Brainstorming

Getting Ideas Before You Write

© 2001 by Ruth Luman

References
 Introduction
Getting Started

“Writer’s block” is a common

problem to many students. This is
when ideas for writing do not come
very easily. It is easy to get very
frustrated when beginning to write.
Brainstorming activities can help
you get ideas for your essay and
help you become less frustrated.
Brainstorming
Three Activities

 Clustering
 Listing
 Freewriting
 Brainstorming
 Clustering

Listing

Freewriting Clustering
1. Start with the main topic of your essay. Write that word in
the center of your paper.
2. Write down any sub-topics that are connected to that main
topic. Draw arrows to the sub-topics from the main topic.

Transportation

Alcatraz Museums

San Francisco

Chinatown Golden Gate

Bridge
Fisherman’s
Wharf
 Brainstorming
 Clustering

Listing

Freewriting Clustering
3. If you have new ideas, connect those words to the
appropriate sub-topic.

Cable Car BART Bus

Civilian American
Prison Legion
1934-1963
Transportatio Modern Art
Old Military n Museum
Prison Alcatraz Museums
Asian Art
Famous Museum
Prisoners

San Francisco
Restaurants
Completed
Chinatown Golden Gate 1937
Stores
Bridge
Scenic View
Theaters Fisherman’
s Wharf

Clam Ships
Chowder boats
 Clustering
 Clustering

Listing

Freewriting Example #1
View of
Sunny Trees
Yellow

View of
Sky Good-
Windows Bedroom Sized

Favorite
Room
Soft Bed Comfortable Big Closet
Furniture
Rocking
Chair
Quiet
 Clustering
 Clustering

Listing

Freewriting Example #2
Volleyball Soccer

Cleaned
Housewife Houses Went to
Liked church
Sports Very
Waitress Taught
Religious Sunday
Hard Worker School

Gave to
My Mother charity

Read many A Leader

books Intelligent After-School
Club
Had many Coordinator
different
interests President
of PTA
 Brainstorming
Clustering

 Listing

Freewriting Listing
1. Start with the main topic of your essay. Write that word or
words at the top of your paper.

2. Write down any word or phrase that might relate to your

main topic underneath. Don’t worry about spelling or
grammar. Your goal is to write down as many ideas as
quickly as possible.

Why I Want to Become a Nurse

 Brainstorming
Clustering

 Listing

Freewriting Listing
Why I Want to Become a Nurse

Like science Challenging job

Like problem solving Opportunities for promotion
Many jobs available in nursing Interested in study of diseases
Good salary Interested in study of human
Like working in a hospital body

Want to help other people Flexible hours

Will always learn something new
 Listing
Clustering

 Listing

Freewriting Example #1
How to be a Successful
Language Learner

•Practice speaking with •Ask others to correct you

others
•Look for patterns in your errors
•Take classes
•Organize your study time
•Guess at the meanings of
•Use special techniques to remember
words
new words
•Listen to radio or TV
•Ask for help when you don’t
•Observe others understand
•Set reasonable goals •Review material regularly
•Don’t be afraid to •Use a dictionary
experiment
•Choose a good textbook
•Study vocabulary in related
topics
 Listing
Clustering

 Listing

Freewriting Example #2
Cambodia

•Major Cities: Battambang, •Artful dances

Phnom Penh •Theravada Buddhism
•Angkor Wat •King Sihanouk
•Borders Vietnam, Laos, Thailand •Pol Pot/Khmer Rouge
•Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers •Weather: hot and rainy
•Once a French colony •Minority Groups: Cham, Pear,
•Tuol Sleng Prison Brao
•Agriculture: rice, rubber, fish, •Land mines
timber •Education
•Cambodian writing: originally
from India
 Brainstorming
Clustering

Listing

 Freewriting Freewriting
1. Start with the main topic of your essay. Write that word or
words at the top of your paper.

2. Freewriting is like talking to yourself on paper. Write as

much as you can in connected sentences (not lists) about
your topic. Write as quickly as you can without stopping to
think about grammar or organization.

My Favorite Book
 Brainstorming
Clustering

Listing

 Freewriting Freewriting

My Favorite Book

My favorite book… I don’t know where to start. I read so many books

that are interesting that it’s hard to choose just one. I guess I could
start by talking about the kinds of books I really like. I like biographies
and autobiographies the best. I really enjoy reading about another
person’s life. One of my favorite books is called Roots by Alex Haley.
How the author was able to trace his family history all the way back to
Africa was amazing! Another book I really enjoyed was Carl Sandburg’s
biography of Abraham Lincoln. What an incredible president! There are
also some very interesting books about leaders like Napoleon, Churchill,
and Stalin. Well, I guess that gives me a few ideas about where I can
start on my topic.
 Freewriting
Clustering

Listing

 Freewriting Example #1
A Problem I Have

I have of course many problems in my life like everybody has, but

right now I am feeling new problems like the cultural shock. I got out
of my country and came to study in the U.S.A. One of the biggest
problems is to make friends, to make or have the good old friends I
have back home. It’s so hard here- you don’t know how to act, whether
you should ask them their telephone number or wait for them to do it,
whether you should call them very often or not. Are they bothered by
my language problem? Can they not carry on a conversation with me
because they always talk about local or national subjects about which I
am not informed? This is really hard and sometimes makes me feel like
a stranger in a group where everybody is laughing and talking and they
supposedly were my friends.
(Spack, R., 1996)
 Freewriting
Clustering

Listing

 Freewriting Example #2
Things I Brought to the U.S.

I have been living in the U.S.A. for about four years. When I cam here,
I brought with me a few books, my favorite T-shirts, and a little hand-
made pillow from my mother. Among some of the books I brought with me
is one called The Little Prince. It is a very interesting book. Every time I
read it, I find new and different ideas that I can practice in my life.
Some of my favorite T-Shirts are souvenirs from places which I had
visited in Colombia where I come from and they remind me of the good
times I had. The little handmade pillow from my mother is a small cotton
square, with five lines around it and my Christian name on it. Sometimes
when I have difficulties in my courses, I look at it asking for help like my
mother used to give me when I was living at home.
And what I left behind was a happy family life, my good friends, and a
pretty city in the north of Colombia near the Atlantic Ocean, where it is
always sunny and windy. (Raimes, 1987)
Practice Exercise

Now you are ready to practice what you’ve learned. Click on

the button to return to Unit A. Print and complete the Practice
Exercise.
References
 PowerPoint Presentation by Ruth Luman: Modesto Junior
College.

 Raimes, A. (1987). Exploring Through Writing: A Process

Approach to ESL Composition. New York: St. Martin’s
Press.

 Spack, R. (1996). Guidelines: A Cross-Cultural

Reading/Writing Text. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
 This project incorporates portions of copyrighted works. These
items are included under the fair use exemption of the U.S.
Copyright Law and have been prepared according to the
educational fair use guidelines. They are restricted from further
use.