Pre-Writing

I have always considered myself to be a good writer, and it is something I’ve enjoyed doing my whole life.  There are several pre-writing strategies that I have used in the past, though at the time, I probably didn’t realize I was doing it. I’ve done free writing on several occasions, though it was usually at the request of my teacher. While some people may find it to be too stressful, I think it’s kind of liberating. Someone says, “You have 5 minutes to write anything you want about Gay Marriage. Go!” I feel that when you have no boundaries, but are given a topic and a set amount of time, your mind can go places it wouldn’t usually go.

I’ve also always been an avid journal writer. Not so much in a “Dear Diary, guess who I have a crush on..” kind of way, but more of a “If I don’t write this down, I’ll forget it” or “I gotta get these song lyrics out of my head!” type of thing. It may seem childish to keep a journal, but in my opinion, it’s come in really handy at times. And it’s really interesting to go back and read them later.

Mapping/clustering/branching are things I’ve used before too, but I’ve always referred to it as a sort of outline. It’s incomplete thoughts and fragments, but it helps me connect my thoughts in a visual way. It also came in really handy when I’d have to do a character analysis for books I’d read.

All of these are great techniques, and I’m sure the rest of them are as well. It’s just a matter of trial and error, and figuring out which ones work best for you.