Build a Productive Writing Habit with Freewriting

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  • Опубликовано: 26 дек 2024

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  • @vo1d364
    @vo1d364 9 месяцев назад +13

    Free writing is how I grew my writing. Now, I can express myself eloquently, be able to express emotions through it, and express myself in a way that someone understands.

  • @wawankurniawan6511
    @wawankurniawan6511 Год назад +14

    16:13: "The basic idea, though, is this: great writing is the product of great revision, not great drafting." ❤

  • @expect_realityy
    @expect_realityy 9 дней назад +2

    So that's what I was lacking 😮
    Thank you sir-for opening my eyes 😅

  • @MrLachlan1903
    @MrLachlan1903 Год назад +45

    There are some writers with ADHD or other factors affecting them and their ability to establish habits, let alone methodically plan their writing. Freewrting can be very helpful for them when all they need to do is put their racing mind to paper.

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад +8

      Thanks for sharing that--that's a great thought!

    • @Jasonronsteinberger
      @Jasonronsteinberger Год назад +3

      ME! I just put pen to paper, seeing where it goes, picked an inpetween where I haven't scribbled yet, I'll re-read it later, not going with the sugested time, well, if "today" counts as that. Great comment, thanks.

    • @rachellense
      @rachellense 2 месяца назад +1

      Yep, ADHD is why I'm watching this video. I work on a communications team and I have this one project that's been eluding completion for months. I suspect I just need to do (a lot) of free writing just to get my thoughts--any thoughts--in a document and go from there. I can have all the notes and quotes and bullet points in the world available to me, but turning that into a coherent story can sometimes feel so out of reach!

  • @thissunchild
    @thissunchild Год назад +17

    I write every morning in my coffee nook before heading off to work. I say what I want and need to say, letting it spill out over 2 or 3 pages. It grounds and centers me, and readies me for the day ahead.

    • @carmengiles456
      @carmengiles456 Год назад +4

      Me too. Have been doing morning pages for years & honestly believe it helps keep me sane 😊

  • @akanesakurada8298
    @akanesakurada8298 7 месяцев назад +5

    Doing my first English journal (its my second language) and I really can't find the balance of just writing everything down even though I made my own structure in my head.
    But just like you said "there are no rules and restrictions" and yeah its a good way of not knowing the time has passed.

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  7 месяцев назад

      Awesome! It's all about practice, so it's normal if it feels a little unusual at first

  • @zeropat0000
    @zeropat0000 Год назад +20

    You got me to write for the first time in years. Thank you. Truly, thank you.

  • @InvisibleZed
    @InvisibleZed Год назад +5

    I've been stuck, almost paralysed, to start writing anything daily - despite seeing it's an essential discipline to make any headway creatively. This was a fantastic tip though. I opened up one of many empty notebooks and just started out by describing what I was doing by freewriting and then let my thoughts wander to ideas I wanted to explore. It was hard to not write - a bit like a staring contest. But after a page my mind was starting to let out new ideas that I probably wouldn't have thought of. I just hope no-one else ever gets to read this stuff. I've been keen to use fountain pens and it's really shone a light on the good/bad qualities of each one I own. Unfortunately,, my prized pen isn't so great to write with. I also ended up with really numb fingers after writing for 25 mins non stop.

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад

      Glad it helped! The numb fingers is a common side effect at first 😆

  • @JustJedi19
    @JustJedi19 Год назад +13

    This video came to me just when I needed it. I started to write not long ago and felt this notion of "it has to sound better and more intelligent, why can't I do it?"
    I was getting in my head too much and this video gave me what I needed. Thank you Andrew

  • @ElliotBrownJingles
    @ElliotBrownJingles Год назад +6

    I have got to get me one of those bolt action pens! Cool design.
    "...by freewriting you give yourself a relatively quick and painless way to produce copious amounts of material to revise". I needed to hear that! I have been overthinking my first drafts something terrible and worried about where it will all end up in the final product.

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад +3

      Nice--yeah, it's a great way to get out of overthinking and put some words down. When I'm really stuck, freewriting is what I turn to

  • @treemyselfi1916
    @treemyselfi1916 Год назад +3

    I used to do something similar every day as a way of processing my thoughts in the morning, typing stream-of-consciousness for thirty minutes with no stops or edits. I called it incinewriting because at the very end I would delete everything without looking back over it. I did this nearly every day for about three years, and I noticed that with the other writing I did during that time, my words became less precious to me, which made it far easier to revise and finish the pieces in a timely manner. I can’t say I would recommend the practice to anyone who wants an actual record of the work they’ve done, but it served me well up until the day my son was born, at which point the practice stopped, and I never wrote again for the rest of my life THE END

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад +1

      I'm very on board with the term "incinewriting"--that's awesome!

  • @darkblueturbo
    @darkblueturbo Год назад +3

    I am a master procrastinator. I have (what I think is) a great idea for a story and I've been thinking about it a lot. How to get started, in particular.
    I got a new pen (sorry otherwise I'd have been all over that link) and a nice empty A5 pad for Christmas.
    Thank you for giving me a nudge. I might actually start with some free writing with a key idea in my head.
    As my son would say: let's go!

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад +2

      You bet! I'm a little too skilled at procrastination for my own good too 😅

  • @liurui3126
    @liurui3126 Год назад +7

    Thanks for your all videos. I'm not a native English speaker, so I always have trouble in writing and speaking. Your videos help me a lot not only in writing but also teach me to enjoy reading English literature.❤

  • @crediblesalamander8056
    @crediblesalamander8056 26 дней назад

    to kickstart a writing habit, i've been writing 500 words everyday for the last 30 days. along the way, i've learned a lot about storytelling and wordcraft, but in attempting to implement what i've learned, sometimes it really did feel like i lost my voice. it's discouraging to look at my work from day 1 and know that it's better than day 15.
    maybe i'll feel less stuck if i start freewriting deliberately as an exercise, instead of just doing it instinctively whenever i get stuck. thanks for the advice!

  • @Mynameisntmegan
    @Mynameisntmegan 4 месяца назад +1

    Thanks Dr. B.
    Earlier this week I began the habit of free writing every day. I really felt like I was giving some structure to my thoughts.
    Today I read some of the writings and boy oh boy was it structurally atrocious. So I made an outline of how it should look, and now I'll go back to the grind.
    Thanks so much for your work. I always wanted to start writing essays and stories, but your channel is what pushed me into doing it.

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  4 месяца назад +2

      You're welcome--I'm glad you're doing some writing! Writing messy and then going back to it later is what it's all about

  • @diegoorfanell6182
    @diegoorfanell6182 4 месяца назад

    The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron features freewriting in the morning as a tool to gain back creativity. She refers to this activity as morning pages.

  • @williamperryjr1324
    @williamperryjr1324 5 месяцев назад +1

    This video was truly helpful! I have a severe case of writer's block!

  • @thenicoleodom
    @thenicoleodom 8 месяцев назад +1

    This is gold.

  • @danguyet2176
    @danguyet2176 Год назад +1

    I just want to say thank you. I have struggle with my writing skill even with simple tasks. The way you explain is so easy to understand for me. Sorry for my bad English. Anyway, thank you so much.

  • @dvklaveren
    @dvklaveren Год назад +1

    Can't recommend text-based roleplay enough. Great way to learn how to write sentences in pleasing ways.

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад +1

      Are you saying writing can be fun!? 😂 For real, though, thanks for the suggestion

  • @brontocat
    @brontocat 7 месяцев назад +1

    What a lovely presentation. Enjoyed it tremendously.

  • @Mynameisntmegan
    @Mynameisntmegan 4 месяца назад

    There's an article about you on the Ohio State University website, and it uses the word "plethora" and it made me chuckle and think about this video.

  • @wateronfire19
    @wateronfire19 Год назад +3

    I really appreciate how to -the-point and easy to understand your videos are. Thanks for putting your thoughts out here!!

  • @ormulyce
    @ormulyce Год назад +2

    Thank you. It's an idea to test. The final text is wonderful, btw.

  • @Marshmellow0916
    @Marshmellow0916 10 месяцев назад

    Thank you very much, Andrew. This video is just in time for me. I am currently writing my PhD thesis but suffer from perfectionism and progress slowly. I am going to try free writing right away today.

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  10 месяцев назад +1

      I'm glad to hear it! It's a big job, but I can confirm that it's much better in retrospect than it is in the moment--you'll get there!

  • @smokingiscool599
    @smokingiscool599 Год назад +3

    The "you might want a new pen to start freewriting in style" segue was very smooth. I was actually thinking something along those lines. I actually spend a lot of time thinking about what stationary I want to use for different things. Sadly I often spend less time using stationary than I spend researching it.
    Do you have any advice for people that let fiddling with stationary distract them from using their stationary?

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад +2

      Ha, thanks--but I'm with you: at least for me, I tend to be a little precious about using up nice notebooks, so I've learned that I'll get better mileage of a cheap one that I'll actually write in than a nice one that I feel like I have to "preserve for special ideas." I don't know if that's advice, but that's where I am 🤷

  • @m8nswell
    @m8nswell Год назад

    I needed to hear this today, thanks. It's something I'm constantly trying to remind myself of but sometimes fail to remember. not sure if this is a good example but reading Haruki Murakami's work has actually helped me a lot, there are issues I have with his portrayal of women, but I really love his writing style. I love it's simplicity and casual surrealism. it has a lot of elements of my own personal writing style and made my way of writing feel a bit more validated, gave me a bit of a "oh, so its actually okay to write like this" moment.
    Also, since I didn't comment on your previous video, I wanted to say: I'm very glad to finally know Kaput Mortuum's name. Great guy. We need his light in the world.

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад

      lol thanks!
      I'm glad it helped, and that's a great perspective--take what resonates and leave what doesn't.

  • @breezeryan2709
    @breezeryan2709 Год назад

    this is a new insight for me as novice writer. Thank you for your valuable advice. All The best :)

  • @yessumify
    @yessumify 8 месяцев назад

    This is inspiring 🙌 can't to do this myself and with my kids 😃

  • @aysgl2666
    @aysgl2666 3 месяца назад

    Thank you so much; it was a very good piece of advice.

  • @IslaKapantakofficial
    @IslaKapantakofficial 10 месяцев назад

    Thank you sir andrew

  • @Jasonronsteinberger
    @Jasonronsteinberger Год назад +2

    Thanks! really learning from your videos, well I like to think so.
    I haven't looked through your library of videos, but have you covered where to get feedback from others? I imagine reddit if I'm not IP banned, but where else can a person get constructive criticism?
    Regardless, thanks! and im liking this exercise a lot.

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад +2

      Thanks! I think there are all kinds of places online, but I'm currently working on putting something together so that we can have a writing community like that associated with the channel. So stay tuned: I hope to have an announcement soon!

    • @Jasonronsteinberger
      @Jasonronsteinberger Год назад +1

      Right on, thanks!@@WritingwithAndrew

  • @jeffhallum
    @jeffhallum Год назад

    Thank you for the encouragement --

  • @diegoaraujo4966
    @diegoaraujo4966 Год назад

    Thanks!

  • @sumcherry
    @sumcherry Год назад

    Really interesting, I've been starting to do this by myself more and more often over the last years, without knowing that it has a name and is used as a technique by actual writers😂
    I do think it has helped me to write poetry more easily. Also it is quite interesting at times to flip through old notebooks and come across the occasional nugget of gold hidden in the gibberish 😂

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад

      lol, I love that--the nuggets hidden in the gibberish is what it's all about 😆

  • @admorewarhammer5141
    @admorewarhammer5141 Год назад +1

    the extreme expressiveness of your face movements has captured my cat's attention

  • @ckay4665
    @ckay4665 Год назад +1

    Hii! this isnt really related to the video, but im currently in secondary school in the uk and im scared for my english literature exams, as i cannot understand poems for the life of me! I try practice as often as possible, but nothing seems to be working ;-; I need helpppp, poems are so tricky :(

  • @capneyeball575
    @capneyeball575 Год назад +3

    But what if I really do often say “plethora?”

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад +5

      Then it's allowed--but only if you really do 😜

    • @capneyeball575
      @capneyeball575 Год назад +1

      @@WritingwithAndrew I guess I’m a little pedantic. I probably could tone it down a bit.

  • @gike2755
    @gike2755 Год назад

    Andrew read something in one of the poetry videos that is now a brainworm but I dont remember the video. Something like "mane-feathered starburst"-anyone mind pointing me back to that video? I seem to remember that it was an example of describing a dandelion?

  • @ClumsyToast
    @ClumsyToast Год назад

    I have brutal depresson (have had for about two decades now), and I have ADHD personality traits. I wouldn't say I struggle with being able to freewrite, and my 60 drafts in Medium are a testiment to that, but the battle between producing polished, carefully crafted writing and just spouting off about whatever my fingers feel like clacking out on the keyboard is an ongoing warzone in my mind.
    Should I spend x amount of hours polishing this one idea and revising something, clarifying my thinking to the best of my ability? Or should I just muddle through it as sloppy as it turns out to be and move on to the hundred other ideas swirling in my head? Having a goal or clear values helps a lot, but when you don't care about anything and you seemingly don't have a dopamine system to drive you toward anything, when nothing grips you (or perhaps everything grips you the same amount), what do you do?! It's brutal. It's a wonder I get pants on every day to be perfectly honest.
    A part of the problem is that I'm terrified of being vulnerable and exposing a more raw version of myself. People judging my real self is an extremely uncomfortable thing that I find no value in. (yeah, I'm sure it's some sort of cognitive fallacy.)
    Find value. I guess that's what it's about though ay? I shouldn't write thinking of other people--or rather, my audience should be me. Maybe? Gosh that sounds weird... but so does writing for a bunch of strangers who probably couldn't be bothered about who I am as a person ha. The topic itself certainly doesn't care if it's written about or not.
    I guess I'm just taking this opportunity to freewrite for a second.

  • @ClumsyToast
    @ClumsyToast Год назад

    Wait! I just realized the way you talk reminds me of the guy from ATV Television here on youtube. That's the familiarity I could feel.

  • @gulcinyuksel4129
    @gulcinyuksel4129 Год назад

    Hi Andrew. First time commenter here. Hope you're doing well. Are you familiar with "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg? A large part of the book is about freewriting.

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад +1

      It sounds familiar, but I haven't read it. Sounds like my reading list just got a little longer 😆

  • @speeksasfada
    @speeksasfada Год назад

    thanks for

  • @kjwolfgramm
    @kjwolfgramm 10 месяцев назад +2

    Would you agree that as you work through revisions, and become a more talented writer, the piece of clay you make during free writing becomes more refined naturally?

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  10 месяцев назад +2

      I think that's probably true, yeah. That or you just get better at picking good clay from the start and spend less time with unproductive ideas

  • @ozarka8964
    @ozarka8964 Год назад +6

    I have a research paper coming up in a humanities class and this was actually really helpful
    Edit: I think my biggest concern with freewriting is repetition. If I’m only writing in my own voice, I feel like I’m bound to reuse common words/phrases. Do you have any advice for this?

    • @browniebattercup
      @browniebattercup Год назад +3

      I’m not the creator of this video obviously, but I think this advice is for getting the first draft out of your head onto the paper without getting stuck on editing yourself or overthinking. I wouldn’t worry about re-using words over and over because you can come back and change it later to do the second draft with fresh eyes :)

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад +3

      Glad it helped--and yes, I'd second the above comment. Don't worry too much about it: you can always cut that repetition out later

    • @ozarka8964
      @ozarka8964 Год назад +1

      @@browniebattercup yeah this totally makes sense in hindsight 😅 thank you for your reply!! ☺️

  • @Islaras
    @Islaras 8 месяцев назад

    ❤❤❤

  • @seanrowshandel1680
    @seanrowshandel1680 11 месяцев назад +1

    Is there any doubt as to whether the point of Freewriting is To Bolster The Brain, and that people who DON'T Freewrite not only are worse off AS WRITERS, but they comparatively have Less Valuable Brains?
    In that vein, a Freewriter is expected to be more likely to agree with the statement: "'Discipline' is 'Discipline To One's Own Brain [a "brain" being "a pool" from which one "draws out" one's potential, although such "a brain" also comes as "a Package Deal" with the concept that It May Also Exist PHYSIOLOGICALLY - as an organ of the body within the skull]'".
    This being said, I personally agree with the sentiment that Freewriting is the difference between children and adults, and I often rely on nothing more than the sense of security "to which the value of the metaphorical 'currency' of Freewriting's Benefit is 'pegged'", sometimes going so far as to believe that this Benefit is the only objective truth which can be proven but doesn't need proving, that it is The First in any list of meritable acts: that it is pretty much "something magical", and that anything which can luxurify the process of Freewriting is indeed worth fighting for. That's why it's controversial to have mentioned a material object in this video. Now, with Everyone as my witness, we have established that the Object Of Our Interest (which we are wont to attempt to obtain at any cost) is INDEED a material good. What's next? Will I dare to mention its name? Will we be able to find it?
    Is there any doubt as to whether Freewriting is a Phase of Civilizational Evolution WHICH IS PERMANENT (and is most certainly "non-cyclical")? This is all we've got standing in the way of the extremists: an inocuous trend where some guy and a writing utensil promise to take up an Icarian Mission to one day measure up to the pioneers of the Mandarin writing system (before failing to save

  • @hannahbrown2728
    @hannahbrown2728 Год назад +1

    While I havent written much lately, I remember when I finally internalized this kind of practice. For my autistic ass, it was and still is tremendously difficult. Its better to just get words on a page than none at all.
    This should be done to everyones wants and needs, and for me its simply writing without regard for what I write. Id drop time constraints and just scribble for as long as I can. I once fought against my voice cause I tend to be verbose, but I like that, I want that. I shirked away from it cause it feels unacceptable.
    Ive just gotta refine how verbose I am, Im the kinda of weirdo to use plethora or modicum in normal conversation and I get raised eyebrows a lot. Im working through a lot of scripting every day to try and be more understandble. But since Ive found myself more interested in lyrcism than simply narrative storytelling, Ill channel my inner Aesop Rock and hit folks with a veritable thesaurus.

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад +1

      Too true--you can work with things once they're written down, but it's hard to make progress when it's all stuck in the head.
      And you're right--I think the time constraint is just a way to motivate non-stop writing, but it's a flexible rule: it is *free*writing after all 🙂

  • @Nukkistus
    @Nukkistus Год назад +1

    I have tried freewriting, but problem is that I get bored of writing "I don't know what to write. Weather is pleasant. No rain. So boring to not have idea what to write. Why I need to write for two minute? This is nonsense! AaaaaaaIi don't know what to write. I am bit hungry. " every day 😂

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад +2

      Hey, at least you're writing! Maybe giving yourself a prompt (or finding one--the internet is full of prompts) could be a good way to give yourself a little more direction to start with--and at least delay the "weather is pleasant" line a little longer 😂

  • @sinclairbowman92
    @sinclairbowman92 Год назад

    Ball point pens ARE always inferior. But I love the video otherwise.

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад +2

      lol, fair enough--I could at least say it's the least inferior ballpoint I remember using. In the time since, I wouldn't say it's the first pen I reach for, but I don't resent it when I do (which I cannot say for your run-of-the-mill ballpoint pen) 🙂

  • @Wolf-6567
    @Wolf-6567 Месяц назад

    Brilliant, thank you. I have subbed and liked. I will be exploring your other content with enthusiasm.

  • @PepperBMinty
    @PepperBMinty Год назад

    I love the video! I freewrite very regularly, especially when working on creative projects. It’s really enjoyable to me, and I find I get some really good ideas out when I’m just putting down whatever concept I can think of in the moment. But only up to a certain point. I’m looking for advice on freewriting for larger projects… I’ve tried writing novels with pretty robust outlines, but always find that I get too stuck and simply don’t continue writing (or even start!) because I get too overwhelmed by what I have to do. Same kind of goes for when I try to freewrite, and just hit a certain wordcount… but it definitely gets me further than any deliberate planning. But I still stop. It’s like once I get the shape of an idea down, I start thinking too hard, and I never pick it up again. Do you possibly have any advice for this?

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад +3

      For some of my larger projects, I think I've used both in different ways: maybe do some freewriting to figure out the overall structure of the project, use that to figure out a general outline, go back and start each section/chapter with some freewriting, etc. Freewriting to figure out what I think, outlining to organize it, and then it's just drafting. It may be my poet's attention span, but the more I can break overwhelming projects into smaller, more familiar sections, the easier it is to get going and keep going

    • @PepperBMinty
      @PepperBMinty Год назад

      @@WritingwithAndrew Thank you so much!! That sounds like a fun approach, I'll try it out. Means a lot that you would take the time to answer!

    • @WritingwithAndrew
      @WritingwithAndrew  Год назад

      You bet--hope it works for you!