How To Freewrite and Ten Reasons Why You Should

We're such big proponents of freewriting exercises here at the Fearless Type, so we decided it was high time we write a post entirely dedicated to it.

Let's jump right into what freewriting is exactly. 

Freewriting is when you let your stream of consciousness take over and write whatever words come to your mind. It can take on many different forms, but in whatever way you decide to do it, freewriting is a great tool to use to exercise your brain and get back into what we like to call the "flow". If you haven't heard of that before, it's when you're in the writing zone, everything is coming along smoothly, and your creativity and imagination is taking flight. It's the moment where the lightbulb turns on and stays on. It's when you can't write fast enough to keep up with your thoughts. So, of course, the flow is a great place to be, but for many writers, it can be tricky to get there. That's where freewriting comes in. Freewriting allows you to throw off any constraints, rules, or fears and just WRITE.

So that probably already sounds good, but here are ten more compelling reasons why you should add freewriting exercises to your author's arsenal. 

1. Freewriting helps you get past writers blocks. 
2. Freewriting helps you exercise writing muscles, especially in areas you might not use consistently. 
3. Freewriting helps you get into the flow of writing.
4. Freewriting can help you figure out things about your story or characters that have been giving you problems. 
5. Freewriting is a good way to try out new literary styles.
6. Freewriting can help you clear your head when you have a lot on your mind.
7. Freewriting can help organize your thoughts and ideas.
8. Freewriting is a good way to ease back into writing after taking a long writing break 
9. Freewriting is a short, easy daily practice to keep you writing even if you can't work on bigger projects
10. Freewriting allows you to challenge yourself to learn and grow.


Now that we've covered ten reasons why freewriting is a good idea, you're probably wondering how to go about this exercise! There are several ways to do this. 

1. You can set a clock and commit to writing without stopping for a certain block of time. This type of freewriting usually starts out pretty random or jumbled, because you are forced to start writing with whatever comes to your mind first and just keep going. This is a good way to get out of a writing slump because there is absolutely no pressure to produce anything beautiful-- just to produce words and stay writing for the entirety of the time limit. 
2. You can use an online generator or have a friend give you three words. Then the goal is to begin writing instantly while using the three prompts. This rendition of freewriting helps encourage you to let your imagination take over and for your inner critic to settle down.  This website will automatically generate 3 words for you, and they also have other fun prompts.
3. You can go on Pinterest and find the first photo that grabs your attention, then use that to prompt your freewriting. You can either use it as inspiration for a piece of flash fiction, or you can just write about what you think the picture is about-- what the setting is like, who it is, their backstory, and so on. This one is really versatile and so if you're having trouble with a particular side of writing, like descriptions for instance, you can use this to exercise in that area. 
4. While writing on the computer is really convenient, one way to really jumpstart your brain during your freewriting is to do it on paper. There are lots of great writing prompt books that would be amazing for this kind of thing. Here are a few that could be great! (Please note: The Fearless Type may not agree with everything in these workbooks). 
   
   1. ​​642 Things To Write About by San Fransisco Writers' Grotto 
      
   2. Write The Story by Picadilly
      
   3. Complete The Story by Picadilly 
      
   4. 642 Tiny Things to Write About by San Francisco Writers' Grotto
5. You can choose a song (Soundtracks are great for this exercise!), and write for the duration of the song, about whatever that song brings to your head. Music is powerful and it's especially instrumental for creative writers and helping them get past writers' blocks and open up the imagination. 

So there you have it. Freewriting is a simple topic with a lot of possible variations, and it's a powerful tool to have in your know-how as a writer. Let us know in the comments how you would use this technique in your writing life! 

Stay Fearless!