TIPS: Freewriting

The majority of writers seem to have the same problem – getting started. It can often seem an impossible task just to sit down at your laptop or pad of paper and just start writing the thing you intended to write, which often leads to the stereotype of a prevaricating writer. Everything seems more important; the dishes, the washing, painting the skirting boards. I once worked with someone whose husband, instead of finishing his PhD thesis, had elected to dig up their driveway on a whim as it had been 'annoying him for ages.'

One way to ease yourself into the process of writing is to try freewriting. This is a process where you sit down and just write whatever comes into your head. Dump the words down on the paper, giving no thought to form, structure or quality. Follow your thoughts to wherever they head, and try not to over-think it. This is just an exercise, and you can throw the sheets of paper away at the end if you wish, although you may be surprised at the tiny nuggets of prose you can come up with when not fully concentrating. There may be a compulsion to stop or edit, but try to resist, as free association is the key. Your writing might look like this, spelling mistakes and all:

So I'm looking at the fruitbowl and deciding which bit of fruit to eat next, but I know the fridge is just yards away, tempting me, taunting me with the leftover chicken from yesterday's roast. A meal so sublime that the raosting fat in the oven crept up the walls and infected all that it touched, coating cushions and curtains with smeach and tar, creeping up my notrils and tempting me with odours of hot poultry.

There. Not Booker-winning, I know, but the important thing is to get the writing brain started. An old tutor of mine suggested writing three pages each morning, to kick-start the day and fire up the neurons. Freewriting can unleash powerful hidden feelings and thoughts, and can be an invaluable addition to the writer's toolbox.

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TIPS is a series of posts looking at exercises for creative writing. 

image:Zsuzsanna Kilian: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/nkzs