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WritingPre-Writing and Brainstorming with Inspiration
Inspiration and FreeMind are concept-mapping tools that let students express their ideas in a visual, non-linear medium, which is often just what students need to generate ideas for writing assignments. FreeMind and FreeMind Templates
Better Writing with Microsoft Word
Essay Rubrics
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Computers have the potential to make our students much better writers. For sketching out ideas quickly, the pencil may still have an edge, but for crafting carefully refined prose, computers bring a wide array of advantages. Mind maps, or concept maps, of information can lead to breakthroughs in note-taking, studying, and writing. Inspiration is a great program designed to help students and teachers make concept maps and graphic organizers. 
FreeMind is a free, open-source mind-mapping tool. It's like Inspiration in some ways but simpler, with less functionality, and free. The first link below is for the FreeMind download. The next link offers a simple template for a five-paragraph essay. You could easily create more templates for students to use to help organize their thoughts, or just let them brainstorm without a structure. (The final link is a school organizer template in FreeMind) 
Microsoft Word has many features, well-know and "hidden," that can give them more control of the editing process and make them better writers. Here are tutorials on two important features:
One way to help students prepare for writing is to ensure that they know what is expected of them. Rubrics can be very effective tools for communicating your expectations with students, and they can also help give students specific feedback in a timely manner. Rubrics also can easily be modified for use as peer editing tools. Follow the link to learn more.