Despite being an editor now, I always struggled with writing in the past. It’s not to say that I couldn’t produce a decent written product, but the process was always a chore. It felt so difficult to spit out my thoughts.
As a university student, I remember I’d write a sentence, revise it, write another sentence, revise it, reread both sentences together, and so on until I’d finished the paper many, many hours later.
Then I got a job that required me to write. I’d wrap my head around the concept I needed to write about and create an outline, and still the writing process was pure drudgery.
More recently, as part of my editing certification program, I took a course about writing process theory. It was an eye-opener. Our instructor gave us an assignment for which we were expected to freewrite. Suddenly, in completing that assignment, the words poured out of me like water because I was no longer engaging my critical mind as I wrote. I instantly realized just how beneficial freewriting could be to me going forward.
What is freewriting?
So what is freewriting? The main gist of it is that you write without stopping. The point of it is to quiet your critical mind so that the creative mind can function uninhibitedly.
Not everyone needs this practice. I know a few folks who can write and write and write without ever feeling as though it’s a chore. But for those of us whose analytical side tends to win out, freewriting can help.
And if you struggle with procrastination, freewriting also provides an easy way to get over the hump of just starting.
So depending on your needs, you can choose to freewrite on an as-needed basis or as a regular practice. Regular practices of any kind take dedication. Unless you write regularly as part of your life or career or you want to strengthen your creative muscles in general, an as-needed practice will probably suffice.
How do you freewrite?
If you want to try freewriting, here’s what I’ll suggest you do:
- Grab either a pen/pencil and paper or a computer with a keyboard and a word processing program. Have a blank page ready. If using a computer, consider turning off the monitor to minimize distractions.
- Decide whether you’d like to begin your freewrite session with or without a specific topic in mind.
- Set a timer for 2, 5, 10 minutes (whatever feels comfortable for you). Start your timer.
- Begin writing … and don’t stop until the timer goes.
If you run out of things to say as you write, just write “um” or “I don’t know what to say” repeatedly until a new thought comes to mind. If you’ve chosen to write on a specific topic and your mind wanders, let it. You can choose whether you want to gently guide it back to the topic or let it roam. If you make spelling mistakes … who cares! Don’t bother deleting them.
What should you do with your freewritten material?
Once your timer runs out, you have a few options.
- If the point of your freewriting exercise was just to prime your creative pump, you can opt to put your written work straight in the trash/fire/computer recycle bin and never set eyes on it again.
- If you are using your freewriting exercise as a brainstorming tool for a specific topic, reread your material to see what your uninhibited mind came up with. You might even find there’ll be material in there you could use for a real-life written draft. And if not, don’t sweat it.
- Peter Elbow, an early proponent of the practice of freewriting, advocates for reading your freewritten material and then allowing someone else to read it too—someone who’s not going to comment or criticize. Elbow sees great value in the act of sharing one’s writing.
I use freewriting for everything from brainstorming specific points to include in a blog post (like this one) to focusing my mind on an upcoming day’s work. It helps me get all the thoughts in my head down on paper so I can see them more clearly.
What’s your experience with freewriting? Have you tried it? Was it helpful to you?
If you’re interested in some further reading on the topic, Peter Elbow has several publications available.
Soapstone Editing 