Pre - writing

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Step 1:

Before you begin writing anything -- Ask yourself:

Why are you writing?

Who are you writing to/for?

What do you hope to achieve?

What is your purpose?

Who is your audience?

What tone are you hoping to achieve?

Step 2:

Once your Purpose has been chosen you must ask yourself:

What is the best way to achieve your purpose?

What form of writing will this piece take?

What is the tone and style best for your purpose?

What is the topic?

Who am I writing to / for?

Do I need other info, research, notes, or materials?

What do I need to be aware of about the audience?

These are strategies to help GENERATE IDEAS. Not all methods will be appropriate for your body of work, or even your own personal style.

Free Writing:

Write ideas as they come

Just set a timer, then start writing and don't stop until time is up.

USE: Letters, Email, Journal Response, Novels, Stories,

Great for when you get stuck

Write down in full sentences... like writing a story with no plan

Brian Storming:

Think of as many ideas as you can without stopping for a minute

Just jot down ideas, not full sentences like in free writing

Thought Mapping:

Start with the initial idea, and then create a visual "list" or "Branches"

Allows you to see the connections automatically

Can be combined with other techniques

Reading & Researching:

Read books, articles, and net pages

Highlight or take notes on important events, impressions etc.

Questioning:

Ask yourself questions about the topic - Impressions, opinions, etc

Works best in conjunction with research

Goal setting:

SMART goals

End result or middle part and branch backwards

Looping:

Pre-write -> circle idea -> Pre-write again, focusing on circled idea

R.A.F.T:

Role, Audience, Format, Topic, Strong Verb

5 Sense Chart:

Jot down something under all 5 senses for a scene, or moment, etc.

6 Main reasons we communicate:

To Entertain (Books, comics)

To Inform (News, Textbooks)

To Persuade (Editorials, Advertisements)

To Socialize (Email, Twitter, Facebook)

To Direct/Request (Asking, Directions, Directive)

For Self-Discovery (Journaling)

Effective Communication:

Encoder --> Sends message

Decoder --> Recieves message

We need to be extra careful in how we express ourselves when we are writing. This is because we cannot indue our body language, tone of voice, or expressions into the words.

So remember to consider who will be reading what we write, then choosing appropriate tone, words, grammar, & format for the work.

Audience Awareness - Advertising:

Advertizers consider things like:

Who will buy the product

Age

Range; Gender; Economic demographic; political inclincation, religious

beliefs; cultural back ground; etc (Anything else need to be

considered?)

Target market's physical location

Best Medium for advertisment? (News/comercial/radio/web)

Style of language (Formal, Informal etc)

Graphics and/ or Sounds

Step 4:

After Pre-Writing - Evaluate:

Which ideas will be the most appropiate for the audience, tone, purpose etc.

Which ideas will best help you achieve your purpose?

Any ideas off topic? And almost exactly alike?

Step 3:

Pre-write

Step 5:

Organize:

Chronological order -> Best for narrative

Sequenced - 1st, 2nd, 3rd idea -> Best for Explanations

Weakest to strongest points -> Best for Persuasions

Conceal a key fact until the end -> Best for humorous works

Comparison/ contrast -> Best for comparing ideas or options

Cause and effect -> Best for explanatory or persuasive.

Step 6:

Choose Format:

Prose (Regular writing - No Verse or Poetry or Professional use)

Narrative

Script

Letter

Biography

Editorial

Diary/Journal entry

News article

Autobiography

Personal Response/ essay

Evaulate

Pre-Writing strategies

Basics/Gen. info