Invention is the “idea generating” step of the writing process. Although most writers use invention strategies before they sit down to write, these strategies may also be useful during any time in your writing process when you get stuck and need to generate more ideas. For more information on getting over writer’s block, please visit our writer’s block page.
Some Useful Web Resources
Prewriting (Invention), from the Purdue OWL
Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab is one of the largest and best regarded online writing labs in the world. This link will lead you to their section on Prewriting (invention). It includes processes, strategies, and questions to help you begin to write.
Prewriting Strategies, from the Kansas University Writing Center This website has a variety of prewriting strategies, from the conventional—outlining and clustering—to the unconventional—looping and freewriting. These prewriting strategies are pretty easy to understand and use.
“Conscious” Prewriting Strategies, from York University This website explains more advanced and out-of-the-ordinary prewriting strategies, such as Aristotle’s topics, tagmemics, and synectics. Don’t be intimidated by their names. These prewriting strategies are great for inspiring ideas about your topic. This website not only explains the prewriting techniques, but it also shows examples of each technique in action.
