Freewrite on potential causes

Context: Freewriting is an invention tool.  As you write, you are generating ideas, so it can be a good way to overcome writer’s block.  It’s also a low-stakes activity, taking only moments of time, so it can also be a good way to get yourself writing if you are feeling some trepidation about starting an assignment.
I’m also hoping that what you produce in this freewrite will be portable into your working draft for Essay 3. That is, that last week’s freewrite about negative effects as well as this week’s about causes will do double duty: you’re not just producing freewrites, but you’re generating ideas and sentences that can be inserted right into your actual working draft.
Seeing others’ freewrites can also help you to understand the assignment and spark ideas of your own if you were experiencing a creativity block.
Directions:
1. Using the text box provided below, spend fifteen minutes freewriting on the CAUSES of the problem you’re researching. These are the reasons why a problem develops. For example, if you were looking at why Americans don’t exercise more, these might be some of the causes:

They’re so busy with work and other responsibilities, that they don’t have time
They think it will be too expensive to join a gym
They are self-conscious about exercising in front of others
They hate exercising
They get discouraged when they don’t see immediate results
They feel unsafe exercising outside in their area
They might have a physical condition which makes exercise painful and difficult
Etc….

2. Submit your freewrite to this assignment page by Friday, November 5th.  
3. Then respond to two other students’ freewrites by Sunday, November 7th. Here’s what I would like you to give your peers feedback on:

Make sure that the author hasn’t confused causes with effects. If their freewrite is all about negative effects instead of causes, gently point this out.
Can you think of additional causes that the author hasn’t yet included in his or her discussion? If so, suggest these.
Do you think that certain causes are more important than others? If so, point that out.