Chapter 1
Fundamentals of Critical Thinking and Essay Preparation
Course: Gre
Subject: Gre Analytical Writing
Chapter: The Writing Process Brainstorming Outlining And Argument Construction
Introduction: The Challenge of Getting Started
Many writers experience the same difficulty when facing an essay assignment: knowing that ideas exist somewhere in the mind but being unable to access them. The blank page exerts a peculiar pressure that can inhibit creative thinking and delay the start of writing. This phenomenon affects students facing term papers, professionals drafting reports, and test-takers working against the clock.
Brainstorming addresses this challenge directly. It provides systematic methods for generating ideas, regardless of whether the writer has weeks to develop a topic or only minutes during an exam. This lesson explores various brainstorming techniques and explains how to select the appropriate method based on available time and the nature of the writing task.
Understanding Brainstorming
Brainstorming encompasses any technique used to generate ideas for writing. The term originated in the mid-twentieth century to describe group processes for creative problem-solving, but it has since expanded to include individual methods as well.