Brainstorming and Freewriting


Both of these prewriting techniques can help you to begin your Business Portfolio Project. They can be done before your project is begun, in order to help you identify the experiences or projects that you want to include in your portfolio. However, they also can be used for each narrative that you write on a chosen experiences or project. This will give you ideas as to what you want to include in each narrative.

Brainstorming:
1. Start a list.
2. Focus on your topic and list all of the ideas or elements you want to include in your portfolio or narrative
3. Ask yourself: What experiences or projects from my years at the University of Richmond am I particularly proud of?
4. Ask yourself: What sets me apart from all of the other business students?
5. Ask yourself: What has helped me to develop my goals and aspirations for the future?

6. Read your list and refine your ideas by making them more specific.
7. Ask yourself: Can I clearly explain this experience or project in a narrative?
8. Ask yourself: Does this reflect my personal growth as a business student?
9. Ask yourself: Does this illustrate one of the competencies required by this portfolio?
10. Choose from your list those experiences or projects that you feel will best reflect your personal growth over your four years within the Business School.

Freewriting:
1. Start to write.
2. Focus on one of the experiences or projects that you are going to include in your portfolio.
3. Describe as vividly as possible everything you can remember about that event or task.
4. Do not worry with grammar or punctuation - concentrate on content and describing the experience as accurately as your memory permits.
5. Complete a freewriting for each of the experiences or projects you select.
6. Use each freewriting to write a first-draft for each narrative, including as much detail from the freewriting as possible.

These prewriting techniques are outlined in Leigh Ryan's The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors.


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