Discover and Use Free Writing

Want the fastest way to write anything? Or to get your writing unstuck?

Here’s your answer: develop a free writing habit.

Free writing is simple. You’ll develop your own favorite ways of doing it, but basically it’s just writing for a period of time, using a timer.

Although free writing is a pre-writing exercise, it’s useful at every stage of the writing process, both to generate text, and to clear your mind so that you slip into a state of creative flow.

Free writing is writing without thinking; it’s taking dictation from your subconscious mind.

Set a timer for five minutes, and just start writing, without taking your fingers from the keyboard. Don’t think: write. Aim for complete sentences. If a string of words come to mind that’s fine too. Accept whatever words flow into your mind - transcribe them via the keyboard.

Free writing is endlessly adaptable.

You can:

*    Choose a topic first; or

*    Just start writing; or

*    Write using a "starter" phrase, like: "Here’s what’s on my mind, right now..." or

*    Write for five minutes every hour, or morning and evening, or at any time interval you choose.

Keep a free writing journal
You won’t keep most of your free writing, because there’s no need to keep it. It has served its purpose — it’s warmed you up, so that you’re now in the right mind state to write.

However, some free writing sessions you’ll want to keep. I keep all the free writing I do when I first start writing in the morning. I do this writing to warm up, and to see what’s on my mind. Often I’ll start writing a scene in a book — or a scene in a book I might write one day.

Use you intuition. If you’re about to free write, and think that you may want to read this material, or use parts of it, in the future, then add the material to a free writing journal.

I love writing with fountain pens and ink, so my free writing journal is a large hardcover journal, with heavy paper suitable for writing on with ink.

You may decide that you’d rather have a an electronic free writing journal. In that case, use your word processor or keep your free writing journal in Evernote.

Exercise 9. Create a free writing journal.

It’s up to you which you use: a paper journal, or a journal which you keep on your computer.

Set a timer, and free write for five minutes.