Free-flow writing: a step-by-step guide
Writing for reflection
So as you might have figured out, I like to write exactly what I’m thinking. These reflections of my life and the life around me are what make up my poetry. But another question that a lot of people have asked is, how do I write? what is the process behind my writing? Sometimes I don’t really have an answer. For the most part, my writing is just about me picking up my pen, opening my scrapbook and writing out whatever it is that I’m thinking about at the time. But one important of my process is to allow my writing, my free-flow writing to be effortless as though my writing is just an extension of my thoughts, and in-turn allow further thoughts to rise to the surface.
Take for example my last poem ‘War’, I had a moment of reflection one afternoon after hearing about the impact of war on so many people and countries around the world. So I wrote exactly how it made me feel. and the way it made me feel was to ask questions on the real reasons that drive dictatorships, that drive wars, that drive fear. And as I thought further about these questions, and answers, I just carried on writing.
And anyone can do this. It doesn’t take a literary genius, it doesn’t even take much time. But what it does take is to be conscious of one’s thoughts and to try and observe things, people, questions, without judgement. Ask yourself what you want to write about. Again for example this was about war because it felt so top of mind. Then ask yourself what impact you want to have with your writing. For me, I wanted to share my questions about war to spark in others the deeper questions on why wars occur. The impact of my words comes through the power they hold to trigger thoughts, ideas, stories, opinions, and open up new ways of thinking. But there’s another thing. Free-flow writing also helps me reflect on my feelings, it helps me process deep set emotions and acts almost like an emotional detox. Free-flow writing has given me the ability to NOT get caught up in my own narrative, my own stories and instead sit with my thoughts as they arise, quieten my mind’s chatter, and write all thoughts down on paper to help see things from a new perspective. Giving my subconscious the room to speak up. And it helps to unlock my creative mind and go a bit wild with my storytelling! haha
Honestly, I feel that when I do free-flow writing, I’m actually channelling my wisdom from within, like my soul is talking to me as I write.
So now that you understand a bit about my process, here is a quick (and more structured) step-by-step guide that I’ve put together that might help you to write a few things for yourself!
Free the mind
Find a quiet spot without distractions and think of a topic you want to write about. It might about something you heard on the news that feels relevant to you. Something that you experienced at work maybe you witnessed someone receive an unfair criticism and wondered where it came from. Take a few moments to clear your mind and sit with the topic and feel the emotions that come with it. When I wrote ‘The Golden Tunnel’, I had recently felt like I wanted guidance and some direction, and protection for that matter, on getting through what was a difficult period. The golden tunnel in the end was the metaphor of the direction and protection that I was seeking.
2. Putting pen on paper
Get a pen and notebook just for this type of writing so you can be comfortable knowing all your inner knowledge and thoughts spill out into the same place. It’s the real tangible feeling of putting pen to paper that gets you feeling connected with the right energy with your words. Connect your pen to paper and imagine that it acts like a channel running directly from all of those loose, unbound, roaming thoughts to stream directly onto your page. And let yourself write. And let yourself explore your thoughts. Try not to feel pressured to write anything. Let your hand write whatever it wants. Don’t feel expectation that you will get marked up or down for the content of your thoughts. Your thoughts, as your words, are your own and you can be proud of them if not a little bit wtf! ha! This is when the magic occurs and we can tap into our true self. Once these emotions have risen through our words, we can see them for what they are, process them, let them go and allow for more creativity to flow. We are creating a story. and a lot of the time, the writing is to reflect on how you felt, not what you did.
3. Ask yourself questions
As you continue writing and feeling the emotions behind the topic you chose, start asking yourself questions. What do I really think about this topic? Why is it close to me? What answers do I want? What is my journey through this topic? When I wrote ‘Unbound’, I was constantly asking myself questions relating to ‘how can I achieve all that I need to?’, ‘what if I run out of time?’, ‘do we ever really achieve everything we’re capable of? and if not, why?’. Wow some deep questions right?
But that’s the beauty of free-flow writing. The questions keep appearing, and the answers or at least some vague semblance of answers keep appearing too. and it all comes out in my writing. That’s why I say my writing is more reflections than anything else. Some place between the real and the imagined, where there are innumerable impressions, moods, seasons and deja vus.
4. Avoid looking at the paper, and write from emotion
Just keep writing! Even if you end up repeating every single thought or writing the same sentence in multiple ways. When I write, I want to ultimately keep a flow going from my subconscious. So, by keeping the pen moving, sometimes even doodling, it removes the temptation to analyse what I’ve written, and therefore stops me from judging it. Remember, its an emotional purge. It’s a way of getting out of our own narratives and stepping back and seeing it all from a new perspective. Going back to ‘Unbound’, the emotional purge was getting rid of the need for being recognised, for being titled, for worrying that I would never achieve anything in the time I had. And as I allowed myself to write more unhindered, I started recognising this more and more. And you know what, it felt so good. That I was able to really sit beside my thoughts and understand the futility of my ego (please read the poem as I’m finding it hard for this not to be a spoiler! haha). Another example, if we tend to observe anger, how does it feel? where do you feel it? what images come up for you? If the flow changes direction and you start writing about other things, check in to see if you are avoiding the subject. Maybe explore that too! Be curious to see what comes up for you as you write.
5. Welcome the words as much as the images and numbers
As you travel with your writing, accept all the things that pop into your head. The images, the numbers, the memories. As you’ve read in my earlier blog posts (because I know you’ve read every single blog post of mine multiple time! found here haha) when I was writing ‘I am Angel’, a lot of imagery came to mind from norse mythology, the moon and stars, to dragons, light & dark, and the numbers 33. And I just carried on writing without judgement, without much understanding but just wrote the best way I could. They could mean absolutely anything. but trust the fact that these images or numbers show up and let them naturally fit into your story.
6. Let it all flow
Let go of expectation and judgement, write from the heart rather than the head, and allow the words to spill out onto your page. It may feel strange at first, but once you find your rhythm, your creativity will begin to flow. And sometimes the really special feeling behind free-flow writing is that you can approach your process with questions. Again, going back to ‘War’ part of the reason I wanted to write it wasn’t to write down my thoughts, but rather to explore my own thoughts through those questions and as I asked myself repeatedly “What is War?” I found out myself what I really thought about it. Brilliant!
One thing I’ve really felt quite strongly about is that while I’m writing, I feel that I am channelling support and advice and counsel from my inner wisdom or guides. I am throwing my random, and sometimes insane, questions into the abyss and seeing what turns up on my page! and totally trusting the process too! The outcome has been that I feel a deepened connection with myself, and everything else around me, and a better, probably deeper understanding of my place in the world! I have a lot more confidence in my own intuitions too! (Stay tuned for when I share my very own manifesto with you guys - a sneak peak into the principles I live my life by!)
What can you try next?
Once you’ve read through all of the above, take some time to sit with it and appreciate it for what it could bring. And maybe have a go yourself! Try writing two pages of text as soon as you wake up. It could include dreams, thoughts about the day, your to-do list, anything! Start off just mind-dumping and once you’ve thrown it all down, that’s when the real gems of wisdom, insight and creativity start to arise.
So guys, I’m glad you’ve stayed this long and you’ve took some interest in my process for free-flow writing! I really hope that you’ve learnt something new, and taken something away from this that might help you build confidence in your own intuitive writing! and as always I’d love to hear what you think about my process!
I think my next blog post will be about some writing, and graphic design, that I’ve used to build my own personal manifesto! and I’ll be sharing my new poem too! Stay tuned guys and thanks for reading!