Free writing

Free writing (also stream-of-consciousness writing) is a writing technique in which a person writes continuously for a set period of time without regard to spelling, grammar or topic. It produces raw, often unusable material, but allows a writer to overcome blocks of apathy and self-criticism. This technique is also used by some writers to collect their initial thoughts and ideas on a topic, and is often used as a preliminary to more formal writing. It is not a form of automatic writing.

Technique
The technique involves continuous writing, usually for a predetermined period of time (often 5, 10, or 15 minutes). Writing is done without regard to spelling, grammar, etc., and no corrections are made. If the writer reaches a point where he or she cannot think of anything to write, then he or she writes that he or she cannot think of anything, until another line of thought is found. The writer allows himself or herself to stray off topic and to just let his or her thoughts lead wherever they may. At times, a writer may also do a focused freewrite where a chosen topic structures his or her thoughts. Expanding from this topic, the thoughts may stray to make connections and create more abstract views on the topic. This technique helps a writer to explore a particular subject before putting ideas into a more basic context.

Freewriting is often done on a daily basis as a part of the writer's daily routine. Also, students in many writing courses are assigned to do such daily writing exercises.

Definition
Based on the presumption that everybody has something to say and the ability to say it, however the mental wellspring may be blocked by apathy, self-criticism, resentment, anxiety about deadlines, fear of failure or censure, or other forms of resistance. The accepted rules of free-writing enable a writer to build up enough momentum to blast past any blocks into uninhibited flow.

Free-writing is all about loosening and limbering the thought process, not about a product or a performance.

Rules
Here are the essential rules that are often formulated for the beginners or students.


 * Give yourself a time limit. Write for one or ten or twenty minutes, and then stop.
 * Keep your hand moving until the time is up. Do not pause to stare into space or to read what you've written. Write quickly but not in a hurry.
 * Pay no attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation, neatness, or style. Nobody else needs to read what you produce here. The correctness and quality of what you write do not matter; the act of writing does.
 * If you get off the topic or run out of ideas, keep writing anyway. If necessary, write nonsense or whatever comes into your head, or simply scribble: anything to keep the hand moving.
 * If you feel bored or uncomfortable as you're writing, ask yourself what's bothering you and write about that. Sometimes your creative energy is like water in a kinked hose, and before thoughts can flow on the topic at hand, you have to straighten the hose by attending to whatever is preoccupying you.
 * When the time is up, look over what you've written, and mark passages that contain ideas or phrases that might be worth keeping or elaborating on in a subsequent free-writing session.