Brainstorming Exercise

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The point of this exercise is to think and invent.This should take at least thirty minutes or longer.

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Most students do not think when they write.Most come up with the first ideas they have and write them.

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First ideas, or SURFACE ideas, are not interesting.No one wants to read surface thoughts:

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Don’t text while driving because it is dangerous to do so.

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Do not smoke cigarettes because they cause cancer and heart disease and smelly breath.

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Divorce is bad because it hurts the couple and hurts the children and is expensive

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NOBODY wants to read such thoughts.They make people yawn.

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Come up with new information for the reader.Do not write the same paper that ten other people in the course write.

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Select ONE of the topics below.

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Brainstorm for thirty minutes.You may list or free write in paragraph form.If you list, add side thoughts to points on the list.

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If you end up with a nicely organized paragraph, you have done the assignment incorrectly.

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Brainstorming is messy.

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Brainstorming is disorganized and random because associated thoughts are random, not tidy.

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Never judge the thoughts.Just write them down.You may repeat as you think.

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Put down all thoughts.

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Most of the thoughts will not be useful.You need the useless thoughts to invent good thoughts.

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Your goal is to come up with ideas you didn’t expect to come up with.

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Topics – select one

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1. Why young people today should not smoke.

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Do not even mention lung cancer or heart disease or blood pressure. Mention no diseases.Mention no charred lungs.Think twenty-first century.

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2. The difficulties of being an adult

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Go beyond going to work and bringing up children.Go into every detail you can think of.

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3. Brainstorm new and useful study and learning techniques.

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Go beyond study and manage time.

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4. Think of a sibling, another relative, or an acquaintance who just drives you crazy.List all the reasons

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Why this person makes you crazy.

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5. Or brainstorm on ONE of the following common everyday aspects of life:pets or a pet, traffic, chores

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that you absolutely hate, greatest junk foods, weather,favorite movies or books,things in life that

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are truly frightening,devices that need to be invented,a city you love to visit.

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6. You may even select your own topic of interest, one topic.But brainstorm it.

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Below are four blank pages for your brainstorming.Fill up as much as you can, top to bottom and side to side, of all four pages. You may double space. You may add a page if necessary.Type on the pages.Save them to submit when instructed to submit.

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Write non-stop for at least thirty minutes.Getting through the assignment quickly is not the point.

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You should struggle through it but keep at it.It should be at least a little uncomfortable. Just DO it.

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Come up with good ideas.

The descriptive paragraph has already been written and is attached.