©Angela Stockman, http://makewriting.com. May be reproduced for classroom use only.

Tinker Through the writing process Ideation

What do you want to say, and who do you want to say it to? Post up a bunch of ideas: each on a single sticky note. Mix and remix: bump ideas against each other until they spark. Choose the brightest spark. Get some feedback.

Planning

Who has produced similar stuff? Go Find it. Read it close, and rip out the parts you want to mimic. Spread them out on a board, on the table, or on the floor. Study one bit at a time. Figure out how they work in isolation and how they work together. Plan to make them work for you: sketch, doodle, map, plan on the grid. Get some feedback.

Write

Draft bit by bit. Move the bits around. Mix and remix. Seek spark. Lift small bits out of your draft, rewrite each three or four or five ways. Choose the version you like best. Drop it back into the draft. Get some feedback.