This question was ignored in the AWA forum, so I'll put it here.

Does anyone have any tips? Are there are any "stock" questions testees should ask themselves about the essay topic, in order to brainstorm for thesis ideas?

My verbal and writing skills are not bad; I did quite well on the verbal GRE and always had superior marks on undergrad writing assignments. But I tend to be very uninspired on free-thinking essay questions such as AWA. When I'm in that position, my mind goes blank, I don't have anything to say, and then essentially "BS" my way through the assignment. When I'm in that position, I do considerably worse than when I actually have something genuine to write. Thus, I'm wary about the upcoming AWA. I don't want to fall short of my potential on this section of the test.

I don't want to "draw a blank," so to speak, when I read the AWA question. I want to have some kind of plan to fall back on.

Surely there must be some basic strategy for dealing with issues like this. Any feedback is appreciated!