Free-writing is a stream of consciousness

Free-writing is a stream of consciousness writing. The ideas flow to the page as they arrive even if the connections are not initially seen. It’s not about structure or grammar or spelling. Free-writing is the most powerful type of writing practice as it teaches that writing is essentially about expression and thought. Even if you are not a writer it can be helpful to have a regular practice of exploring and expanding ideas on the page. You may be surprised where it takes you.

The first step to building a daily practice is, to begin with, today. Try to free-write (or free-draw) for at least 10 minutes a day, working your way to 20 minutes a day by the end of the month. Remember, it doesn't need to be great it just needs to come out of you and onto the page.

As an early riser, I love to write in the mornings. It's a wonderful time to put my pen to the page and see where it leads. I never have a plan and I rarely go back to see what I've written. It's about engaging in the process of showing up to write. Later, when I'm working on a project, the words come more easily and images or stories reappear, finding their way into my work with very little effort.