Free writing begins with a prompt which is usually a single word, for example, horse, leaf, ice-cream, and a set time say 15 minutes. The idea is to write about that prompt for the selected length of time. The only rule is that the pen must keep moving so there can be no revision or editing or back-tracking.
Keeping the pen moving means that the writing may not be punctuated, sound correct or be polite but these elements are not important. Just keep the pen moving even if that means writing 'I can't think of anything to write'.
Free writing is the pouring out of thoughts onto the paper in all their messiness and untidyness and incompleteness. The purpose is to get the writing muscles limbered up and to generate lots of raw material. Once it is down on paper the writer can at some later stage choose pieces that capture their attention, pull them to one side and begin to work on them, shaping, changing and editing them. The purpose of free writing is to create.
Writing Prompts
The prompt words can be written on individual pieces of paper, put in a small bowl and drawn out one at a time as required.
Write for fifteen minutes about the following:
- stone, photo, school, footsteps, sleep, train, candle
- rough, dark, rocky, pale, silky, wrinkled, rusty
- hand, river, dress, apple, car, peach, sky
Write for twenty minutes about these meatier subjects:
- addiction, fear, blame, failure, betrayal, panic, insecurity
- giving up, mistakes, deceit, secrets, infidelity, control, bitterness
- acceptance, joy, hope, trust, truth, honesty, redemption
Begin with the following and write for twenty minutes:
- I remember ...
- I miss ...
- I'm thinking of ...
- I would love to visit ...
- The last time ...
- The first time ...
- The most beautiful ...
When the exercise is complete it can be worth reading through the piece seeing if anything jumps out. If it does it can be used as the starting point for the next exercise, and it can be a chance to delve deeper into the subject.
It may be worth trying to do a prompt exercise every day even if it is for just 15 minutes. If that isn't possible aim for two or three times a week. It doesn't take long to build up pages of raw material.
These exercises can be particularly rewarding if they are done with other writers. It can add even more fuel to the writing fire if each person in the group reads out what they've written and then selects words or phrases from that material as the prompts for the next exercise.
For more ideas try Imagination and Invention.
