Freewriting

Freewriting, or stream-of-consciousness writing, is a constructive task for all writers. You simply set a specific time period and write continuously until that time is up. Do not stop to change misspellings or grammatical or other errors; just write, and write, then write some more - until the alarm sounds.

While it may seem forced or "inorganic" to some, most pieces need some sort of map - timelines, plot charts, character profiles, et.al. Freewriting ignores all of these tools, but many authors use it, whether as an exercise or a means of "jump-starting" a work or section. You can focus on a single topic or merely write down whatever it is you are thinking about, so long as you keep writing until the alarm sounds.

Unfortunately, freewriting rarely provides much useful material. It has been my personal experience that editing freewriting is more time-consuming than it's worth. However, it serves well in helping you develop concepts, ideas, even characters. As an exercise, it teaches you to loosen-up and not worry about editing while you are writing, and many use it to warm-up.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009