Dear Paul

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My students seem to have a difficult time generating ideas for creative writing assignments. How can I help them develop a plan before they start writing?

Puzzled

Dear Puzzled,
There are a few different methods of outlining which would help your students. I will deal with the circular rather than the linear outlining method, which is applicable for many different tasks.

Gabriele Lusser Rico wrote a text, Writing the Natural Way (Houghton Mifflin, 1983), which I consider to be a classic on the right/left brain technique. In it he describes a circular way to record ideas. It seems that there is something primitive and magical about this method. Rico calls it clustering, others have used a similar approach referring to it as a mind map or bubble. The “hm Study Skills group” presents a similar idea as “Mapping.” Mapping requires that the main idea be placed at the center of a sheet of paper with supporting details clustered around, creating somewhat of a maze.

Like all skills, Mapping must be practiced for students to become comfortable with the technique, and credit should be given for the cluster as part of the marking system for the assignment.

In my experience, this approach worked extremely well for creative writing. As students became comfortable with making their outline, they soon found their writing became quite expressive, often lyrical. Later the requirements were expanded to have three identifiable paragraphs evident in the cluster.

Reluctance was overcome because their writing was not initially graded for spelling,
punctuation or grammar. The initial project was written and filed in class and later revisited by the individual for revisions and corrections. The recopied/revised writing was also dated and filed. Regular practice develops confidence and skill, and this on-going file of completed assignments made progress readily visible.

This method of outlining is not restricted to writing, and can be practiced in other subject areas as a study aid.
Paul

Paul Ruta, M.Ed., Licenced Instructor/Consultant, Certified by the Educational Kinesiology Foundation, Ventura CA.
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