.A. Freewriting

What is it –

Idea developed by Peter Elbow

“The idea is simply to write for ten minutes (later on, perhaps 15 or 20). Don’t stop for anything. Go quickly without rushing. Never stop to look back, to cross something out, to wonder how to spell something, to wonder what word or thought to use, or to think about what you are doing. If you can’t think of a word or a spelling, just use a squiggle or else write, ‘I can’t think of it.’ Just put something down. …The only requirement is that you never stop.”

Pg. 3 in Elbow, Writing without teachers.

Why is it important

It’s about just getting words out on paper.

Writing is usually judged or graded; freewriting isn’t.

Don’t worry about grammar and spelling.

Can be incoherent or nonsensical. Does not have to make sense.

Can jump all over the place; doesn’t have to stay on topic.

Writing is usually supposed to be more dignified, more formal than speech.
                        Freewriting – invites informality, being less careful about word choice, grammar, exactly what you                                         think you “should” say.

Review: Freewriting lets you focus on what you are saying, not on how to say it.

B. Process Writing

What is it?

Exploration of your writing process.

A reflection of what happened when you wrote.

It is thinking about your writing and writing down these thoughts. .

Tell the story of what actually happened as you wrote as honestly and with as much detail as possible.

Why is it important?

 Helps you understand your mental processes better.

    Helps you understand what works for you in writing.

                        Increases your awareness of how you write rather than how you think you should write.

Review: In process writing, you just tell what happened when you wrote. What you did, thought, felt, etc.

Focused Freewrite Prompt

Write about a time when writing went particularly well or a time when it went particularly badly. (If you get lots of blank stares – you can expand the prompt with the following: Try to tell in detail how you went about writing and what happened. What can you learn from this experience? (Prompt taken from Elbow and Belanoff, A community of writers: A workshop course.)

Assignment for Wednesday

IV. Process writing about the focused freewrite: Hand in in class on 1/9.

Write about what happened when you did your focused freewriting in class.