Posts Tagged ‘freewriting’

The concept of Morning Pages was unveiled by Julia Cameron in her bestselling book, The Artist’s Way. Morning pages are three pages of long-hand writing that you write as soon as you get up. Like freewriting, the idea is to get out everything that is in your head and put it on to the page without editing, or thinking too much about what you are writing.

Morning pages does not have a time limit like freewriting. It’s always three pages and the time it takes varies according to the person. As it’s done first thing, it’s often used as a method of cleansing yourself of worries, bad dreams and things under the surface which you aren’t even aware of. It works best when it becomes an everyday practice, just like brushing your teeth or showering.

Example:

Here are some examples of the type of thoughts which pop up for me:

The dream I had last night

What I’ve got to do today

The writing project I’m working on

The business meeting I have at 3pm

Things on my mind

What’s coming up in the week ahead

Where I can go with my boyfriend at the weekend

What’s on TV tonight

What film to see at the cinema that night

How I feel about something/someone

Something I said

Something I did

Worries or insecurities

Negative thoughts

Stuff I find too embarrassing to talk about

Something someone said to me

Money

Love

Health

What I can see out the window

What I’m having for lunch/dinner

How my body is feeling

The chapter of my book I need to write today

My general health and well-being

How Is It Done?

Treat yourself to a special journal or spiral bound notebook. Don’t just make do with some scraps of A4. It’s a good idea to make your morning pages experience a pleasant one. So dig out a nice pen too. Sit in your favourite part of place in the house, or just write from your bed as soon as you wake up. 

If you find it’s difficult to fit morning pages into your busy day, try waking up 20 or 30 minutes earlier. Or stop off at a café on the way to work.    Morning is the best time for the morning pages, hence the name! Writing at such time allows you to clear your head so you can fulfil your daily goals more efficiently. 

Why Is It Done?

Morning pages work because they clear the mind of junk and clutter; all that useless chit-chat and negativity which lurks below the surface. Often we’re not even aware of this negativity until we write it in our morning pages and realise it’s this which is making us feel tired or anxious. Writing everyday will leave you feeling refreshed and lighter. Your mind will be more focused, your thinking clearer and your heart more open. Find a little time each day to do your morning pages and your writing will flow much easier.

What Do Writers Do With Their Morning Pages?

Like freewriting, ideas are often generated within morning pages, which can be used in your writing. Although morning pages is more of a life exercise, it can also be used to brainstorm specific ideas about your book, such as characters, storylines, locations, etc… Try it and see!

Love & Light,

The Word Queen xx

When your creativity is feeling stifled (described by many as writer’s block) it means you’re not in flow, but there’s a super way to beat writer’s block an d get back in flow and it’s called freewriting!

Freewriting is also known as ‘automatic writing’ It is fast writing, generally written for the writer and not the reader. It is not usually shared. It’s commonly used in writing classes as a warm-up exercise, often with a prompt, either visual or written. But it can also be used at home as an exercise before starting your daily writing, or as a means to beat writer’s block. Written freehand, it’s a way to write without thinking or editing. It taps into the secret parts of the unconscious. Freewriting helps with writer’s block as it can be an amazing way to connect ideas. It’s often revealing.

Example:

There is no right or wrong way to freewrite. You simply start writing and watch where the mind takes you. You’ll notice that it creates links and bridges along the way. Here’s a one minute free writing exercise on doctors:

Doctors:

Need to go to the doctor. Her name is Maria. I like Maria because she’s always smiling and she smells of honeysuckle, which is my favourite flower. Her surgery is upstairs and I have to climb up. It’s a steep stairway and I wonder how elderly people manage. It’s a private clinic with nice leather sofas which I stick to when its hot out. Maria charges a bit and my mum says she may be expensive but that you get what you pay for in this world. Maria always treats me really well and she makes me feel comfortable. She likes to talk and find out what I’ve been doing and how I’ve been keeping. It feels like she genuinely does care about her patients, unlike some doctors I’ve come across in the past. Maria places a stethoscope on my chest. It feels cold and makes me shiver. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I used to play doctors and nurses with my sister. Back then I wanted to be a doctor when I got older, but that all changed since I shone at maths and decided to become an accountant instead.

How Is It Done?

A freewriting session can last from one minute (as above) to fifteen. Very often freewriting begins with a focus, such as a word, ‘doctors’, a visual prompt like a photograph or an object, or even a statement / question such as ‘is it a good idea to spank your children?’ Focus on the topic and keep these rules in mind:

• Write non-stop for a set period of time
• Do not make corrections as you write.
• Keep writing, even if you have to write something like, “I don’t know what to write.”
• Write whatever comes into your mind.
• Do not judge or censor what you are writing.
• Try not to think too hard – just write!
• Use the writing tool that is most comfortable for you– pencil, computer, or whatever.
• It’s a good idea to read your freewriting out loud when you’ve finished. Often you will pick up an idea that you hadn’t noticed as you wrote it. Spend a couple of minutes going through your freewriting. See if any other ideas or patterns emerge?

Why Is It Done?

Freewriting helps you access all the information you have stored away in your subconscious. It literally forces you to place words on page without stopping. It also helps to discover connections which you might not have noticed previously.

Benefits of Freewriting

It makes you more comfortable with the act of writing.
It helps you bypass the “inner critic” who tells you that you can’t write.
It helps to release inner tensions.
It helps you discover things to write about.
It indirectly improves your formal writing.

You can use freewriting at the beginning of each day, or to explore specific topics or themes, such as your main characters, the setting / location of scenes, or at any point when you are want to beat writer’s block. It’s a great tool and one which you’ll come to adore!

Love & Light,
The Word Queen xxx

Many people who want to write a book find it hard to know where to begin. They just don’t ‘get’ how the top authors can sit at their computer and tap away frantically on their computers to keep up with the tirade of words flowing from their heads.

When I settle down to work on my book I enter a trance-like state and I’m convinced that the words don’t come from my mind. Sometimes words I don’t even know the meaning of tumble out. Once I’d never even come across a word which turned up on my manuscript. Oftentimes when I’m reading my work back I don’t even remember constructing a particular paragraph!

This zen-like state of prime creativity is better known as ‘flow.’

A good way to practise achieving flow with your writing is to engage in a daily session of freewriting.

Sit yourself down with a notepad and pen in an area where you feel comfortable and pick a subject. Any subject. Then without thinking, editing, analysing or fretting, simply write whatever comes into your head about that subject. Don’t even pause for a breath. Just get all those words down on to paper. Don’t worry about punctuation, spellings, or grammar, just  write, write, write. Write like you’ve never written before. Think of that scene in Forest Gump “run forest, run!” But swap the running for writing.

The beauty of freewriting is that it allows you to experience that trance-like state I mentioned earlier, called flow.

And after a little practise you’ll be able to tap into this feeling at will. Just like those best-selling authors!

Love & Light

The Word Queen xx