Invention techniques are activities to help you explore your ideas before you put them into paper. Sometimes when we sit down to write, lots of ideas come to our mind, but they are all mixed and confused and we do not know exactly what to put into paper. Invention techniques will help you control your ideas and organize them more clearly. There are several invention techniques we can use and we will explore some of them today. Because people have different styles and ways of organizing their thoughts, it is important to explore all of the techniques before choosing the best for you (Adapted from Leki, 1998).
Questions
Choose a topic you are interested in. It can be something related to your field of study, or anything else. Write your topic at the top of the page, then write a question related to your topic that includes 1) What____? 2) Who_____? 3) Where_____? 4) Why______? 5) How______?
Talking
Sometimes talking to different people and sharing ideas about the topic you are going to write is a great way to organize your thoughts and come up with ideas before you start writing. In pairs, discuss the advantages of living in the city.
Clustering
Clustering is an way to show how different ideas within the same topic relate to each other.
Get a piece of paper and write "The Advantages of Living in the City" in the middle of it. Then write words or phrases associated with the topic.
Listing/Word Association
Open Microsoft Word on your computers. Think of your hometown and write down as many words or phrases connected to it as possible. You have 3 minutes.
Free-writing
Free-writing is an exercise where you write nonstop for a period of time about a topic. It is a way to get the ideas from your head onto the page without worry about saying it the best way.
Think about your high school and write a paragraph about it in 5 minutes. You need to write continuously and not worry about punctuation, grammar or spelling, but focus on the ideas that come to your minds and NEVER stop writing. If you cannot think of anything to say, you should write "I don't know what to write."
