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You are here: Home / Creative Writing Tips / Writing Tip: Experiment with Free-writing

By Idrees Patel

Writing Tip: Experiment with Free-writing

Free-writing. What is that? You write freely? It isn’t a technical description, but yes, the meaning is similar. Write whatever comes in your head. Just write. That’s all. But even though it’s simple, it’s powerful.

But what is it useful for?

Have you ever been stuck? I mean, you opened your word processor and freaked out at seeing the blank page? Did you have that feeling of writers’ block? The feeling of not being able to write a single word? If it did happen to you, it’s not a matter of worry. It happens to everyone.

The reason it happens is usually that the brain is focused intently upon what you’re going to write. Writing is a mental process. If you get too focused and tense, wondering how you’re going to commit pen down to paper (virtually), then of course, that feeling will happen.

So yes, it’s no big deal not being able to write. But how do you get rid of that feeling so that you actually get some writing done?

That’s when free-writing comes into the picture. You usually can talk about a lot of different topics with opinions (right or wrong), and the simplest method is to write like you talk. Write about what you like, write about what you know, or simpler – write gibberish. More concisely: anything.

Want examples? That’s what I’m here for. Feeling like a rant about something? Go write it – and don’t worry about structure, because if you have strong emotions to convey your writing then structure simply isn’t necessary, because it’s just there.

Or maybe you want to write something that’s your passion, likes, dislikes etc. That’s cool too. When you write like you talk, the words come a bit easier. Don’t try to write like an author — it won’t work and you’ll get that dreaded feeling again. Don’t worry about grammar, spelling, flow, structure or anything else. Write whatever you want.

When you get in the writing flow, it’s easy to go on. It’s launching straight in and beginning that’s the hard part, but free-writing solves it easily. If you still can’t write, have a recorder in front. Imagine you’re talking about something you like very much with a person you find it easy to share things. Just type whatever comes in your head. Ideas spinning around? Type! There’s no subject matter in free writing. It’s about writing anything in the planet to start a writing flow, even gibberish. Well, if that works for you.

What to do after free writing

Once you’ve written something, don’t stop. From there it’s time to write about what you actually intended to write earlier. And now you will find that the writing process has become easier. The words come more freely. You’re not stuck anymore. You actually can write. You’re happy. That’s great! That’s the power of free writing. Once a writing flow has been established, the brain finds it easy to send thoughts, and you simply commit them down to your keyboard or whatever you’re writing with.

What about taking breaks? Breaks are important. When to take breaks is totally up to you. You might want to take a lot of breaks if you are not used to the writing process. Or you might want to take only one or two breaks because it hampers your thinking process. I usually take about three or four breaks when I sit down to write anything, but my breaks are much shorter and I feel re-energized in a shorter time. As I said, it’s up to you.

So that’s free-writing, and it’s a popular method for some, and an awful method for others. For me, it worked great — I use it to begin anything I write (although there are some exceptions). A quick summary of the process: you start your word processor, use free writing to pound out the words, get the flow, switch to what you were going to write, take some breaks, and then write to the finish.

What if I don’t like this free writing method?

That’s okay; in fact, I usually encourage others to find their own writing method because there’s no one size fit all method in creative writing. Well, it’s named creative writing for a reason… anyway if you don’t like free writing that’s fine. You may be more of an outlining kind of writer, or you may have another method. Whatever, be sure to tell it in the comments.

Over to you

What are your experiences with free writing? Have you ever tried it out? Why or why not? Did you find it useful, or worthless? Share your thoughts in the comments.

This article is the first of the Writing Tips: How to Write Better. So make sure you’re subscribed (if not, hop on board), because we’re going to have some fun with this.

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Further Reading:

  1. Why You Should Write Like You Talk (And How I Defeated Writers’ Block)
  2. Who Else Wants to Master the Creative Writing Skills?
  3. Demolish your writer’s block
  4. The Need to Say More with Less – Concise Writing Tips
  5. Writing Tip: Use Vivid Description

Filed Under: Creative Writing Tips Tagged With: creative writing, Creative Writing Tips, free writing, writing tip

Idrees Patel

Idrees Patel is a Bachelor of Management Studies graduate, and is located in India. His goal for Writers’ Treasure to make it a resource which provides in-depth and effective writing advice for writers.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Make money online | Business @ Home says

    July 11, 2010 at 11:37 PM

    Hi ,

    What i can say after reading your post you are a great writer and thinker . You know i am learner will learn lots of from you.

    Thanks
    Rajneesh

    Reply
    • Idrees says

      July 12, 2010 at 8:17 PM

      Well, what can I say after such a great comment, thanks! We are all learners — in fact, I’m still learning. There’s just so much to learn. I am just 13 years old, but still have learned a few vital things on the web. If I can do it, you can too!

      By the way, I checked out your blog. Great stuff! I discovered today a fellow Indian blogger. Keep writing.

      Once again, thanks for the comment.

      Reply
  2. May says

    September 3, 2010 at 1:28 PM

    Hey!!

    I must say I’m extremely impressed with your posts! I am a learner myself and I’ve had some trouble with my writing because I’m too much of a perfectionist, but your blog posts have helped me a lot.
    So, for that, thank you!

    I tried free writing, sometimes it works for me, but other times I find it hard to put down my words on paper. I think it just depends on my mood, when I’m angry it’s easier haha.

    I was wondering if you could take a look at a some extracts of my work some time?

    Best regards!

    May

    Reply
    • Idrees says

      September 3, 2010 at 3:37 PM

      You’re welcome. Yes, perfectionism is dangerous, I know that first hand. Once upon a time I too was a perfectionist, and it led to me not being able to write anything because simply, anything I wrote wasn’t “perfect.” That was the hard truth, and I found it difficult to accept. But after some time, I realized that your writing doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be great, and that’s what I’m here for.

      Free writing too is a bit of a hit and miss for me. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. What does it depend on? I guess I don’t know. 🙂

      As for seeing some extracts of your work, absolutely. In which genre are you writing? If you want to send some extracts, you can email me here and I’ll take a look and tell you what I think.

      Thanks for the great comment,
      Idrees

      Reply
  3. Priyanka says

    December 20, 2012 at 2:08 PM

    Hi Idrees,

    I read your article and liked it alot. after reading about free writing, this is what came out of my mind..
    What about…
    when you can’t write what you think just becoz u can’t deny to your loved ones that you were writing something
    and at the same moment you can’t let them see what you were writing.

    Thanks & Regards
    Priyanka

    Reply
  4. mae says

    March 26, 2015 at 9:45 AM

    It such a nice way of learning writing process, I ever dream to become a writer someday, I find myself bored of life that I have been right now, I just wan’t to changed the world of mine, but as a beginner I don’t know where to start with. I love writing, where my thoughts and emotion can be expressed whatever comes from my mind…

    Reply
  5. Todd Hicks says

    December 26, 2021 at 7:47 PM

    Though I don’t do free writing, I relax when I write and don’t worry about the words I’ll put down next. I don’t get writer’s block because I base much of what I write on my dreams, I have a vivid imagination and I plan ahead much of my ideas for each book I write before I begin and as I go.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Why You Should Write Like You Talk (And How I Defeated Writers’ Block) | Writers' Treasure says:
    July 17, 2010 at 11:04 PM

    […] I told you in Writing Tip: Experiment with Free writing, there are a number of reasons why you may face writers’ block and there are numerous articles on […]

    Reply
  2. Creating Writing | Creative Writing Tips says:
    July 12, 2014 at 5:43 PM

    […] Experiment with Free Writing […]

    Reply

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    About Idrees Patel

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