Prewriting

This article discusses the implementation of Idea Listing Technique (ILT) as an alternative way in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing. ILT is considered as a prewriting technique focusing on idea generation. Based on my personal experience as an English teacher, particularly in teaching EFL writing, ILT can be as a sharp weapon in teaching writing focusing on solving the problem of how to generate innovative ideas for writing. This technique can assist students explore and share ideas of the general topic to be smaller ones (sub topics), decide a sub topic based on the categorization, and generate ideas of the sub topic in forms of words or phrases before running of a drafting and next writing processes. Hence, by providing them with prewriting activities through ILT, it is a great wish that students can produce creative and interesting writings.

Friday, 11:01 a.m. I can't write. I can't even pre-write because I don't want to face the emotions in the longest minute story. Since I last sat down at the keyboard (about an hour-and-a-half ago) I have done everything I could think of but write or think about writing. I did some reading for Elizabethan English and for this class, I put letters in the mailbox, I made tea, and I talked with my neighbor. I finally (just now!) made a judicious decision and decided not to try to force this story out because I'm not ready to confront these emotions. But, that being said, I have to wonder if my writing suffers because I am afraid to put my emotions on the page. I have a surge of emotions in prewriting, but then I go cold and can't write. Howard, in his analysis of my poetry, said that I needed to get the emotions on the page. But why am I so afraid to confront them?