Freewriting is probably the most well-known prewriting technique. It involves writing all of your thoughts and ideas on a specific subject. As described on North Carolina Wesleyan College's webpage Prewriting Strategies, the process is like "dumping" your thoughts onto paper. Grammar, punctuation and spelling aren't a concern when you're freewriting. You don't even have to form complete sentences or make sense. Take five to 10 minutes to write everything that enters your mind about the subject. This freewriting technique is useful when you already know a bit about your subject but haven't sorted it out. When you're done freewriting, you can use the information to decide on a direction for your work.
Brainstorming is similar to freewriting. The main difference is that brainstorming generally involves creating a list of words or questions. Educational website Study Guides and Strategies suggests getting as crazy and as amusing as you want when you're brainstorming. You should create questions and answers about your topic no matter how ludicrous they sound. If you're writing an essay about clocks, you can imagine what would happen if every clock suddenly stopped working. You can wonder about how people would tell time if clocks and sundials never existed. Brainstorming encourages you to think of new and creative ways to approach your subject.
Questioning is a prewriting technique journalists often use. According to a Rutgers University website, Writing in Rutgers Education, journalists must always ask six questions before writing an article: who, what, when, where, why and how. Using this technique allows you to see several aspects of one topic. It also encourages you to discover and present the most important and interesting points about your topic. Asking and answering these questions might help you decide on a focus. You can take the answer to one question or several questions and use them as a springboard for your writing.
Speaking with a friend, colleague or instructor is also a form of prewriting. Discussing your writing ideas is often as effective as writing them down. You might also benefit from another person's insight into your topic. Consider using a cluster or mind map, both of which are visual forms of prewriting. Start by writing your main idea at the top of a page. Draw a circle around the main idea, then create smaller circles that contain related ideas. Draw lines to connect the related ideas to the main idea. When you're done, you'll have a visual that groups certain aspects of your topic together.