Here are some ways to get writers to overcome writer's block (at the beginning of a project) or start generating ideas for an assignment:
 

• Freewriting. Write without stopping for five or ten minutes. It's usually helpful to have the topic heading or a focusing phrase or sentence in front of you, just to keep on track. But what's most important is NOT to edit. Mistakes are ignored, false starts are ignored--just keep on truckin'.
• Blindwriting. A variation of freewriting. Go to a computer, turn off the monitor, and type away. Keeping the topic in front of you with a post-it note works well.
• Listing. Have the student "talk aloud" about the assignment and list ideas, phrases, etc. down as he/she says them. The tutor can do the listing, too, but it's probably less directive to have the student do it. Then, using the right-hand column of the page, associate items on the list with each other. Gradually a structure for a paper will emerge.
• Mapping. This is a graphical, nonlinear version of listing. As you talk to a student about an assignment, write down key words on a piece of paper. Start with the general topic, the broadest key word for the topic. From there add other key words, linking them to each other or to the general topic as seems most appropriate. Just discussing with the student how to draw the map gets him/her to think about relationships between ideas, relative weight of ideas, and relevancy of ideas.
• HDWDWW. This stands for How Does Who Do What and Why? Basically, this is a variation on asking the traditional 6 journalistic questions (where, when, why, who, what and how). You could start with the general topic at the top of the page, then draw a column for Who, a column for DOES WHAT, and a column for WHY. Under each column list ideas related to those sub-areas.
• Double-Entry Listing. Essentially, this is just a double-column format that helps writers think about oppositions. In the left hand column you may put major points; in the right-hand column, you'd put down either related points or opposing points. This technique is very good for comparison/contrast papers and for "rebut an argument" papers.
• Matrices (or plain old tables). This might work fine with someone from the sciences or social sciences, because they'd be used to it. Columns might represents sub-parts to a topic or different examples. (e.g., the topic is "Grunge Rock" and the columns represent groups like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, etc.); rows represent other sub-topics. In the cells of the matrix put more ideas, phrases, words, sentences, etc.