STRATEGIES FOR GATHERING INFORMATION

Whether you have to generate your own idea for a topic or you already have a clear sense of purpose and topic, you need strategies other than staring at the ceiling or waiting for inspiration to fly in through the win­dow. Professional writers use a variety of techniques to generate ideas at various stages of the process. Diane Ackerman, in her article "Oh Muse! You Do Make Things Difficult!" reports that the poet Dame Edith Sitwell used to lie in an open coffin; French novelist Colette picked fleas from her cat; statesman Benjamin Franklin soaked in the bathtub; and German dramatist Friedrich Schiller sniffed rotten apples stored in his desk.

Perhaps you have developed your own original approach to gen­erating ideas. Perhaps you were taught a more formal way to begin a writing project, such as constructing an outline. If what you do now doesn't seem to produce good results, or if you are ready for a change, try some of the following methods and see how they work. Not every method works equally well for every project or for every writer. Experimenting is a good idea.

Keeping a journal. A journal can be far more than a personal diary. Many writers carry a notebook and write in it every day. Journal en­tries can be observations, references, quotations, questions for re­search, notes on events, and ideas about assigned texts or topics, as well as specific pieces of writing in progress. A journal can also serve as a review for final examinations or essay tests, reminding you of areas of special interest or subjects you didn't understand.

The double-entry or dialectical journal provides a formalized way for you to think critically about readings and lectures. Two pages or two columns or open windows in your word processor provide the space for interaction. On the left-hand side, write summaries, quota­tions, and accounts of readings, lectures, and class discussions—that is, record as exactly and concisely as you can what you read or heard. The left-hand side, in short, is reserved for information about the material. On the right-hand side, record your own comments, reac­tions, and questions about the material. (See 4f on critical thinking.) The right-hand side is the place to make your own connections be­tween the reading or lecture and your own experience and knowledge.

Freewriting. The freewriting strategy snares thoughts as they race through your mind, yielding a set of sentences that you then look over for writing ideas. To begin, write for about five minutes on your general subject. put down everything that comes to your head, without worrying about grammar, spelling, or punctuation. What you produce is for your eyes alone. If the flow thought becomes blocked, write “I’m stuck, I’m stuck…” until you break the mental logjam.When your writing time is up, go through your sentences one by one and extract potential topic material. If you draw a blank, write for another five minutes and look again.

Brainstorming. Brainstorming, a close cousin of freewriting, captures fleeting ideas in words, fragments, and sometimes sentences, rather than in a series of sentences.

E-mail conversations. Network with others on a course bulletin board, in a chat room, or in a newsgroup, or set up your own writing group of students who want to work together to brainstorm over cyberspace.

Mapping. Mapping, also called clustering, is a visual way of generating and connecting ideas and can be done individually or in a group. Write your topic in a circle at the centre of the page, think of ideas related to the topic, and write those ideas on the page around the central topic. Draw lines from the topic to the related ideas. Then add details under each of the ideas you noted.

Using journalists' questions. Journalists check the coverage of their stories by making sure that they answer six questions— Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? —though not in any set order. A report on a public transit strike, for example, would include details about the union leaders (who they were), the issue of working condi­tions and benefits (what the situation was), the date and time of the confrontation (when the strike occurred), the place (where it oc­curred), what caused the confrontation (why it happened), and how the people involved behaved and resolved the strike (how it evolved and ended). If you are telling the story of an event, either as a complete essay or as an example in an essay, asking the journalists' six questions will help you think comprehensively about your topic.

Using formal sets of prompts. Sometimes you might find it help­ful to use a formal set of directions (known as prompts) to suggest new avenues of inquiry. Write down responses to any of the prompts that apply to your topic, and note possibilities for further exploration.

Define Your Terms. Look up key words in your topic (like success, identity, ambition, and ethnicity) in the dictionary, and write down the defi­nition you want to use. Consider synonyms, too.

Include Descriptions. Whatever your topic, make your writing more vivid with details about color, light, location, movement, size, shape, sound, taste, and smell. Help your reader "see" your topic, such as a person, place, object, or scientific experiment, as exactly as you see it.

Make Comparisons. Help your reader understand a topic by describing what it might be similar to and different from. For example, how is learning to write like learning to drive?

Assess Cause and Effect. Convey information on what causes or pro­duces your topic and what effects or results emerge from it. For exam­ple, what are the causes and effects of dyslexia? inflation? acid rain? hurricanes? asthma?

Consider What Others Have Said. Give your reader information, facts, and statistics on what others say about your topic in interviews, surveys, reading, and research.

Doing research. Sometimes, discussing your topic with others, con­ducting an interview, administering a questionnaire or survey, or doing research can produce good ideas for writing

Reading. When you have to grapple with an unfamiliar topic, look in the library for material to develop it. Once you have a list of references, start searching for the books or articles. Look through each one you find and jot down any information that looks useful, either as direct quotations or in your own words.

Whenever you use a direct quotation or rephrased material in your paper, you must give proper credit to the source. If you don't, you are guilty of plagiarism, a serious offense that can result in a failing grade for the course.

Talking with Others. You can expand the pool of ideas gained through brainstorming or reading by talking with some of the people around you. Imagine you're writing a paper about a taxpayers' revolt in your state. After checking the leading state newspapers at the library, you find that most of the discontent centers on property taxes. You then decide to supplement what you've read by asking questions about the tax situation in your town.

Your parents and neighbors tell you that property taxes have jumped 50 percent in the last two years. The local tax assessor tells you that assessed valuations have risen sharply and that state law requires property taxes to keep pace. She also notes that this situation is causing some people on fixed incomes to lose their homes. A city council member explains that part of the added revenue is being used to repair city streets, build a new library wing, and buy more fire-fighting equipment. The rest is going to the schools. School officials tell you they're using their extra funds to offer more vocational courses and to expand the program for learning-disabled students. As you can see, asking questions can broaden your perspective and provide information that will help you to write a more worthwhile paper.

Preparing a Scratch Outline. A scratch outline often follows freewriting, brainstorming, questioning, or mapping. In fact, trying to make a scratch outline is a good way to see if you need to do more prewriting. If you cannot come up with the solid outline, then you know you need to do more prewriting to clarify your main point or its several kinds of support.

In a scratch outline, you think carefully about the point you are making, the supporting items for that point, and the order in which you will arrange those items.

When you are planning a traditional essay consisting of an introduction, three supporting paragraphs, and conclusion, a scratch outline is especially important. It may be only a few words, but it will be the framework on which your whole essay will be built.