Reduce an article: Prewriting techniques

Pre-Writing Strategies: Four Pre-Writing Objectives to Consider
By Rita Gergi

Pre-writing does not consist of a single method. In fact, pre-writing involves several techniques that can help you plan and write a far better paper than if you simply dive right in. Most people find that some prewriting strategies work better for them than others. Bubbling, like free-writing, is a great technique when you have not yet developed a clear idea of where you are going with your topic.

Determining one's audience is the most critical part of prewriting. All the other techniques depend on who the audience is. The audience is the one thing that is pre-determined and not in your control. To do this I would use the prewriting technique "Answering the Reporter's Questions; who, what, when, where, why, and how." Once these are answered, the writer can start to build on the other four prewriting objectives:

1. Examine your purposes
2. Determine your goals
3. Gather your data
4. Determine how the content will be provided

By identifying the audience first you can make sure you gather the correct information more quickly and easily. You can focus on gathering data and performing research that is pertinent to the audience. In this manner, you do not waste time gathering data that you will not use. If your audience is high-tech, you will not need to define everything, but you will have to do it for a lay audience.

Selecting the audience helps to determine whether the data collected has any value. The determined goals are another consideration while evaluating the data. Determining how the content will be provided would follow the other steps. The writing process and each of the steps builds on one another. In order to retain the integrity and foundation of the goal and purpose of the document all steps should be completed and are equally important. (302 words)

Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rita_Gergi

Summary:
The prewriting stage can help you write a better paper that if you write it instantly. Determining your audience is the most important part of the prewriting stage since it is not in your control. To do this you can use the “asking questions” technique (who, what, when, where why and how). Once these are answered, the writer can focus on the other prewriting objectives, which are: examine your purposes, establish your goals, gather your data, and decide how the content will be provided. After determining the audience, you can make sure of gathering the pertinent data for your audience, taking into account the set goals. Besides, selecting the audience helps to define the value of the collected data and the organization of the content. Concisely, all steps should be completed to maintain the integrity and the purpose of the text. (141 words)