Listing

Many people make lists of some kind to help them accomplish their tasks. So it is with writing: a list is a good way to begin. Listing can be a helpful method for finding a specific topic from a general subject. It can be a helpful way of sifting out what you already know about a subject on which you intend to write. Listing is also an effective method for recording facts, details, and observations about a possible topic, from which you will begin to select and organize relevant material for an essay.

Listing can be used as a method of brainstorming on paper, similar in process to Freewriting. Once you have a general topic to write about, likely given by your instructor, sit for ten minutes or so and try to find something about the subject that interests you. As quickly as ideas come to mind, jot them down in list form. Try to list at least ten items before you stop. That way you will have some substance to go on or a number of possible topics of interest to select from. Listing of this kind is a way of discovering a topic that you will be genuinely interested in writing about.

Once you have identified a specific topic, making a list of everything you know about the topic can help you find the best approach to writing. This can be done in a deliberate brainstorming session, or by keeping a notebook and pen handy to jot down ideas as they come to mind. Don't worry about analyzing your thought or connecting ideas at this point. You are looking for something to write about, and listing is a good method of discovery.

Listing is also a primary method of note-taking when you are researching a subject or simply recording everything you know about a particular topic or individual. The point of this kind of prewriting activity is to discover all you can about a particular subject or topic—any fact, detail, anecdote, or critical insight that might prove useful.

Example of Listing

Below are some details about the life and times of Canadian WWI flying ace, Billy Bishop, derived from an article published in the Canadian Military Journal by LCol David Bashow, "The Incomparable Billy Bishop: The Man and the Myths" (3.3: 55-60). Reading through the article, you might begin making a list similar to the one below:

• born in Owen Sound, Ontario, 1894
• entered RMC at Kingston in 1911
• repeated a year due to "minor academic misconduct"
• brief service in Canadian Calvary regiment, 1915; hates it
• pulls family connections, uses charm to get into Royal Flying Corps
• survives Bloody April 1917
• earns Victoria cross for gallantry; Canada's first aerial VC winner
• British Empire's highest scoring ace pilot: 72 accredited aerial victories
• Bishop's record compared to other WWI Empire aces
• why successful?: flew lots of missions; used game hunting skills in aerial combat; "hit and run" tactics; flew behind enemy lines; had "superb eyesight"
• risk-taker; "embellisher of the truth"
• writes embellished combat memoirs, Winged Warfare, 1918
• controversial figure: lack of corroborating witnesses
• war record challenged in 1982 by NFB documentary, "The Kid Who Couldn't Miss."
• . . .

Listing facts and details derived from your reading of primary materials lets you see that indeed there is enough information on your subject to support, for example, a 1500-word research paper on Bishop's aerial accomplishments, or a short summary of the controversies that have marred his reputation. From unorganized lists like this one, the writer can begin to sort and order details that might form paragraphs or sections of an essay.