It’s like using Waze for writing

Students learn early on that pre-writing planning is the key to writing a strong essay. Yet many students still find themselves drawn to the free-flow of stream-of-consciousness writing, mistakenly believing it’s less work and faster. Starting an essay without a plan is like taking a road trip without plugging in your favorite GPS guidance app. Sure, you might eventually get somewhere, but it will likely be a slow, winding route with missed turns, backtracking, and wasted time down dead-end roads. Pre-writing planning gives students a chance to brainstorm ideas, organize their thoughts, and figure out the best route for their writing. With practice they’ll learn that it actually saves them time in the long run and leads to a clearer, more focused, and stronger final product.