Free-form writing

1/25/2023

I want to share one of the tools I use that has significantly impacted my life. I often add free-form writing to my morning meditation practice. It's practical, accessible, requires no skill or money, and has positively changed my life. It’s too good not to share! And all you need is a pen and paper or a laptop.

 

Here's what it does for me:

  • It is a plunger for my brain and body—it gets all the old stuff I didn't realize was stuck.
  • It uncovers thoughts, feelings, and events that my younger self never released.
  • It gives me a roadmap of what to work on next.

 

If you Google free-form writing, you'll find many directions, opinions, and instructions. However, it felt rigid and almost tricky when it is the opposite. Free-form writing is fluid, easy, and, I'll say…freeing. For me, it isn't about rules or precision. Instead, it's about releasing emotional blocks that constipate my flow with the universe.

 

Here's one way to do it:

  • Sit down and take some cleansing breaths. Then, ask your angels and guides to help release what is no longer serving you.
  • Start writing, and don't stop. So many of my free-form writing pages start the same with, "I have no idea what to write,” but I keep going.
  • Don't think! Seriously, don't think about it. Just write what comes, and don't question or judge. Keep going.
  • Keep writing! Don't pause or hesitate. Instead, keep writing in a steady stream.
  • Punctuation is overrated! Don't worry about punctuation, spelling, or editing in this circumstance.
  • No correction is necessary! Refrain from going back to make corrections or even reading what you wrote.
  • You're done when your mind is clear and you feel complete.

 

This is not meant to be a literary work of art! Throw away or delete what's on the page. It's served its purpose. You no longer need it, and it won't make sense to you or anyone else in the future.

 

It's not what's on the page that matters. It's what you've managed to release from your body. Some of us hold onto things long past their expiration date. We live with pain, shame, regret, or blame, which gets stuck in our bodies. We go on living our lives with this hurt lodged deep inside us. It can make us physically ill, depressed, or stuck in time.

 

This is one way I've discovered old wounds that I couldn't fully process when they initially occurred, so I put a cage around them and buried them. They are still there, forgotten. Free-form writing uncovers long-ago traumas and opens the cage. Releasing the pages is a form of letting go of what no longer serves you.

 

There's a lot of advice and courses on free-form writing. This is what works for me. I hope you find what works for you!

 

Stuck? Try These Pro-Tips

  • Assign yourself the number of pages you want to complete.
    • I'm going to continue until I've written three pages.
  • Give yourself a time allotment.
    • I’ll write for ten minutes.
  • Prompt yourself.
    • What's stuck that wants out?
    • Is there something that wants to be released?
    • Who am I?
    • What's my heart's desire, and what's holding me back?

 

 



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