Writing prompts from Donald M. Murray's Write to Learn--Chapter 4

Chapter 4     Focus

1. Brainstorm a list of subjects that entice you, confuse you, anger you, please you. When you finish your list, jot down one word next to each item that you feel sums it up. Choose words from the list and write them on the board. After all your classmates have done the same, choose six words from the entire list. There may be no rhyme or reason why you choose the words: They may remind you of something or you may simply like the way they sound. Beginning with the first word, free write on each. Then choose one free write you'd like to expand on and with the help of a writing partner, list three more words about that topic. Repeat the process until you have narrowed your focus and gathered plenty of details.

3. Do a quick inventory of your clothes, staring with the garments you are wearing now. Don't worry about being thorough; just list rapidly which items come to mind, including shoes, coats, belts, and other accessories. Choosing five of these items from your list, brainstorm a list of associations for each: When did you buy them? Why? Why did you single them out in your list?Where have you worn them? When? Who were they with? What happened on the day you were wearing them? Do any of them have any sentimental value? Select an item form the list and write a story about it, using the details you have jotted down.

6. Wander out into the hallway or situate yourself at the busy entrance of a building. Record a conversation of passers-by. Free write about these conversations, imagining what they mean to the participants, or write about similar conversations you have had with friends.

8. Brainstorm a list of relatives and free write about each. Choose one or two whom you want to learn more about and focus on them, or choose a couple of relatives you know well and want to write about.

11. Make an authority inventory, listing all the things you're an expert on, that you have focused on: the jobs you can do, the things you can repair, the places you've lived or visited, the problems you can solve, the hobbies you enjoy, the people you know, the family background. each of us is an authority on many things, and our best writing usually comes from what we know and care about.


Murray, Donald. M. Write to Learn. Orlando: Harcourt Brace College, 1998.