Name:______________________________

Meeting Time:_______________________

Invention Style: Listing, Freewriting, & Clustering

Part 1: Make a list of several subjects to consider for your essay. The more possibilities you consider, the more confident you can be about your choice. Consider realistically the time you have available and the amount of observing and interviewing you will be able to accomplish.

1. 6.)
2. 7.)
3. 8.)
4. 9.)
5. 10.)

Freewriting: Explore you initial thoughts and feelings about you subject in writing before you begin observing or interviewing.

On each of the following parts you will be given 2 min. to read the questions, and approximately 5 min to write on them. You do not need to answer all the questions. Your answers do not need to be well organized.

This is a Guided Freewrite which means I am intentionally bouncing an overwhelming number of ideas off of you. Therefore, don’t stress out, just relax and write in a stream of consciousness form. Allow the ideas to come out naturally, even if they don’t initially make sense.

Part 2: What do I already know about this subject

Part 3: What is my attitude toward this subject?

Part 4: What do I expect to discover as I observe the subject?

Part 5: How do my preconceptions of the subject compare with other people's?

What attitudes about this subject do I share with other people?

Imagery is one of the most important parts of descriptive writing. Although imagery by itself does not make descriptive writing good, not having imagery guarantees a dry, chaffing paper that nobody will want to read.

Since imagery includes the 5 senses your clustering will have 5 sections. To make this simple we are not going to use a bubble cluster, instead simply turn a piece of paper sideways and draw a column about every 2 inches.

Label each at the top with one of the 5 senses.

Now list as many things that apply in each category as you can think of, some will be harder than others. Feel free to use any form of figurative language that helps.

When there is nothing else you can think of (or your paper is full) find a partner.

Briefly explain to your partner what you were writing about. Note to them if there was a sense you were stuck with.

Exchange clusters and then make suggestions, or ask question that you think would be helpful.

Write a very short paragraph 3-5 sentences, about your subject. Now add at least 5 adjectives or adverbs to each sentence and at least 3 examples of figurative language to the paragraph. Although you may get a little poetic, make sure your paragraph keeps at least it’s basic meaning. Great writing is descriptive, not boggling.