Creative writing - Mike Sanders 2014

Letting go: Freewriting
Drafting and structuring
Drafting, researching, and editing

Freewriting is a simple process that’s the basis for other discovery techniques. Basic freewriting follows these guidelines:

·  You write nonstop for a set period of time (10 to 20 minutes, for example).

·  Do not make corrections as you write.

·  Keep writing, even if you have to write something like, “I don’t know what to write.”

·  Write whatever comes into your mind.

·  Do not judge or censor what you’re writing.

Keep in mind that if your freewriting is neat and coherent, you probably haven’t loosened up enough. However, remember that you can’t fail in freewriting. The point of doing freewriting is the process, not the end result. If you follow the guidelines, your freewriting is successful.

As an example, here’s a freewriting example from my journal:

A character who is obsessed with his DNA halo type and goes around apologizing to anyone he meets whose ancestors may have been subject to his ancestors’ inexcusable behavior. He is descended from the Kurgan culture and therefore believes he is at least partially responsible for the Kurgan hordes that overran Europe and Asia in the fifth millennium and thereafter, pillaging, enslaving, and raping all along the way, and were also responsible for the Indo-Europeanization of Europe which undoubtedly—at least to his mind—paved the way for African slavery. He winds up giving away nearly all his material wealth—much of it to conmen who have no relation to the cultures the protagonist’s ancestors conquered thousands of years ago.

I should admit right off that this is a pretty clean piece of writing by freewriting standards. Yet that’s merely due to the fact that I’ve been writing professionally for years. Don’t hesitate to write out “Uh” or “this is a silly exercise” or “my mind’s a blank.” Much of the end purpose, after all, is to use the physical act of writing—regardless of what you actually write—to jar your mind toward more articulate ideas.

WRITING PROMPT

Clear your mind, relax, and try freewriting for yourself.

Freewriting has several major benefits:

·  It makes you more comfortable with the act of writing.

·  It helps you bypass your inner critic who might tell you you can’t write.

·  It can be a valve to release inner tensions.

·  It can help you discover things to write about.

·  It can indirectly improve your formal writing.

·  It can even be pretty fun.

A few final suggestions for freewriting:

·  Be sure to use the writing tool you’re most comfortable with—pencil, computer, or whatever.

·  Don’t cross out anything. Write down the new idea and leave the old one. You never know what might eventually prove useful.

·  Don’t worry about things like punctuation and run-on sentences. Writing naturally makes your freewriting faster and more fluent.

·  Remember that one of the benefits of freewriting is that it’s like having a direct connection to your unconscious.