Prewriting is the first step in any writing where the writer is trying to come up with ideas for what to write about. A good writer who is already familiar with the writing process might sit down in front of the computer and just start writing. I think of ideas all the time and when I’m ready to write, I’m ready to just roll with it. But if you need to come up with ideas, there are plenty of ways. Do a little freewriting I wrote about in an earlier piece. Stimulate your brain with news or music. Look through your journals and pull something out that you’re interested in doing. There is a great strategy that you can use: R.A.F.T. It stands for Role, Audience, Format, and Topic. If you think through these things, you're likely to have your thoughts together by the time you’re finished.
What is the role of your writing or what are you trying to accomplish with it?
Audience is who are going to be reading it?
Format is whether your writing is going to be an article, an essay, a book.
Topic is essentially what your writing about.
