An Essential Writer's Exercise - Freewriting

Freewriting is an essential exercise for writers. You simply block out a few minutes each day to sit down and write without stopping, criticizing, or editing your words. It's a way to write at the most basic level, without interruption or inhibition. Freewriting can help a writer work through writer's block, hone a scene or a character's personality, create a fictional background, and much more.

One of the most difficult things about freewriting is learning to silence your inner editor. It doesn't matter if you misspell or don't capitalize, the goal is to just let your thoughts flow without interruption. Another goal of freewriting is understanding how detrimental self-criticism can be to the writing process. Criticizing and putting down your work as you write can make you inhibited and self-conscious, and limits your writing. Instead let your mind flow through your hands as you write down every word that comes to mind, no matter if it makes sense or not. There's always time later to revise, but sometimes the best epiphanies happen by accident.

When you sit down to freewrite the atmosphere is just as important as your mindset. Make sure that you're comfortable and free from distraction. Some writers enjoy music while they work, others like complete silence. Freewriting isn't an exercise that has to take hours either. It can take five minutes or longer, depending on your schedule and what you want to accomplish. Your only mandate is to write without stopping, even if you're writing the same word over again several times, or filling the page with nonsense sentences. I guarantee that at some point the flow will change, break through the wall, and a path will be set.

There is no set rule for freewriting topics. You can write about your own thoughts, plans, fears, etc. Sometimes writing about a specific event that happened to you or someone else helps get the juices flowing. A fellow CP, Debra Dera, has a daily article that is helpful for freewriting called "The Writer's Idea of the Day." If you're crafting a short story or novel you can use freewriting as a helpful tool or guide. For example, picture your character in your mind. Then begin writing about him or her, describing what they are eating for breakfast, their favorite item of clothing, how they deal with stress, their favorite color or ice cream, if they're allergic to anything, etc. These details will help your character to grow into a multi-dimensional person, even if you never use them in the actual story.

Whether you freewrite once a week or several times a day, this exercise will help any writer in their work. It's simple to tailor it to what you're trying to accomplish that day, or for developing future ideas. Freewriting is also a great way to break through the common occurrence of writer's block. So go ahead and free write-it's what writers do!