A Tool Used to Organize Your Thoughts When Preparing to Write

Idea Clouds

• After you have chosen a topic and done some research, idea clouds are a good first step for organizing your thoughts before you start to write. Write down the main topic word you are using and then jot down all of the words you can think of that relate to that topic; this will help you create a general idea of the slant you will take for your piece. To avoid wasting valuable writing time, limit yourself to 5 minutes for the idea cloud. An idea cloud should consist of whatever words pop into your head when you think of the topic or your key word. There is no need to censor or edit this cloud; it is simply a tool for you to use. Once you have your ideas down in a big jumble of words, you must get them into a semblance of organization.

Outline

• An outline is putting the words from your idea cloud into sentences, or at least full ideas, and placing them into the order in which they will eventually be written. Utilizing an outline gives you a chance to weed out information that does not pertain to your topic and approach. Outlines usually have a paragraph heading using Roman numerals with the main idea of the paragraph behind it. Underneath each paragraph heading, list lettered ideas and sentences in the order that you want the piece to flow; for example:

  I. Introduction to Sociology
  A. What is Sociology
  B. How do we use Sociology
  II. History of Sociology
  A. Sociology in Primitive Times
  B. Sociology During Wars

  Your outline can be as detailed or as general as you want it; however, the more detail you include in the planning and layout process, the easier it will be to put the piece together.

Rough Draft

• Your rough draft is your working copy of the piece created from the outline. At this point you are adding to the tone of the piece and fleshing out the outline. This enables you to read through it and see how it flows. The rough draft stage is when the editing part of writing kicks in. Moving sentences for better flow, correcting spelling and grammar issues and even adding thoughts are all part of the rough draft process. You may create several successive rough drafts as you write the piece to get all of your points and ideas together in a coherent manner.