Prewriting Strategies

The first thing I do whenever I’m writing a paper is just sit there and ponder about the subject I’m supposed to write about. I make sure I understand the prompt thoroughly and consider all the ways I could possibly write on the subject. If there is a question that I am supposed to answer in a paper, I decide what my answer is to the question and then I write that down on a piece of paper. After that, I list examples or points that I plan to put in my paper that support my answer or my argument. A lot of times, I’ll write down any information I can think of on the subject so that I will have ideas of what to put in my paper. Some of the information won’t make it into the final draft of my paper, but it helps me figure out what is important for me to say and what needs to be mentioned to get my point across. I always try to make my first paragraph as interesting as possible to draw in my audience. Unfortunately, finding the perfect beginning is the hardest part, but once I have the introduction, the rest of the paper usually flows effortlessly.