Sit down in a comfortable chair, grab pen and paper and allow your mind to wander in whatever direction it chooses. Close your eyes for a minute and revel in the mental picture that is conjured up. What do you see, hear, feel, even smell and taste? Is it a beautiful sunset in Maui perhaps? Or maybe you are looking up at the Eiffel Tower in Paris? Or maybe you’re at a pool party or perhaps even a different kind of party, your son’s third birthday party all over again? Or maybe you are skiing down a mountain or sipping wine on a cruise ship out in the middle of the Caribbean? Whatever it is open your eyes now and write it down. Anything that comes to mind that is. It doesn’t have to make any sense so don’t worry about making sure it sounds coherent. It doesn’t have to be in sentences or even be written across the page in any sort of order.
Why this bizarre exercise?
It’s called free writing and it is an excellent way to relax yourself and clear your mind. It’s not called “free” writing for nothing. You are taking the time to free yourself from all of your worries and do as you please. So go on, give it a try!
Common belief
Many people believe that not only is free writing a restful activity but also a way to help discover something new (or something buried deep in your subconscious) about yourself. And that’s a good enough reason to try it out for yourself. Free writing is a form of self-illumination.
Basic guidelines of free writing
Write nonstop for a set period of time (for example 15-25 minutes, perhaps as a beginner start with a shorter period of time, say 10 minutes).
Write whatever comes into your mind, no matter how unusual or odd it might seem.
Don’t make corrections as you write (that would defeat the purpose of the exercise).
Write even if you don’t know what to write or think you have nothing to say (nobody’s mind can be that blank, come on now!).
Don’t make any judgments on what you are writing while you are in the process of writing and don’t censor yourself (if something inappropriate passes through your mind, don’t hesitate to jot it down).
Don’t cross anything out on the page. Instead write the new idea down but leave the old idea in place.
Don’t concern yourself with punctuation and your free writing will be quicker and more fluent.
Note
If you discover that your free writing is legible and easily understood, then you probably haven’t loosened up enough to grasp the logic behind the exercise. Remember always that the process of free writing is what is important, not the end result. You will always be successful if you follow the guidelines listed above
Benefits of free writing
It can be a valve to release inner tensions.
It’s freeing to the psyche (how often can you really say, or in this case, write anything that you want to?!).
It opens you up to explore new and special things about yourself such as your thoughts, feelings, dreams, goals, etc.