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Natalie Torres

Dr. Ogden

English 1A

5 August 2022

The Importance of Freewriting to the Writing Process

The writing process is not easy. Oftentimes, writing becomes more difficult when faced

with the overwhelming idea that writing should be perfect. Natalie Goldberg, author of Wild

Mind, presents readers with strategies that make the writing process a lot easier, and

demonstrates that good writing comes with stages. Not all writing is perfect, and it shouldn't

have to be. Good writing is about finding the right tone, voice, and ability to share freely. That is

why the practice of free writing is so important. Free writing allows writers to practice sharing

their fresh thoughts, without feeling confined by any boundaries. Allowing your mind to have

free range gives life to unique ideas that can create amazing work.

When I first started free writing, my entries were very short. I was confining my work

into one short paragraph, and many times, I would limit myself to a topic. Topics aren't bad, but

they defeat the purpose of free writing if it doesn’t come naturally. After about six entries, I

realized that I was breaking a lot of free writing rules. The basic rules consist of keeping your

hand moving and not worrying about punctuation, grammar, or spelling. The point was that the

writer isn’t afraid of making any mistakes, and that they shouldn’t analyze or reread their work. I

became determined to fix the issue, but it wasn't all that easy. I found that if I had a thought, I

would be able to jot it down, but it would never be a long enough thought to write about. I found

myself re-reading sentences trying to think of something new, but I just kept on breaking rules so
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it wasn’t going to work. It really irritated me because it was like I was waiting for water droplets

to fall out of an already empty water bottle.

Only with time and practice can a writer become better at writing. After reading Natalie

Goldberg’s book, I felt a lot more confident that I could overcome the barriers I was facing while

attempting to freewrite. Her suggestions were really helpful, especially the writing prompts that

started by repeating the words “I remember” or “I don’t remember.” Prompts like this were

especially helpful because I was so used to writing based on answering a question. With time, I

began to feel at ease while I was freewriting, the words just slipped out and I wasn’t thinking

about if what I was writing would make sense. I began to feel less overwhelmed, afterall no one

was going to read my work. Things got easier and easier. I treated my freewriting entries almost

like a journal; I could talk about anything. Finally, I was able to “Go for the jugular” (Goldberg

26). There was no more hesitation, or re-reading work, sometimes I would even just write song

lyrics I had stuck in my head. It didn’t matter what I was writing as long as I kept my hand

moving.

Towards the end of my freewriting journey, I was very aware of the difference in my

writing when I was drafting essays. If I encountered any claims or thoughts, I would stick to

them. I also noticed that my commentary was a lot more noticeable. It was as if freewriting

shaped my voice and style in writing. I used to find writing daunting, but with the strategies that

I've learned, I focused less on the criticism I would face and more on if I like the style of writing

that I adopted. I learned to write in sections. First, I would answer essay prompts without

focusing on grammar, punctuation, or spelling. Then, I would continue my writing process by

editing and revising my work. The most beneficial value that freewriting taught me was that my

thoughts and ideas are what matter most.

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Work Cited

Goldberg, Natalie. Wild Mind : Living the Writer's Life, Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.,

1990. ProQuest Ebook Central,

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pasadena/detail.action?docID=1804547.