Today was the first day that I tried free writing on my laptop. My goal was to write for about 10 minutes straight, no stops. Whatever thoughts popped in my head were added straight to the document. I noticed how I focused on one topic, left it behind, and then returned to it later. This writing method could be useful for identifying my raw, personal voice.

My hands started to fatigue when my word count was approaching 1000 words. I decided to cut off my writing at that point. I must have reached the 10 minute mark because I don’t quite type 100 words per minute. I am excited to keep up free writing and intend to incorporate it into my daily routine. I was surprised how much freedom I felt compared to how I normally write. I am usually a perfectionist in my writing, paying close attention to grammar and spelling. Writing anything much longer than a double spaced page can sometimes take me more than an hour. With free writing, I wrote an easy two and a half pages in a little over 10 minutes. The source where I learned about free writing encouraged writers to resist the urge to correct anything. I encourage you all to check it out and try it for yourself!

https://writingprocess.mit.edu/process/step-1-generate-ideas/instructions/freewriting

I couldn’t find the exact source where I first learned about free writing, but the above source has many of the same good points.