Composing and Revising

Brainstorming

C-20

Brainstorming, or listing ideas, is a good way to figure out what you know and what questions you have. A list can be a source of ideas and a springboard to new ideas. A list can help you see the emerging organization of your ideas and your paper.

Tips for listing ideas

Write ideas in the order in which they occur to you.
Rearrange ideas freely. Delete some ideas and add others.
Group ideas under general categories:
most important/least important

arguments for/arguments against

good points/bad points

what I know/what I need to know

what they say/what I say
Expand the ideas with more exact phrasing and add examples or counterexamples.
Look for a tentative thesis, a specific claim, lines of reasoning, examples, or supporting evidence.

Try working alone, but also try working in a group—your writing group from class or just a group of friends.

Listing ideas: Community service requirements

Listing ideas: Funding for college athletics

Listing ideas: Violence on television

Listing ideas: Performance-enhancing drugs in sports