A Writing Exercise That Brings Results

 

What will she write?

Last evening, I attended a writing group meeting in California via Zoom. At one point, we were given a prompt to do a Freewrite exercise. Several people read what they had written. It amazed me how welldone they were, All the writing tools they had came through in what each had written. 

This enforced my own belief that once you have learned to use the writing tools in our word world, they become automatic whenever you write, even in an exercise like this. It's a vote for 'practicing your writing every day.'

Usually, my Freewrite exercises are done with either one word or a photo. Marlene Cullen, the moderator of The Write Forum, sends prompts that are several words. Last evening, the 4-word prompt inspired everyone at the meeting. The prompt:  The last time I...

Those few words brought everyone in a different direction. My very first thought was 'The last time I saw Paris' but only because of the lyrics in a song. I scratched that and instead, my first line was 'The last time I saw my mother...' And I was off. By the end of the allotted time, I had a rough draft for a personal essay. From the ones we heard read aloud, I would say each one could either stand alone or be expanded upon. 

By now, you should know the drill. Find your prompt, whether a photo, word, or the beginning of a sentence. Set a timer for 10, 15, or 20 minutes. Then write without stopping, without thinking, until the timer alerts you that it's time to conclude your thoughts. 

Will you always come away with a full piece of writing good enough to continue working on? No, but oftentimes you will. Or you might lift one valuable paragraph to continue working on later. Sometimes, what you write in this kind of exercise is pure drivel, but most of the time, you'll find something worthwhile.

Freewriting allows your mind to open and your subconscious to surface into actual thoughts. It also can trigger memories that you can use in a story or memoir or inspirational piece. You can even turn what you have into poetry.  I like to think of it as searching through the attic of your mind. You never know what treasures you might find. 

Marlene Cullen, the leader of last evening's zoom meeting, has a blog that gives you many excellent prompts as well as some book reviews and articles by guest bloggers. I have been a guest blogger several times for her, and she has done the same for me. You'll find her blog at 

https://thewritespot.us/marlenecullenblog/  There is a place to sign up to receive the blog regularly. It would be a great way to be sure you do some writing exercises on a regular basis. 

I'll leave you today with a Freewrite prompt:  I remember when...