The first activity in writing — finding a topic and something to say about it — is often the most challenging and least predictable. The chapter section called “Generating Ideas” is filled with examples, questions, checklists, and visuals designed to trigger ideas that will help you begin the writing assignment.

Discovering What to Write About. You may get an idea while texting friends, riding your bike, or staring out the window. Sometimes a topic lies near home, in a conversation or an everyday event. Often, your reading will raise questions that call for investigation. Even if an assignment doesn’t appeal to you, your challenge is to find a slant that does. Find it, and words will flow — words to engage readers and accomplish your purpose.

Discovering Material. To shape and support your ideas, you’ll need facts and figures, reports and opinions, examples and illustrations. How do you find supporting material that makes your slant on a topic clear and convincing? Luckily you have many sources at your fingertips. You can recall your experience and knowledge, observe things around you, talk with others who are knowledgeable, read enlightening materials that draw you to new approaches, and think critically about all these sources.