The Freedom of Free Writing

Many professional writers, amateurs and students deal with writer’s block. A phenomenon where no matter how hard you think and try to write something down, your mind just draws a blank. 

Free writing is a way to combat this. Literally writing whatever comes into your head without thinking about it, letting your hands write down everything that your mind thinks about. This method has been used for decades to get creative juices flowing. Continual movement without thought is the key here. Continuously typing or writing without allowing your brain to think about what is being written on the paper or screen. These writings can always be revisited later and refined but during free writing sessions, messy writing is the best kind.

Creativity is often thwarted by the need for perfection, following rules and wanting results. Unfortunately, there are not so many opportunities in life that truly allow us the freedom to be creative.

Here’s a free writing piece one of our teachers wrote with 2 students for a writing workshop over the school holidays:

Instructions – don’t stop writing, don’t think, every 2 minutes, a random word will be said and you have to keep writing with that. Begin with,  “Dear …..,  I’ve been dying to tell you…”

Dear Kirsty,

I’ve been dying to tell you this year has been such a weird one. We have all been stuck in lockdown and the world has essentially come to a halt. People all over the world are dying because of a virus that can only be seen under a microscope. Strange to think that no matter how big and powerful and smart people get, we still have to succumb to something as small as that. And this tiny little particle was able to shut down the entire world! So yes, we have been in lockdown and things are slowly starting to open up but people believe that things will be weird for a long time more. We are not able to travel here in Singapore. Which is frustrating because I want a really good COFFEE maybe like the ones i had in Italy in november. you’re probably reading this from there! Sipping on a double espresso on some fancy piazza after visiting an amazing cathedral, after a scrumptious, slice of their pizza, dripping with the best olive oil in the world. I want to be there. But oh well. 

Weird things are not always bad though, everything has been delivered. So we have been pretty spoilt when it comes to food being brought to our doorsteps. Everything has gone online, but you know this, dang! My THUMB NAIL got caught on the door the other day and it pulled off. There was blood everywhere, was such a mess. I was talking with a friend the other day about girls with long nails. The ones that are so long you could scratch someone’s eye out with it. I’m not sure how they are able to do anything. Type, cook or even go to the bathroom! Must take them so long to do anything and must be extremely dangerous. I know I would probably end up with an eye out or maybe end up killing the DOG. I want a furry thing. It would have been a really good time during the lockdown to have one. A cat or a dog or a mouse even. I tried fostering one from one of the shelters but the stupid landlord said no, I am not sure what his problem is. He’s not even here in the country. I could have had some company at least, rather than being here alone for 4 months. So i didn’t end up fostering but i did end up writing their social media articles for them because i wanted to help in some way. Apparently they are having a lot of problems caring for the kitty PARTY in the shelter. That would be a cool sight though don’t you think? A little festival where all the kitties could gather and caterwaul as they do. It would probably be a full moon and they would be drunk on tequila and too many mice. There would definitely be CANDLEs everywhere. Then again, would they need candles? Cats see in the dark right? I wonder where my cats are, Whirlwind and Thumper, maybe they’re having a big candle-lit party in the sky somewhere in kitty heaven. I thought about getting a cat if i get my new place and calling it nombril, which is BELLY BUTTON in French. I think that’s the cutest name for a furry thing. Whether its a rat or a cat. Maybe a little black mouse called Nombril. That would be something i could have. Imagine walking around the place with a little Nombril in my pocket, i would be one of those crazy cat ladies. I just need a rocking chair and a stick to hit little children - like the crazy old cat ladies you see in movies who run after people with their walking sticks. I would probably look decrepit and have a big wart on the end of my nose. Wrinkles that would put my unironed clothes to shame and would shrink about 6 inches. Ah the joys of aging. So much to look forward to. Its crazy how fast time passes when you’re sitting around stuck at home. Every day feels the same and you have no concept of which day of the week it is or about time. Also the lack of holidays takes away any form of motivation because you feel like there is no reward to look forward to. That brings me back to Italy. I want a pizza. I’m hungry. Hmm pizza with like artichokes and mushrooms and cheese and chili flakes and parmesan dusted over the top. Thin crusted of course. The kind so thin that it breaks into tiny pieces all over  your clothes and your plate when you bite into it. The kind with a crunch that the people on the table next to you can hear. The kind that you want to take all over the world with you in your BACKPACK as a souvenir of a time that made you happy. A time when something as basic as taste made you feel like the most special person in the world. I can’t even remember when was the last time i had to pack my backpack, seems so strange that once i used to live in this thing and now it is collecting dust under my bed. The only thing that follows me wherever i go now is my MASK. it’s horrible! We have to wear this thing everywhere we go, otherwise we face getting fined by the government. People are standing around watching you and taking photos. It is like you’re never alone and constantly on the lookout for risk of getting arrested for doing something wrong. Like as if people were not already stressed enough with being alone, maybe without work and loved ones, now we restrict their movement and their speech and breath even with this mask wrapped across your face like that creature from Alien. I bought a HULA HOOP the other day. My friend sent me this research paper that showed that apparently you can lose weight from hula-hooping. Even more than walking or running she says. So i looked it up and i found that people all over the world swear by this thing, that seems like childs play but apparently there is some truth to it. It is not easy and i get bored because i can’t do anything with my hands so it is a little annoying but i have been trying to do it a couple of minutes a week while i watch something on Netflix. My little in-house gym is definitely getting bigger. I feel like i am buying so much junk to fill this house, like the PIANO i bought at the start of the lockdown for $300 on Carousell. I have big hopes of teaching myself how to play but motivation is really low. I was pretty good during the lockdown but now that things are starting to open up, i’m constantly finding more fun things to do. Also i don’t really have a reason to play so there doesn’t seem like a need. I am so silly, because i know that if i practice maybe one day i can jam with other people! But practice is boring isn’t it.

Anyway,

I miss you.

Ciao bella.

-m