How freewrites improved me as a writer

I have made a lot of progress as a writer this semester. Coming into this class I knew I was a decent writer. I have always enjoyed writing and viewed it as an art piece with words. But I understood that there is always room to improve so I went into this class with an open mind.  I ended up learning how to better convey my ideas as demonstrated in my freewrites. Freewrites are one of the beneficial exercises that I discovered in this class. At the beginning of every class, I would take five minutes to get my ideas onto the paper. You don’t have to worry about grammar, spelling, or sentence structure. You are given the freedom to write without worrying about structure or form. No other professor instructed us to do anything like this so at first I was surprised. But it made sense since it was a writing class a good way to warm up my hands and my mind to get into the writing mindset would be to write. It seemed simple at first but it turned out to be effective. During the beginning of the semester, my free-write would usually be in the form of a story. I would write down the story just as it came to my mind. During the semester I learned how to tell a story for an audience. I realized that I should not write the story just as it came into my mind but rather write it in a way that captures the reader. 

Here is a freewrite from earlier in the semester

The story in this freewrite feels very bland. I am just recollecting what happened from my perspective. But this freewrite does demonstrate objective and subjective perspectives. I shift from the objective facts that happen in the room and the subjective way that my body perceives what is happening. 

I learned how to control the scene and the momentum of the story. I understand how characters have to raise questions and reel the reader in by answering the question later on. I shifted from writing my ideas in a way that I understand to a way that a larger audience can understand. I realized the importance of shaping my writing depending on who I am writing for. I also learned how to utilize spatial gaze in my writing. I know how to shift my writing to focus on a specific aspect. 

Here is a freewrite from later in the semester that demonstrates spatial gaze 

This freewrite demonstrates spatial gaze. The writing is about me using a pen to write on the paper, but with spatial gaze, I can zoom in and focus on the scene, which brings it to life. This also demonstrates a shift in the type of freewrite that I would do. At first I would tell a story in the way it happened but now I can tell a story but focus the reader’s attention exactly where I want it to be.

Because of freewriting, I am better at organizing my ideas onto the page. I am also faster at writing my ideas down. In the beginning, it would take me a long time to write something down and I would often find myself staring at an empty page. Through constantly writing freewrites I can write faster and write more in less time.  I also learned the importance of feedback. There were many peer-review assignments and I understand how essential it is to receive feedback. I always thought that writing is something that is meant to be done alone, coming from belligerent middle school English teachers who would always tell students to be quiet during class. Now I see how much better my writing could be working with others. The constructive criticism from my peers helped me identify weaknesses in my writing that I couldn’t find myself. For example, I have always been told that my writing is too wordy. I understand now why I should simplify my writing to make it more effective for my audience. Thanks to freewrites, I developed many different writing styles. 

Freewrites also provided me with therapeutic benefits. By writing down my thoughts I can express myself and better process my emotions. It helped me to realize that writing is not just for school but how creative it can allow me to be. I don’t have to judge my freewrites or be concerned about how a professor will judge it, I can appreciate it for how it is. The skills I gained from freewriting also help me to brainstorm ideas. I used to feel a sort of writer’s block when I was given creative writing assignments but because I did so many freewrites I was able to overcome it. I have grown more confident in my own writing and have more trust in my inner voice. Because I relied on my inner voice to do many of my freewrites I realize how valuable of an asset it really is.

Throughout the semester I have also gotten better at taking field notes. For my on-campus field notes, I took them on paper. They ended up being messy which can make it hard to follow. 

For my off-campus field notes, I switched to taking the field notes on the notes app on my phone. I learned that this way is much neater and easier to understand. It was also much quicker for me to type out so I was able to collect more information. 

In conclusion, freewrites were a significant tool to my growth as a writer this semester. I learned that writing does not have to be so restrictive and follow the strict guidelines that schools have emphasized throughout my academic career. Being able to write and communicate my ideas faster are skills that will follow me throughout my life even outside of my writing. I can focus more on the process of writing itself rather than a graded product.