But if not, no problem.
Writing about a particular topic can help you see what you do know about the topic. It can also expose to you what you need
to find out about it. Either way, it can act as your origination for writing on that topic.
So -- when you're having trouble getting ideas on paper, try the freewriting technique. Here's how you go about it:
1. Get a pen you like to write with and paper. You can use the keyboard -- but only if you're a good typist who does not
need to think of the keys at all.
2. Set a timer for five to twenty minutes. Your choice!
3. Relax. Your intention is not to create anything phenomenal. Grammar and spelling simply don't matter right now.
4. Relax. Take a few deep breaths.
5. Start writing.
You can start with writing about your position: "I am sitting at my kitchen table thinking about the topic of _________,
and what's interesting about it is ___________." Or "I am sitting by the doghouse with a pen in my hand. I need to write
about _________ . . ." Begin any way you want. For example, you can begin freewriting like this: "I don't know why I
have to write on the subject of _______. Maybe it';s because ____________ . . ."
6. If you can't think of anything to write, follow your mind. Is it saying, "I can't think of one thing to write about."
Well, write that down. Your goal is to keep words flowing, and it matters not what those words are.
7. Freewriting can be especially good for those who find the linear style of writing difficult. "Linear style" means beginning
at the beginning and going straight through to the end. Some writers envision what they'll write about that way; others do
not. Some writers can't move forward until the sentence is perfect. Others need to throw out all their ideas and mesh them
and put them in a "linear" format later.
8. Do keep in mind that reading is one-half of literacy, and writing is the other half. As a college student, you are, no
doubt, committed to literacy. Freewriting helps!
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