8.1 Apply Prewriting Models
Using Experience and Observations
When selecting a topic, you may also want to consider something that interests you or something based on your own life and personal experiences. Even everyday observations can lead to interesting topics. After writers think about their experiences and observations, they often take notes on paper to better develop their thoughts. These notes help writers discover what they have to say about their topic.
TipHave you seen an attention-grabbing story on your local news channel? Many current issues appear on television, magazines, and on the Internet. These can all provide inspiration for your writing. |
Reading
Reading plays a vital role in all the stages of the writing process, but it first figures in the development of ideas and topics. Different kinds of documents can help you choose a topic and also develop that topic. For example, a magazine advertising the latest research on the threat of global warming may catch your eye in the supermarket. This cover may interest you, and you may consider global warming as a topic. Or maybe a novel’s courtroom drama sparks your curiosity about a particular lawsuit or legal controversy.
After you choose a topic, critical reading is essential to developing a topic. While reading almost any document, you evaluate the author’s point of view by considering his main idea and support. When you judge the author’s argument, you discover more about the author’s opinion and your own. If this step already seems daunting, remember that even the best writers must use prewriting strategies to generate ideas.
TipThe steps in the writing process may seem time-consuming at first, but following these steps will save you time in the future. The more you plan in the beginning by reading and using prewriting strategies, the less time you may spend writing and editing later because your ideas will develop more swiftly. Prewriting strategies depend on your critical reading skills. Reading prewriting exercises (and outlines and drafts later in the writing process) will further develop your topic and ideas. As you continue to follow the writing process, you will see how Mariah uses critical reading skills to assess her own prewriting exercises. |
