Free Writing

An Orb-weaver spider, Family: Araneidae

Fear comes in many shapes and forms. Some are scared of spiders, snakes, or dogs. But, some fears go much deeper than the physical. The person has been told numerous times over their past that they weren’t good at something, that they could never make it, that life is just a road we travel down and die. We take all these words and form a hard knot of fear which keeps us from following our dreams. We glide through life, just waiting for the end.

Writers are known for their fears. Fear of the blank page, fear of failure, and even fear of success. To write, these fears must be pushed away and destroyed. Dreams are for everyone and anyone willing to put in the hard work can make any dream come true.

As you sit down at your desk, does the white page frighten you? Are you afraid that no words will come? A 5-15 minute free writing session can help overcome this fear. Set a timer, there are many online versions, place your fingers on the keyboard, and start typing. It doesn’t matter what you write, just write. The results may be use later in your writing, but they don’t have to be. The purpose is to free your mind flow and allow random thoughts to make it onto the page.

These sessions can also be used for brainstorming. Say your novel has come to a stop and you don’t have a clue what to do next. At the top of your free writing page, type a short line of what’s going on that caused the road block. Such as: Sue needs to marry Charles but I’m not sure how to get them together. Set your timer, and start typing. Chances are a solution will come through. If not, try again later. With your brain relaxed and not caring about punctuation and grammar, you’ll be amazed at what can happen on the blank page.