Free Writing

Free Writing is a great way to spend quality time with yourself. Sometimes it reveals some inner hidden thoughts or feelings we were not aware of before. Sometimes it is just fun and silly and sometimes it can be painfully brutally good for us.

The phrase was coined by Natalie Goldberg, who wrote "Writing Down the Bones" and a number of other good writing books. The idea is to use the medium of writing as a tool for getting fresh and fully present, to engage "1st thoughts" rather than thoughts about thoughts or judgments of thoughts. Natalie has a list of simple rules to follow, but the ones I remember right now are, keep the pen moving, don't stop even if you don't know what to say, forget about punctuation and grammar and no judgment allowed - anything goes.

For example, my 1st thought might be "I hate that pink dress.But instead of writing that simple thought, my thought about that thought might be, well, that's not very nice Sage, and then, why am I so judgmental or I can't write that and on and on. But if I am free writing I might just say, I hate that pink dress, it makes my eyes blink and makes me want to run away. I always want to run away...

So then I end up writing about running away instead of the pink dress. I didn't realize that I sometimes have an urge to run away. So now I can explore that urge, might be something interesting in that! I have used free writing as a tool for years for self reflection and for my own creative writing process.

Here's a silly free write - hopefully you will try your own

Does writing cost money? Can writing make me free? What would that feel like would I become like a sky writer like Harold and the purple crayon, writing my realities and adventures and ending up snug in my comfy bed at the end of the story? Free, can anything make me free? Do I really want to be free? What would I do, say, who would I be with, would it feel good? Am I free? Maybe, maybe I am No, I think I am not but sometimes I am a little free, laughing makes me notice freedom, sometimes crying, singing, writing can. when do I feel free is it a choice or is it in my biology, my pre-dis-po-sition. Such a great word, pre-dis-po-sition, It sounds lawyerly and sciencish and educated. It's loooooooooooooooooog. I like words, I like to be free with words, I like them on my tongue and in my ear and down my throat, coming up from my belly. Sometimes I shake with certain words, Sometimes I shudder, shudder shudder. Another cool word, it sounnds like what it is....