Nurturing a Seed Idea
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Extend entries related to the seed
idea by writing “off” words in the
entries—purposefully wander in your
writing
Ask questions about the idea and try
and answer those questions in writing
Keep lists of all ideas related to
the seed idea
Talk to others about the seed idea
and write “off” that talk
Collect artifacts related to the seed
idea and write “off” those
Read books on a topic, a person, a
time period, etc. and make notes of
ideas, facts
Observe in settings related to the
seed idea and write from these
observations
Conduct firsthand research around the
seed idea—surveys, interviews, etc
Experiment with writing about the
seed idea in different genres
Get to know characters (for fiction)
Map out different possibilities for
organizing different kinds of drafts
of the idea
Try various beginnings, endings,
lines
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Imagine the idea written in different
structures
Imagine the idea written in different
voices
Ray, Katie Wood. What You Know by Heart: How to Develop Curriculum
for Your Writing Workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2002. Print.
Nurturing a Seed Idea






Extend entries related to the seed
idea by writing “off” words in the
entries—purposefully wander in your
writing
Ask questions about the idea and try
and answer those questions in writing
Keep lists of all ideas related to
the seed idea
Talk to others about the seed idea
and write “off” that talk
Collect artifacts related to the seed
idea and write “off” those
Read books on a topic, a person, a
time period, etc. and make notes of
ideas, facts








Observe in settings related to the
seed idea and write from these
observations
Conduct firsthand research around the
seed idea—surveys, interviews, etc
Experiment with writing about the
seed idea in different genres
Get to know characters (for fiction)
Map out different possibilities for
organizing different kinds of drafts
of the idea
Try various beginnings, endings,
lines
Imagine the idea written in different
structures
Imagine the idea written in different
voices
Ray, Katie Wood. What You Know by Heart: How to Develop Curriculum
for Your Writing Workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2002. Print.