5.2 Freewriting

Freewriting is the second step, in which you write freely about any topic for a set amount of time (usually five to ten minutes). During the time limit, you may write down any thoughts that come to your mind. Try not to worry about grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Instead, write as quickly as you can without stopping. If you get stuck, just copy the same word or phrase over and over until you come up with a new thought. Writing often comes easier when you have a personal connection with the topic you have chosen. Remember, to generate ideas in your freewriting, you may also think about readings that you have enjoyed or that have challenged your thinking. Doing this may lead your thoughts in interesting directions. Quickly recording your thoughts on paper will help you discover what you have to say about a topic. When writing quickly, try not to doubt or question your ideas. Allow yourself to write freely and unselfconsciously. Once you start writing with few limitations, you may find you have more to say than you first realized. Your flow of thoughts can lead you to discover even more ideas about the topic. Freewriting may even lead you to discover another topic that excites you even more.

Often technical topics tend to be complex and detailed compared to nontechnical topics. Senders need to develop a topic based on the timeframe of a presentation, needs of receivers, and modality in which the messages will be delivered. For example, in a 10-minute presentation, it may be impossible to talk about how to build a computer with technical details. The speaker may need to narrow the topic down to the three most important parts of the computer in their presentation. Topics such as Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Cardiovascular Disorders, Robotics, Airplanes, 3D Printing, and Bridges are too broad for a short presentation. Speakers will need to narrow their topic down to select one part of the topic to fit the timeframe available. See an example shown in Figure 5.1 to make your topic precise. In the example, three labeled boxes display key features of the Falcon 9 rocket, a 4-stroke engine, and tissue-engineered blood vessels, each with bullet points highlighting technical aspects, components, and functions.

This section is adapted from “Prewriting” in Provincial English – Simple Book Publishing Copyright © 2022 by Allison Kilgannon licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.