Free Style

An essay on writing free style.

Introduction, body and conclusion have been drilled into our minds since we were told not to eat our pencils.  Essays get a bad wrap because they are so formal that none of the author’s personality shines through.

Did you know that essays are actually written with passion, from a spirit that holds its own convictions and makes its own assertions?  It’s true, passion and writing are interlocked, and when we formalize the writing process, we lose our essence, who we were before we were paralyzed by structure.

This is not to say that a writer’s style cannot be corrected �" we make plenty of mistakes, and revision is a crucial step.  But we must first allow what we are thinking and dreaming to be laid down on paper before we can critique our own work.  It almost seems counterintuitive that writing must flow without interruptions. We must ignore all the errors for now … hovering over the backspace button, resisting the urge to delete.

 

Don’t even go back and read what you wrote, I know it’s tempting. 

 

This is the theory Chris Anderson presents in “Free/Style” a brief guide to his approach to writing.  Free writing is sloppy and awkward, unrefined and revealing, but it is also the stream of consciousness that catches those thoughts and allows them free reign over an otherwise lifeless essay.

There is no guideline, like the typical introduction, body and conclusion, though I do think everyone SHOULD start there for the sake of organization.  But once you know the rules, it is a wonderful privilege to throw them aside and begin to write from the spirit. And finish.

Dr. Simons is adamant about finishing a work �" “Do you know that there are mostly failed writers out there?? Do you know why???” They don’t finish.

Putting a cap on the work and calling it complete sets a writer up for criticism and even failure, but writers are made of risks. Good risks. Anyone can sit at their desk with one finger on the backspace, saving their work to a document and never allowing public access to it.

But the value of finishing is the opportunity to become a better risk taker and ultimately a better writer.  And if it isn’t completed to the best of your ability, what is it worth? 

 

First write it. Then revise it. Always, always finish.