Nothing is more exciting and/or scary than a blank piece of paper. Because of these intense emotions, guidelines have been appointed to follow by anyone who would like to write to make their journey easier and help them get their point across more appropriately. Though I agree with these guidelines and mindfulness about what one is writing is of extreme importance, I also believe in “free writing” as a resource to explore our own creativity and experiences.
I personally use this method a lot while journaling. If I’m too tired to write with detail or form, or if I’m not sure of how I feel about something, I start free writing, and ideas and thoughts begin to interconnect, giving me a clearer image of what I need. However, even for mental health-related writings, some guidelines help you to track better and achieve goals.
Charley Rose, health and wellness writer, explains how the use of prompts guides you to the desired goal of your writing, timing your “free writing” sessions gets you a “wholesome picture of what is going on in your life, your head, and your emotions” (Rose).
I like doing these types of exercises before writing for an assignment since it serves as a warm-up for the mind. Combined with some of the ideas Catherine Savini introduced in her essay “Looking for Trouble,” like “noticing.”
I find it fascinating how, even if it’s not a complete “analogy”, Savini refers to the thesis and argument of a paper as trouble, and we need to find it. As I started my journey as an English major, I was introduced to similar steps to follow when writing an essay. Sometimes, the most difficult ones for me are articulating a problem and its details, and knowing when pursuing a question is not helpful for the resolution or purpose of my particular essay. Practice, as Savini says, it’s the only way I will get better.
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