777 Words on Free Writing

It's easy to underestimate the usefulness of free writing, once you get to the point that you are working on all kinds of 'official' or 'professional' writing projects. I've been doing free writing since I was a kid, which I think I started doing when I was about 9 and my third grade teacher did a creative writing project with the kids. I was already writing on my own, and had figured out that you could string pretty words together to make poetry.

Free writing is something that even a child can do, but many adult writers seem confused about what it is or how you do it. It's not unlike meditation in it's simplicity, and simultaneous difficulty. You just sit down and write, that's all.  Write about what? Whatever you want. You can do it in journal style and simply talk about your day and what you're doing, feeling, or thinking about. You can also pick a specific topic and write about it for a certain period of time, or a certain number of pages.

This for example is actually free writing on free writing. I'm simply typing away at my thoughts about free writing,  and how it can be very useful to the writing process at any level. I can share examples from my childhood, when I was developing early writing skills. I can also describe how freewriting is useful at a more professional level.

Taking a little time every day to just sit and write about whatever comes to mind can help clear out intellectual and emotional cob webs. If you really let yourself go with it in a journal style, it can help you to see what's going on inside of your mental landscape on a subconscious level. In this, it can be very therapeutic. It can also help you to "catch thoughts" which may turn out to be useful starting points for articles; essays, blog entries, term papers, class exercises, stories, songs, poetry, and whatever else you happen to like creating.

If you also do the same kind of thing based on a specific topic or concept it can help you to create a lot of raw material quickly. You don't have to feel intimidated by it, because all you are doing is babbling at the page. You can go back through it later, read it, analyze it, see if there is anything useful in it. With specific topics it will help you to see your own level of knowledge and experience, as well as where you need to do further research or work. You can get a lot of phrases and paragraphs that may work for a more well crafted article or paper, if you give yourself the time to do this. Like meditation, the more frequently you do it, the easier it will become, and the more apparent the benefits of the exercise. 

Whether you are free writing in a very free journal style, or with specific topics in mind, there are a few techniques you may find useful. Try to write without stopping for the most part. I mean, take a breath, or have a sip of coffee or a cigarette when you need- your creature comforts whatever they may be will help you relax into the right frame of mind. The point however is to keep writing, and rapidly, without a lot of self-editing as yo do. Editing your work may be a very important part of the process, but so is freeing your mind.

You may find it useful to create a personal ritual around your own free writing. That can be anything that helps establish the pattern and trigger your mind. For one person that might mean that they do three pages of writing after they have their morning coffee, before they do anything else. For another it might mean that they always do it in the same room, and light incense and a candle to symbolize inspiration. Someone else might choose to take a journal into the woods for an afternoon walk every day. However you do it, you will find that it helps to get the creative juices flowing.

Some people like to discipline themselves to a certain amount of time, or a certain number of pages or words. Online, 750 Words (link) has me actually doing it myself again. It's like meditation; you will fall off the wagon, realize it was better when you were practicing regularly, and get back on the wagon. Most people who get into free writing find it useful for all kinds of applications, and they go in cycles with it but still find it a useful lifelong practice.