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The practice of free writing has changed my life. It has often gotten my mojo rising from the purgatorial blank page of writer's block to soar as majestically free as an eagle in the sky. Because of free writing, I have developed social self-confidence I never knew I had. It has also become a zen-like therapeutic experience that has often soothed my feelings of anxiety.
Free writing is an exercise in which a prompt (a subject) is given or selected and then you write freely about this subject for an allotted amount of time varying from one minute to one hour or even beyond, depending on how much time, energy, and inspiration you have to devote to the practice.
There are only two fundamental rules to the free write practice. The first is do not put your pen down until the allotted time has concluded. Write whatever comes to your mind on the subject, from whatever angle or perspective inspires you. The second rule is don’t edit yourself. Just keep that pen moving across the paper like Sandra Bullock driving the bus in the movie Speed. Damn the torpedoes when it comes to any grammatical errors or to any thoughts you might consider nonsensical or goofy. This is a practice meant to unleash your creative energy from the shackles of self-consciousness. Remember, you can always edit or rewrite at a later date should you decide to take your free write to another level and transform it into a short story.
I enjoy participating in free writes in group workshops such as InkWell, but I also enjoy practising them alone. My favourite method is to doing a free write in two separate components, in equal amounts of time. I use the timer on my phone to set the allotted amount of time. During the first segment of the free write, I focus on describing my current surroundings in purely aesthetic detail and refrain from inserting any of my personal thoughts or feelings. During the second segment, I flip the practice by focusing purely on what thoughts, feelings, or memories are provoked by my surroundings. For this type of free write, I usually find a unique place like a park or walking trail that I have never previously visited.
Free writing has been of significant benefit to my mental health and in developing my self-esteem. It has been of tremendous benefit to my mental health because I embrace the process as a zen-like form of meditation. While doing a free write, I am disciplining myself to forget about whatever personal concerns I have or social issues that concern me and focus on the here and now. I focus all of my thoughts and feelings on whatever thoughts are inspired by the free write prompt.
Free writing has also helped with my self-esteem because the fundamental rule of no editing has dethroned my inner critic from its prominent role in my psyche. This discipline has also transferred into my communications socially. By practising free writing, I have learned to let go of my self-conscious shyness and learned to trust in the authenticity of my opinion. In essence, free writing has freed myself from self-doubt and shown me how amazing self-confidence can be.
Pam Chynn
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