Freewriting is a writing exercise. And it's a bit unusual. The exercise helps you let go and write more freely. The setup is structured. But the magic happens when you force yourself to keep going. Non-stop.
Freewriting explained in 10 seconds
Freewriting is an exercise that trains your ability to think and write freely.
The concept is simple:
You write for 10 minutes straight. No stopping. No deleting. Just writing. Keep the fingers moving.
And that's actually pretty hard.
The problem: Your brain edits before the words are written
You know the feeling:
You're ready to write. You know your topic. Your angle is clear. You just need to get the words down.
But somehow, "just" becomes "just impossible."
Your head is overflowing with ideas. You write a little—then delete it. You bounce back and forth until you escape into some other task.
That problem comes from a terrible misunderstanding:
We believe we can pull the perfect text out of our heads in one go. But that's an illusion. Good writing is always rewritten.
That goes for every skilled writer I've ever worked with.
It goes for every legendary author whose books on writing I've devoured.
Even if a unicorn gallops by, I'm sure it applies to them too:
Writing happens in circles—where you rewrite, and rewrite, and rewrite again.
The issue is that your brain stops you before you've written anything at all. And if there's nothing on the page, there's nothing to revise.
So here's the hard truth: your first draft (and probably your second) is allowed to be bad.
But no one sits down and says, "Today I'll write a terrible draft." That's why you need an exercise like freewriting to help you let go. To write without worrying if it's good or bad. Good or bad belongs in the editing phase. First, we write.
Freewriting helps you let go
This is where freewriting takes the stage. The wild and wonderful writing strategy that bursts the balloon of words in your head.
You can use it directly on the texts you're stuck on. But I also recommend using it as regular practice—like mental push-ups for free thought and flow.
The exercise is simple: write non-stop for 10 minutes. No pausing, not even for a sip of coffee. Keep your fingers moving. Just type. Don't look back in anger. Don't delete. Don't edit.
It's scary. And really hard. That's why I built a little tool to help keep your fingers moving. You're going to love it.
Why is it so hard to let go?
It's a form of performance anxiety. You want to do well, so you get nervous. What will people think? Will this even sell?
Why do you feel that way?
Your brain is wired to protect you. Step out of line and you risk being cast out of the tribe. And that's dangerous—for a stone-age brain.
Why is it a problem?
It stops you from writing with ease, playfulness, and flow. For some, it means they never write anything at all. For others, it's painfully slow. Some start to believe they're just bad at writing.
What can you do about it?
You have to train your brain to understand that it's okay to fail. That writing is just words on a page. Freewriting is a great way to practice. You push yourself in a time-limited space to open up. That makes it easier when you return to your regular writing tasks.
Write freely (and quickly) first. Edit later.
Why even bother with something like freewriting?
It's about the writing process. Creating great content takes two things:
- A creative, free-thinking mind
- A detail-obsessed, nitpicking critic
Two modes that are so different they can destroy each other.
Some days you flow effortlessly between the two. You write solid and original content with ease. Not even a typo sneaks past you. That's the dream. That's the dream flow we all long for.
But there's a problem:
For many, that dream turns into an endless "write-delete-write-delete" loop.
When you're in creator mode and trying wild ideas, criticism is poison. That's why brainstorming rules forbid judgment. It's easier (and more fun) to pitch a weird idea when everyone says, "Yes!"
When you're writing, your creative muscles arm-wrestle your critical ones. Your free-spirited writer is constantly interrupted by the inner critic. The voice that makes you reach for digital correction fluid before the first sentence is done. The voice that says: "If anyone sees this garbage, I'll be off payroll tomorrow."
But to write, you need to trust your ideas. Explore them.
Throw yourself into it. Spend 10 minutes writing different versions of a headline. Try things out. Jam on templates. Then you can edit your way to the final, kick-ass headline.
The courage to create freely—and ignore mistakes—is something you train with freewriting.
It's an exercise in separating those two modes. First you produce wildly. Then you nitpick the best parts and edit the text into a shiny gold nugget.
It gives you a calmer writing process
These two modes work best when they get full focus for longer stretches. When you work in one mode at a time, your creative and critical muscles stop fighting.
And bonus: this free, wildly productive writing method also improves your editing game. Why? Because one of the biggest barriers to strong editing is being afraid to delete anything. If you only have 1.5 ideas, criticism stings. If you have 20? You need to trim.
So what is freewriting?
Freewriting is a writing exercise that helps you get words on paper. It was developed by Peter Elbow, who wrote about it in ""Writing without Teachers" in 1973. It's not exactly a new idea.
Peter Elbow calls freewriting a prewriting technique. Something you do before crafting the final text.
The recipe is simple:
- Sit down at your keyboard
- Set a timer for 10 minutes
- Write non-stop without letting your fingers stop
And the rules are easy to remember:
- No deleting
- No revising
- No spell-checking
- Just write. For 10 minutes. Non-stop
Try the freewriting exercise here
Ten minutes later, you've got a bunch of words, nonsense symbols, and half-baked sentences. The quality doesn't matter. The point is—you've got something.
Maybe you wrote something great. But that's not the goal.
Maybe you just wrote garbage. That's fine.
Maybe you wrote fast. Doesn't matter.
The goal is to keep writing.
This is the power of freewriting. It's not about the result. It's about the process. It's about giving yourself permission—for a few minutes—to write whatever comes out.
Freewriting teaches you to quiet your inner critic. To let go.
Then you delete the text. Let it go.
If there's a great sentence in the mess, save it. Edit it. Polish it into a gem. That's a bonus—not the goal. The goal is simply to kickstart the process of getting words from your head to the (digital) page.
Why freewriting is a powerful writing strategy
Freewriting is a technique to shut off your inner critic. Not because criticism, feedback, or editing is bad—they're not. But those thoughts trip you up when it's time to write. When the words need to come out.
So if you're struggling to get started, freewriting helps you write more freely.
Let's sum it up
We try too hard to nail the perfect sentence on the first try. That's why we freeze and get frustrated. Freewriting teaches you to separate writing and editing.
Peter Elbow recommends doing the exercise 2–3 times a week. And I can tell you from experience—you'll feel a difference pretty fast. It just gets easier to let the words flow.