Free Writing

Free Writing. When I was a senior in high school my creative writing teacher would sit us down and have us “free” write every day for the first ten minutes or so of class. It’s a technique that I’ve carried with me my whole life. When you write freely, it allows all inhibitions to leave and your mind put at ease.

Here’s something they don’t tell you about being a writer, when you write? You really do go crazy. I’m constantly writing over 20 different scenarios on a daily basis and nine out of ten times, it’s at the same time. I guess this would qualify as multiple personality’s right? Or A.D.D, whichever, I’m sure my mind suffers from both.

Of course than you have the days when your mind is so turned off by the idea of even thinking that you sit hours on end staring at a blank screen, or sheet of paper with nothing more than your name on it.

I chose to write because I aspired for something better. I wanted to live in the worlds I created in my stories. I wanted make believe. I first wrote a story when I was in third grade. I mean I’ve always created idea’s and characters “imaginary friends” but my first story, a lot of things were really put in perspective.

The very first character I created was Charlie. He was an orange alien with medusa like green hair and he had snakes as fingers. A lot of the townsmen were horrified by his appearance, but in 3rd grade he was of course a gentle alien. He didn’t have any friends because everyone was afraid of him and he lived in an igloo. Don’t ask me why, I was eight.

I was hooked though from that moment on. I could have Charlie do anything. I could have him meet the love of his life, eat the townsmen or ride a bike. That’s what happens when you write. The world is an endless possibility and only you can finish it.

I feel after all of these years that I abandoned Charlie along with the essence of how I felt about writing. I only knew one thing than and now. Writing was something I wanted to do for a long time.

Our ten minutes are up. I really suggest free writing to all of you. Sometimes the strangest things come into play. I haven’t talked about Charlie since I was a senior in high school. That’s weird.