1/14/2018 - Choosing a Topic

Today I will be giving a brief summary of the first section of the reading, Brainstorm Topic Ideas: Read, Talk, Sketch, Enjoy. This section outlines the many ways a writer should go about exploring their ideas in order to pick a topic. First off the author suggests conducting some preliminary research, however they make it clear that you should "be disciplined about it". Wikipedia is mentioned as a helpful place to start, but stipulates that the best part of the articles are not the text but rather the further reading and external links that bring the reader to extended research and reading on similar topics. Next, the author suggests a number of ways to stimulate the generation of not only topics but details surrounding them. These techniques include talking to people, making a list, freewriting, and making a mind map. Finally, following the previous techniques there is a detailed example of what the lists look like in a real life scenario.

While reading and writing this blog post I was listening to my newborn eat and talked to my partner about how I found the techniques mentioned previously seemed a little superfluous and unnecessary. I tend to not follow all the conventions of "good" essay preparation and writing. I like to "freestyle" so to speak. However I have experienced a number of less than adequate essays and papers that most likely suffered from poor preparation so I am more amenable in the future to use some of the conventions mentioned in the text.

I think the best way to choose a topic is to conduct preliminary research and allow yourself to drift around the ideas you're passionate about as you slowly discover new topics to explore. Some might say that this can be lengthy and time consuming however I have found a number of interesting topics this way.

A way to avoid a research question you already know too much about is to go through a list of preliminary questions and answer them fully, striking off the ones that do not leave you asking further questions. You can also make sure to approach topics from the side that you do not support in order to eliminate bias.

I believe I've chosen to work within the community of Palestinian refugees however I haven't isolated a certain question.