What is free writing?
In free writing, you write whatever comes into your mind. There are no rules or guidelines, and you don’t have to worry about grammar or punctuation, even if it’s creative writing. Before considering poetic forms, you can just let the words flow and see where they take you; otherwise, you’ll be staring at a blank page.
Free writing can be a great way to get your creativity flowing. It can also help you to unblock any writer’s block that you may be experiencing. And, best of all, it’s completely free! All you need is a pen and paper (or a computer if you prefer).
Before writing poems or thinking about a rhyme scheme, it helps to free-write first, so why not give it a try? Set a timer for 5-10 minutes, and just start writing to outpour ideas and give life to concrete words.
What are the benefits of free writing for poetry?
There are many benefits of free writing for poetry. It can help you to get your ideas down quickly without worrying about grammar or punctuation. It can also help you to brainstorm new ideas and approach problems from a different perspective.
Free writing can also improve your writing skills in general. You can learn to express yourself more fluently and creatively by practicing free writing regularly. This can be extremely helpful if you struggle with writer’s block. Sometimes, you feel stuck overthinking which literary devices to implement in the poem.
Finally, free writing can be a fun and enjoyable way to explore creativity. There are no rules or restrictions, so let your imagination run wild! Whether you’re a seasoned poet or just starting, free writing is worth a try.
How can you get started with free writing for poetry?
When writing poetry, the best place to start is with free writing. Free writing is a process where you write without stopping or editing, and get your creative juices flowing. Here are some tips on how to get started with free writing for poetry:
- Find a comfortable place to write where you won’t be interrupted. Then, set a timer for 5-10 minutes and start writing. Don’t worry about grammar or punctuation; just let the words flow.
- Once the timer goes off, read over what you’ve written and see if phrases or images stand out to you. These could be potential starting points for a poem.
- Repeat this process until you feel you have some material to work with. Wait to think about figurative language; you want to capture concrete imagery.
What are some things to keep in mind during free writing for poetry?
When free writing for poetry, there are a few things to keep in mind to make the process more productive and effective. First, choosing a specific prompt or topic to write about beforehand can be helpful. This will give you something to focus on as you write and keep your thoughts and ideas organized.
Additionally, setting a timer for yourself and trying to write non-stop for the entire time can be helpful. This will help get your creative juices flowing and allow you to produce a more cohesive piece of writing. Finally, don’t worry too much about editing as you go; just let the words flow out of you onto the page and worry about fixing things up later.
No matter what source of inspiration you capture, I believe in trusting both unconscious and subconscious to free-write without judgment. You need to find the gold nuggets and put them on the table like jigsaw pieces, like dropping words onto a sheet of paper to get them out of your head. Some words will make sense, and some will not. It doesn’t matter at this stage in the poetry-writing process. What you want is the jigsaw pieces visible. From this fragmented soup of chaos, we want to achieve the following in this stage:
- Identify imagery, location, context, feeling, or theme.
- This applies to NEW and EXISTING poems.
- Stream of consciousness that doesn’t judge or error-correct
- Later on, we arrange, rearrange, and give shape.
Example
The poem, Twilight, is an epilogue poem in the book The Cool and Warmth of Hearts. Twilight, like my prologue poem, The Cool and Warmth of Hearts, is a cosmic encapsulation of my poetry collection’s overall theme: romanticized love. The original version took a massive leap in its original design and transformed into the final version you’ll find in the book. Here is the first version that served as inspiration—mind you, I wrote this poem probably around high school/young adult years, so brace yourself:
Each day and night, all I do is think of you. When bad times pass by, all I do is think of you. When you see me, wondering what I am doing is thinking of the good times I’ve been with you. When I sleep, all I dream is about you. Your sexy smile, those sweet lips, my lips had yet not kissed. You’re a wonderful touch when we enjoyed that day together. That is what I think when I am thinking of you.
Below you will find a portion of the final version published in the book:
Each passing sunset, each passing sunrise,
occasion the union of dawn and dusk.
Meet and mingle at the hour of Twilight;
from this ephemeral period, we share stories
of earthly species, of most rational lifeforms
who struggle with the paradox of their twin-form,
ravishing in turmoil o’er political reform;
each lunar ascent, each lunar descent,
occasion the union of dawn and dusk.
Meet and mingle at the hour of Twilight;
ball of fire ascends from the underworld
from the vantage of two, where worlds meet.
Ball of glow fades in the veil of shadow
from the vantage of two in their retreat.
Two celestial bodies are not lonesome wanderers,
conjoined in the brief-history of uniformity;
two embodiments of spirits reside in
the majestic abode of heaven.
You can see how it differs from the finished one. Still, the sentences in it served as both writing prompts and a motivation to finish romanticizing the idea of day and night being two cosmological forces before coming together at Twilight. This wasn’t something I picked up overnight. However, suppose you’re new to poetry or want to try a different approach to developing a poem. In that case, I still advise writing it in prose before switching to the poetic form.
Process with Examples
If you’re someone who loves to read my entire poetry writing process with examples, then you can check out my free download, where I provide the following:
- I provide the entire poetry writing process with an example poem published in my book, The Cool and Warmth of Hearts, from start to finish.
- I provide this in several formats for free, such as a PDF and JPG with an infographic.
- Lastly, the Google Doc template I use for every poem can be downloaded in other formats, e.g., .docx, .odt, and more.
Here is the link to it, and I hope you enjoy it! Thanks—Poetry Writing Process.
The Gist
When writing poetry, whether the goal is to write free verse or formal verse, sometimes in the craft, we get too wrapped up in abstract imagery and already thinking about figurative language with poetic elements. The goal is to extract the deeper meaning of the poem’s message. Freewriting first is a great way to draw out concrete imagery, and this will only happen in the first draft. It continues with the first editing process. Poetry is a commitment and the most challenging form of literature to write, but it can communicate the most.
- In free writing, you write whatever comes into your mind.
- Free writing can be a great way to get your creativity flowing.
- Free writing can also improve your writing skills in general. You can learn to express yourself more fluently and creatively by practicing free writing regularly.
- Whether you’re a seasoned poet or just starting, free writing is worth a try. When writing poetry, free writing is one of the best places to start.
- It easily begins with finding a comfortable place to write where you won’t be interrupted. And then, set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes and start writing like you were possessed.
The following poetry writing process covers the theme.
