Once you understand the writing assignment, you need to figure out what to write about. A good way to do that it to PREWRITE FOR IDEAS.

Four useful prewriting techniques are BRAINSTORMING, CLUSTERING, FREE WRITING and IMAGE MAPPING. Each method can help you get all your ideas about a topic out of your brain and onto paper. Then you can check your ideas and decide which ones to keep and which to throw out.

It's important not to judge your ideas as you write them. Let the ideas flow out of your head as fast as you can. Even if and idea seems crazy or weird, write it down.

Imagine you've been given the writing prompt about pets. You spent a few minutes making up the prompt. Now you have to think about what to write.

Let's look at how you can use the different prewriting methods to come up with a topic.

Brainstorm/List
When brainstorming or listing, you simply write your ideas down the page as fast as they come to you. You might use bullets or hyphens to set off each one.
Cluster/Map/Web
Clustering or mapping is a way of drawing your ideas out like a spider web. The main idea goes in the middle, and you expand your thoughts out from there.
Free write
With free writing, put your ideas onto paper in the form of sentences as quickly as possible. Unlike the final essay, in free writing you don't worry about spelling, punctuation and grammar. Get your ideas on the page while they're buzzing around in your brain. Imagine that you're talking to yourself on paper. If you hit a rough patch, just keep writing whatever comes into your head. Soon some more topic ideas will come, and you can add them.
Image Map
If you like to draw or doodle, image mapping might just be for you. Instead of writing your ideas down with words, draw quick sketches to represent your thoughts. After you've drawn some ideas, label them with words if you like.

For example, the following brainstorm is a list for the writing prompt about pets:

Now I have to look over my list and pick a topic to write about. Here are some questions you might ask yourself as you try to choose your topic:

• Try using several different prewriting techniques. Find the one that feels the most comfortable to you, and use it whenever you need to generate ideas about an assignment.
• Look over your prewrite and circle the topic you want to write about. For my essay, I've chosen the topic "dogs."