When writers say "invention," they don't really mean it in the sense of Thomas Edison inventing the movie projector. They mean thinking though an idea to discover all the different parts. Understanding invention techniques can help you to discover those little details that your instructor looks for in a paper but are really hard for you to think up! Besides helping you think of things, invention methods help you organize your ideas so that paragraphs are easier to write and read. Does it sound like we are saying, "invention is your friend"? We hope so because that is exactly what we mean.
There are many different approaches to invention, and you will find six approaches here that will help you get started or keep moving with your writing. Sometimes people think invention occurs only when they are trying to find a topic, but it really happens through all the stages of writing. Each time you realize you need a little more information and stop writing to think about it, you are inventing. Each invention method has different strengths, so-before you choose the method you want to use-you will want to think about what stage of writing you are in, and what kind of writing you are doing.
We will give you some information about each method, and you can follow the links to learn more about each one.
Brainstorming: Brainstorming begins with an open mind. It is the act of looking both inside and outside of your self for ideas. You can brainstorm when you are waiting for a bus or eating your lunch. Brainstorming is good when you are still asking yourself "is this a good topic?" You don't even have to like all the ideas you find! This section will help you with ways to open yourself to new ideas.
Mapping and Clustering: Clustering and mapping are ways of using visual road maps to sort you ideas. These are popular invention tools that allow you to recognize your levels of thinking and figure out the kinds of questions that your paper will need to answer. If you are a more visual learner, clustering or mapping might be good invention methods for you.
Aristotle's Topics: Aristotle provides writers with questions that help them discover all the different aspects of their topic and relieves the "do I really need to say this?" anxiety. He organizes topics into questions and commonplaces: the things you need to say and the things you sometimes don't need to say! His ideas help writers to really focus in on a particular idea.
Burke's Pentad: You will find that Burke's pentad looks a lot like the journalist's questions: who, what, where when, and why. This approach is great for writing narratives and other kinds of descriptive material. Many writers use this approach in their introductions-to be sure that they give their readers all that important context that makes the rest of the paper work.
Journaling and Freewriting: In this section you will find ways to discover a main topic or refine your ideas about a topic you have already chosen. We hope the exercises here will help get you started when you have that "I don't know what to write about" feeling.
Tagmemics: When you have that "I want to write about this topic, but I can't think of anything else to say" feeling, tagmemics will help you out. It works best when you are stuck on an idea and can't quite develop it. It is a little bit like the clustering method, but allows for a little more structure by providing a grid to fit your ideas into. If you are revising an essay and trying to expand it, this is a good choice!
When you find a method that works for you, you will be able to adapt it to all the different stages of the writing process. You will see that the sections about each of these methods suggest ways that you can do that! As you become more skilled as a writer, you might want to combine two or more approaches, depending on what you are writing.
Overall, invention methods are tools to help you discover what you already know and what you need to find out. They are the first step of the pre-writing process, but they are also important because you return to them many times as you write. Every time you think "what do I say next?" and answer yourself, you are inventing.
  
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