Stage 1 of Writing: Prewriting

The prewriting stage is where you do all of the planning for your project. During this stage, you choose and explore a topic. Consider your purpose and audience. Generate and organize your ideas. We tend to skip this part and go straight to drafting. Putting thought and effort into this will pay off later.

Sometimes you will choose a topic for your writing, and sometimes you'll be assigned a topic. In either case, try to find something about your topic that really interests you. If you're interested in your topic, the writing will be interesting and you'll get better results.

After you have chosen a topic, think about the form or type of writing that you will do. Are you writing a friendly letter? A newspaper article? A story? Each has its own style and requirements.
Be clear on the purpose of your writing. Ask yourself some questions: What do I want my audience to learn from my writing? Am I writing to convince, inform, or entertain my readers? It is important to keep the reasons for your writing in mind as it will keep you focused.

Identify your audience. You audience is the person or people who will be reading what you write. Ask yourself: Who will read this? What do they want to read about? What style of writing will they relate to? Keep your audience in mind as you select details, develop support, and choose your words for your writing. This will help make your reading more effective.

Now begin to gather information on your topic. Depending on the type of writing you are doing, you may need to do research, make observations, use your imagination, and/or interview people. Be thorough, but don't forget that you can gather information later if it is necessary.

Once you've collected your information, create a plan to organize it. Consider creating an outline or graphic organizer to get your information into shape. Main idea plus at least three supporting details. Choose a graphic organizer that fits your topic and form of writing. Arrange your ideas and details in the best order that will best present them.