We will be exploring invention techniques during this class period.
These are techniques that will help you create and organize your ideas before you put them down on paper. This will allow you to more clearly focus your writing. There are many different kinds of invention techniques, so try to find one or two that work best for you. We will be exploring several different types today.
Listing: Think of your hometown and write as many ideas, words, and phrases connected to it as you can. Put them in a list form.
Free-writing: Think about your high school. Now write as much as you can about it. Keep writing without stopping. Don't worry about grammar or punctuation errors. The focus of this activity is for you to keep writing. If you run out of ideas, write, "I don't know what else to say."
Clustering: Imagine you have to write an essay about the advantages of living in a big city. Write your topic in the middle of a piece of notebook paper. You should then write words or phrases connected with this topic around it. If you have trouble envisioning this exercise, take a look at this EXAMPLE.
Talking: Sometimes talking with someone about a topic can help you organize your thoughts better. Discuss the advantages of living in a big city with the person sitting next to you.
Questions: Choose a topic of your choice. It can be something you are interested in or something related to your field of study. Write that topic at the top of your paper. Now list the following questions and answer them in relation to your topic: What? Where? When? Why? How? So what?
Discuss with the person sitting next to you how each invention technique made you feel. Which was your favorite? Which generated the most ideas?
