes.  Go back to sleep.  When you wake up in the morning, look at your list and you will find that your subconscious mind has generated some new ideas while you slept. Write those new ideas down.

4. Review your notes and organize them into an outline for your essay.

Now you are ready to write your essay.