Prewriting, also known as brainstorming, is a broad term which refers to everything you do before writing the first sentence of your first draft. This includes reading the assignment description, noting the due date, creating a writing schedule, researching the topic, gathering source material, thinking about the topic and your sources, and developing a thesis or central idea.

During the prewriting phase, some writers choose to use a chart to take notes on sources, develop a preliminary outline of their essay, or simply free write. All writers have different prewriting strategies that work best for them, so what you choose to do during prewriting may look different compared to what other learners do.