Practice: Find a Topic That Interests You

Generate ideas for possible writing topics by conducting at least three of the prewriting activities described: brainstorming, freewriting, blindwriting or dictating, looping, clustering, mapping, and asking questions. Then use your responses to the following prompts to decide which topic interests you most.

  1. What are the three most important topics I have identified so far?
  2. Of these topics, which one will best sustain my interest in this project?
  3. Which one will best help me achieve my purposes as a writer?
  4. Which one will best address my readers’ needs, interests, and backgrounds?
  5. Which one best fits the requirements of my assignment?
  6. Which one is most appropriate for the type of document I plan to write?
  7. Which one has the fewest limitations?
  8. Which one allows me to best take advantage of opportunities?
  9. Based on these answers, the topic I want to choose is _______ .