Discussion

Before beginning a paper, it is a good idea to talk with your classmates and teachers about main idea options. This gets your creative juices flowing and could give you ideas from perspectives you may not have considered. You may be able to give a great new idea to one of your classmates as well.

Writing does not have to be a solitary sport!

Expository Writing

A great way to begin a concept paper is to answer the following questions in order to narrow down a goal for the paper.

v     My topic is _______________

v     Some things I already know that I can include in my paper are: _____________

v     Some ideas I would like to put into my paper are: _________

v     Who will read my paper? Who is my target audience?

v     My audience will be interested in my paper because: ___________

v     How do I group my ideas?

Now it is time to take this information and draw an organizational chart to lay out a plan for your paper.

This is like a building blueprint that architects draw up so the builders know what a building should look like and how to go about constructing it correctly.

All great writers have a plan. But remember, this plan is not set in stone! You can add and delete parts at anytime!

Go to the Structure Toolkit for ideas on how to construct an organizational chart that is right for you!

Creative Writing

Think about the following questions and make up a list of possible writing topics. Just keep writing until your pen runs dry. This is the time to relax and have fun with writing about your own interests.

v     What are your earliest memories?

v     What have you witnessed that you can’t forget?

v     What book have you read recently that touched you deeply? Why?

v     What do you have strong opinions about?

v     Are there problems in your life or the world you live in that need solving?

v    How could they be solved?

v     What do you know about?

v     What would you like to know more about?

v     What are your likes and dislikes?

v     What genre have you written in recently or would like to try?

v     What audience could you write for that you haven’t tried as yet?

Take a look at a sample list to help stimulate some ideas of your own.

Once you have a list, take a look at what interests you most. Begin thinking about what details you want to include as well as the organization of the piece as you move on to the Structure Toolkit.

Creative writing brainstorming questions adapted from In the Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning by Nancie Atwell. 2^nd Ed. Boynton/Cook/Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH. 1998.