Freewriting
Freewriting is a way to come up with ideas by removing aspects of writing and ideation which might block creativity. Because it encourages free-flowing ideas and doesn’t give you time to dwell on barriers, freewriting is a good method to use to come up with potential solutions to problems.
How to start freewriting
It’s a good idea to find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. You’ll need a pen and paper, or you could use a document on your computer, whichever you prefer.
Most versions involve starting with a word or phrase (usually your topic) and writing about it without stopping for five minutes. It’s helpful to set a timer for each round of freewriting. After the first five-minute period you examine what you have written, looking for any phrases or words that seem interesting to you. Circle them (or if you are typing: highlight, italicise, put in bold, or underline them) to make them stand out.
In the second round, free-write for another five uninterrupted minutes on your choice of the most interesting word or phrase from your first freewriting.
A third round can help you narrow the topic even further if necessary. For each round of freewriting, don’t worry about your spelling, grammar, or how it would look to an outside audience. It only has to make sense to you. Freewriting is all about idea generation and exploration.
Here’s an example:
As part of a business management course, a student has been working on a scenario-based project to fix the many problems of a hypothetical company. One of the company’s largest problems is the employees’ low levels of motivation. The first assessment is to write an essay on what motivates employees in the workplace, which will help the student get a better idea of why this problem has occurred and how it could be solved. They decide to do a freewriting session to gather the ideas they already have on the topic. Check it out below:
Reflect
How do you think you could use freewriting in your professional discipline to generate ideas and solve problems?
For example:
- A teacher whose students are showing low motivation could use freewriting to come up with innovative activities to engage them.
- A marketing professional working for a company with no online presence could use freewriting to come up with content ideas for the company’s new social media accounts.
This page includes content adapted from the Roughwriter’s Guide by Karen Palmer licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
