Brainstorming
When you
brainstorm, you list all the thoughts that come into your head on a topic. You don’t think about whether your ideas are
good or bad; you just write them down.
Student
brainstorming about violence in movies:
Violence in
movies
In almost
every movie I’ve seen
“The
Incredibles”--even in cartoons
Is there
violence in romance movies?
I think so.
Is it so bad?
Just for kids
because they are impressionable?
Is there too
much?
Movies
without violence would be boring
Freewriting
When you freewrite,
you write without stopping for a certain period of time (assigned by your
instructor or yourself) or until you reach a given page limit. You don’t pause, go back, or make
corrections. You can focus on one topic
or go on to new ones as they come into your mind. If you get stuck, write about being
stuck. The point is to keep writing.
Student
freewriting on violence in movies:
Violence. Violence in movies. What have I seen in at the movie theatre
lately? “Harry Potter” and “King
Kong.” Did those have violence? Yep, I guess they did. Does that mean that all movies have
violence? I don’t think so. But, I can’t think of any movies right now that
don’t have violence. Maybe…”Stuart
Little”? That was a long time ago. No, I think it had violence. But it wasn’t with guns and people getting
blown up. Does that count as violence
then? I guess so but not all violence is
the same. You can’t compare “The Little
Mermaid” with “Gladiator.” I mean
“Gladiator” was gory--with people getting their heads and other body parts cut
off. I mean no comparison. But just because it was a bit gory doesn’t
mean it’s not good. Well, I guess it
just depends on the person. But, hey,
before you go in to see it, you should know what you’re getting in to. So, if you don’t like violence, you shouldn’t
go. Ok, sometimes people sneak in to the
movies who shouldn’t be there and that could be a bad thing because what if
they end up doing what they saw in the movie.
But that doesn’t happen a lot. And,
when it does, does it mean it was the movie’s fault? I don’t leave thinking I want to do what I
just saw. It was just a good or bad
movie.
Clustering
When you
cluster, you draw a picture of your ideas as they come to mind. Write your subject in the center of a blank
page and draw a circle around it. Then,
as ideas about the topic come to mind, write them down, put circles around
them, and draw lines to the center circle.
As you think of more details, circle them and connect them to the main
ideas.
Ask Questions
Who? What?
When? Where? Why? How?
