Freewriting for All Writers
A tool to help you develop ideas and emotions
Hello and Welcome to JQ’s Substack Focus on Story!
Have you been stuck on a writing project? You can’t even think of ideas for an imaginative story? You’d rather do laundry or clear out closets instead of sitting down at the keyboard? Is it so bad that you don’t even want to write a grocery list?
I have.
Some folks call it writer’s block. That is a topic to cover in another visit to JQ’ s Substack.
One of the first lessons in my book, Your Words, Your Life Story and in my workshops introduces Freewriting. What is Freewriting? It could be a tool to inspire you to jump back into writing!
FREE WRITING EXPLAINED
Turn to an empty page in your journal, notebook, or sit down at the keyboard. Choose a topic and begin writing about it. Don't stop to plan it, just begin writing. Don't let your pen or pencil leave the page or your fingers leave the keyboard. Let it flow. Never mind about grammar and punctuation because no one is going to see this except you.
Don’t hold back your feelings about the topic. You may end up writing about something entirely different from your original idea. And that’s okay!
So what’s the point? I call it a warm-up. Writing thoughts and emotions on the page with no pressure frees you from being perfect—no grammar, spelling errors to contend with, and no outlines or previous planning about what you will say. Just do it.
You may discover your writing releases feelings about something hidden deep inside. Or instead of a deep cerebral revelation, you may decide what kind of cake to bake for your daughter’s birthday. It can be a cathartic moment, such as throwing out all the reasons why you are so angry at your mother-in-law.
I first heard of this freeing exercise in Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way. She called it morning pages. She would write three pages every morning filled with the first things that came into her head. I discovered the idea goes clear back to a practice used by 19th-century spiritualists who believed they were channeling unseen beings. These days, writers use it to tap into their subconscious minds.
There are pros and cons to using handwriting or a keyboard to write morning pages. Yes, keyboards can clickety-clack your words out on the page much quicker than writing. I prefer to handwrite my morning pages and poems because it feels like my thoughts flow straight from my heart, through the pen, and onto the paper. You too?
Have you tried freewriting? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section.
If you want to get started on writing your life story/memoir, click the title to order Your Words, Your Life Story: A Journal for Sharing Memories.
Connect online with JQ Rose:
Email: jqrose02 @ gmail dot com
Thank you for your support.
I have old fashioned Steno Pads that I jot down thoughts, descriptions, dialog, etc. I also sketch. Unfortunately, I have many steno pads in many places. I haven’t decided if this helping or hindering my writing process :). Great topic.
Hey, J.Q. I started to say all my writing is Free Writing. That's not exactly true for my books. But for my newsletters (and for my blog posts when I wrote them) it's a lot about that. At least in the past. I now have a kind of plan for the year fop the newsletter, and each month is on a different topic. But most often, the keys just go on their own. And I never handwrite. I even take notes on my phone. LOL Can't read my writing and it hurts my hands.