Minutes a day n e w y o r k

Keys to Successful Freewriting
The most effective technique for focusing and shaping your thoughts is brainstorming—allowing yourself
some time to make connections with your subject, noting everything and anything that comes to mind. In this
lesson and the next, you’ll learn four specific strategies for brainstorming. They may be used both to generate new
ideas and to clarify those you already have. Brainstorming can also be used effectively when you are faced with a
number of possible essay topics and must determine which is the best vehicle to express your unique thoughts and
experiences. Some are better suited to a longer writing process, such as the college admissions essay, while others
may be adapted for when you have a shorter period to complete an essay, as with the SAT.