Developing Ideas

Writers need to have something to write about. In college, you’ll be expected to provide your own observations and ideas. Even in a research paper on an assigned topic, you’ll be expected to offer your own thinking about what your sources say. The purpose of writing in college is to show your own analysis and thought processes on the concepts that you’re learning about.

Writers develop ideas in many ways, including the following:

• Journaling
• Freewriting
• Brainstorming
• Mapping or diagramming
• Listing
• Asking defining questions
• Noting Pros & Cons

You will find each of these options explained in more detail in the Prewriting Strategies section. If you do not already have a strong prewriting process, you should try out several of the strategies to see what works best for you.

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