Freewriting

Whenever I heard the word "freewriting", I would think of something akin to journal writing: scribbling down your innermost thoughts as soon as they pop into your head. 


But I didn't get it. Not until a few days ago, when I learned how to do it properly.


After spotting this excersize, I realised freewriting is not about coherent thought. I'm going to go all "hippy" on you for a minute and entertain the idea that freewriting is all about unclogging your subconscious, in order to make way for wondrous creation (say it with a grand, old man voice).


What I'm about to say next will probably go against the point of being a writer, but the thought of writing with such... lack of inhibition... it scared me. What if I just spouted out a load of crap? I'm a control freak; I like structure; I like order. This goes against my usual way of doing stuff.


But it works. Sweet Mother of Lucifer, it works!

I set my timer for five minutes, then started freewriting, using the word "hands" as a prompt. Next followed an accumulation of words that were in no way related to the word "hands". I just wrote without regard to comprehension, punctuation, spelling and, lastly (as you can see from the state of my writing), a complete disregard for neatness.


After what only seemed like a minute or two, my alarm was going off. Reading it back immediately, it was pretty surreal; as though someone else had written it. A lot of it made me think "where the hell did that come from?" but there were a couple of words or phrases that ignited my curiosity and made me want to explore further.


This is a perfect excersize for writing short stories. Or even getting into that writing zone I spoke about a couple of posts ago. 


A lot of people choose to freewrite first thing in the morning. I certainly couldn't do that during the working week. I just want to write for hours after doing this excersize, not travel into work and spend the day reading committee papers and drawing on maps. 


Do you already freewrite? Am I the last to learn of this phenomenon? If not, why don't you set the timer, give it a bash and let me know how you got on?


I've been doing it every day since, and I'm happy to report my first draft is now FINISHED! As Jay Z would say... on to the next one (draft, that is)...

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Freewriting

Getting into your writing zone

Before I get into my post, I'd just like to thank every single last one of you, who've graced me with your fabulous presence over the past 30 days. I've thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the A to Z Blogging Challenge, and look forward to taking part next year.

For my final entry to the A to Z Blogging Challenge *sniffle*, I'd like to dedicate Z for Zone.


As a writer, I feel there's a certain writing zone I get into: when the words flow from my pen/keyboard and, when I'm done for the day, I look back and think "that was an excellent day for my writing".


Naturally, I've been keen to try and capture the essence of this zone, to make sure all my writing sessions are as creative and productive as possible.


I would love to hear what you do to get into your zone. Do you just plonk yourself down infront of a blank page and open up a vein? Or do you, like me, require a bit of a mental pep-talk to get into the full swing of things?


I know it's only been a month, but I shall look back with tearful nostalgia over my last 25 posts and pick out some things that help me reach my zone. I'll probably print this page out and stick it to the wall above my writing desk, for further encouragement!

• Practice my craft - Make sure I use writing excersizes from the likes of Warwick University Writing Programme and Morgen Bailey's Writing Tips.

• Create a writing schedule - My fortnightly schedule is proving to be an excellent way to make sure I'm committing the hours to my writing (therefore increasing the opportunity to get in said zone!)

• Get rid of silly expectations - My new focus is to put the hours in and don't even look at that word count!

• Write short fiction - Coming up with wee stories such as The Fortune Teller and Ungrateful have been great for putting myself in the writing zone. Perfect for when working on my WIP starts to feel a bit tedious...

• Analyse narrative hooks - "It must look like an accident. Can you arrange that?" (Sidney Sheldon - Memories of Midnight) Finding out what pulls me in to a story as a reader inspires me to create my own hooks!

• Keep a journal - I keep a word document open whilst I'm writing, and often turn to it to vent before, during and after my projects. I like to write what I plan to do with my writing time, then make a note of what I'd like to do next, at the end of it! Extreme Zone-age!

• Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs - Keep a picture of the pyramid on my wall and select one of my character's "basic human needs" to toy with... muwahahahaa.

• Read Stephen King's "On Writing" - Instant Zonification, if you ask me. I defy you to read more than three pages without reaching for your pen!

• Listen to Radio 4 - Tuning into Podcasts such as "Books and Authors", "Play of The Week" and "A Point of View" always get my cogs whirring :)

• Use Motivational Wallpapers - Tough love desktop backgrounds such as this one speak my (foul) language:

Alas... the time has come for the end of the post. From now on, you will find me blogging here EVERY FRIDAY. Please add me to your Google Friend Connect thingymajig, or subscribe to get a wee notification for when I post.


My Z music video (I'm going to miss these) is Zero 7 with In The Waiting Line. And relax...

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Getting into your writing zone