1. The Writing Process Brainstorm/Prewriting Write Rough Draft Revise Draft Edit Draft Reflect

2. Introduction to Prewriting When you sit down to write.... Does your mind turn blank? Does it seem like you have nothing to say? It’s okay, it happens to all writers. Prewriting can help jump start your essay.

3. Writer’s Block "I believe 'writer's block' is the normal state of writing; that is, you rarely have anything just flow easily from your brain to the keyboard. And if it does, it's usually pretty bad. Good writing is almost always hard, and what I think sometimes happens is that writers forget how hard it is, or don't want to do the work anymore, and they call this 'writer's block.'" -- Dave Barry

4. Why Writing Is Difficult Writing an essay is a very different form of writing than what we are used to doing. When we email, text message, Facebook, or MySpace one another it requires little thinking, writing, and revision. Even homework with short answers don’t require the time and energy an essay does. We live in a fast paced society.

5. Prewriting Atmospherics Writing demands concentration. So, think about the atmosphere you are going to be writing in. Do you need a quiet room? Do you like to have the TV on in the background? Do you have to be alone? Try to give yourself a good block of time because sometimes it takes awhile to get the gears rolling.

6. Don’t Think Just Write In prewriting, don’t self edit, just let the ideas flow out of you. You can go back later and decide what is good or bad. Remember that writing is a process, nobody gets it perfect on the first draft. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.