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Learner's Club

The Essay Writing Secrets
Here are some writing tips from Writing Coach Jason Clegg.

Freewriting

The most exciting thing about freewriting is that anyone can do it regardless of who you are, where you are, and even what you know (or don't know)!

There are only two simple rules for doing freewriting -
1. Don't worry about grammar or spelling.
2. Don't stop writing for any reason.

That's it. Follow just these two rules, and you'll see tremendous results!

When I teach the freewriting method in my classes, students often struggle with it at first but eventually come to find it extremely helpful and very useful.

In fact, a vast majority of my students list freewriting as the single most important part of their success as a writer in my class.

Just to keep you ahead of the game, I'll let you know what most students find initially difficult about using the freewriting method, so you can avoid the same typical problems.

The most common problem I see is not knowing how to write without stopping. In the beginning, this approach to writing is very different from what you're probably used to using.

Some students will usually say, "But what if I don't know what to write about?" That's when I say, "Write about that!”

And then another student might say, "But I hate writing, and this writing exercise is just another form of writing that I hate." Again, I say, "So write about that! Write about exactly why you hate writing.”

Freewriting is called "free- writing" because it's not supposed to cause you anxiety. No one is going to read your work unless you allow it. This is an easy process that's designed to help you feel good about just doing it, regardless of the results.

What really makes freewriting useful is its focus on generating ideas and getting thoughts out of your head and onto paper.

If you're writing a paper about the Development of Industrial Economies - just for example - then you can start freewriting to get your wheels turning and your brain moving.

Look - you're going to make errors in spelling and grammar, but that's perfectly OK. You can fix those later when it's time to edit.

Freewriting is about avoiding your "inner-critic" who always wants to edit your work. Save the inner- critic for later. Right now, you need to focus on your inner-creator!

Trust me... that inner-critic will be there when you're ready to start editing and revising what you got down in the freewriting stage.

Personally, I love freewriting.
I use this method nearly every day for journaling, writing my articles & books, etc. I even used a form of freewriting to write today's newsletter. This is an immensely useful tool that I believe can help ANYONE improve as a writer!

You can use freewriting right away to get started on the assignment or project you're probably putting off. Just start writing. Once you have something down, then you can worry about the editing and fixing stuff.

Here's my motto:

Freewrite now and worry later.