Prewriting refers to strategies you can use to generate ideas before starting the first draft of a paper. Prewriting techniques are like the warm-ups you do【C1】______going out to jog—they loosen you up, get you moving, and help you【C2】______a sense of confidence. Since prewriting techniques encourage【C3】______exploration, they also help you discover【C4】______interests you most about your subject. Having such a focus early in the writing process【C5】______you from plunging into your initial draft without first giving some thought to what you want to say.【C6】______prewriting saves you time in the long run by keeping you on course. Prewriting can help you in【C7】______ways, too. When we write, we often continually critique what we【C8】______on paper. "This makes no sense," "This is stupid," "I can"t say that," and other critical thoughts【C9】______into our minds. Such【C10】______, self-critical comments very often, if not always,【C11】______the flow of our thoughts and reinforce the fear that we have nothing to say and aren"t very good at writing. During prewriting, you【C12】______ignore your internal critic. Your purpose is simply to get ideas down on paper【C13】______evaluating their effectiveness. Writing without immediately judging what you produce can be liberating. Once you feel less【C14】______, you"ll probably find that you can generate a good deal of material, and that can make your【C15】______soar. One【C16】______advantage of prewriting: The random associations【C17】______prewriting tap the mind"s ability to make【C18】______connections. When you pre-write, you"re like an archaeologist going on a【C19】______. On the one hand, you may not unearth anything; on the other hand, you may stumble upon one interesting【C20】______after another. Prewriting helps you appreciate—right from the start—this element of surprise in the writing process. 【C8】