MINILESSON 7: Using Questions to Explore Topics

Observation

The world is an interesting place, and it is full of ideas for writing. Writers must be keen observers of the world. You should learn to see things, not in isolation but in relation to other things. How do things affect each other? How are they connected? Writers must use all of their senses to gain a full appreciation of their world. The senses that authors use are seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting.

Observation is crucial to prewriting. Most folks see a tree only as a trunk, branches and leaves. A tree is much more. Its roots hold the soil and draw water from the ground. It provides a home for birds, squirrels, and other animals. Its leaves are food and shelter for insects. Trees help provide the world’s atmospheric oxygen. Every tree is a part of an ecosystem. Each of these relationships is a topic for writing.

Writing Idea:

Choose a place like a park, your backyard, or your bedroom. What is this place? What are the relationships among these things? How is each of the senses affected?

What do you see?

·         Where or what is the place that you have chosen to observe?

·         Describe this place in terms of your senses.

·         Describe any relationships that you see.

·         Describe anything unexpected or surprising.

Using Questions to Explore Topics

Sometimes, writers find an idea but they don’t know where to go with it. They don’t know how to develop the idea. First, you need to think about the size of your topic or idea. Is it too big? Is it too narrow? Are there any areas where your idea overlaps with another idea? It is common for a writer to start out with one idea and then switch to another. I do it all of the time when writing lessons.

Writers need to focus on a topic that is just right. I cannot stress enough how important this is. If you are interested in World War II, find something interesting about World War II about which you might like to write. Perhaps, you might write about a particular battle or weapon.

When writing, you should consider your target audience. Who is going to read this? What are the interests of your audience? What do they know about this subject?

When choosing an idea, think about the five Ws and H.

·         What/who is the subject?

·         Who is involved?

·         When did this happen?

·         Where did it happen?

·         Why did it happen?

·         How did it happen?

A statement that can guide your writing is “I wonder…”.