Writing has always come easily to me. Not in the way that I’ve always been a fabulous writer, however, writing was something that I enjoyed, something I would do out of sheer want.Â
When I needed to let off steam, I wrote.
When I had too many thoughts in my head, I wrote.Â
When I wanted to recall a lyric, quote, etc. I wrote.
Hell, when I needed to sort through what groceries I needed for the week, I wrote it down.Â
I have Moleskine journals as evidence, beaten and bruised, covered in writing front to back, containing all the nonsense in my brain. Despite being a habitual writer, there is one category of writing that stunts my love and regular routine of writing at my own will.Â
Class. Freewrite.
As an English major, I take writing courses daily, and I love this; it’s half the reason why I chose my major. Some of my favorite classes have been these writing emphasis courses, where the goal of the class is to write about an assigned topic. Yet this semester, for the first time in four years, my writing-heavy courses have incorporated this recurring freewriting into their curriculum.Â
By free write, I mean professors’ dedicating class time to write in a journal for 2-5 minutes. Depending on the professor, a specific topic may be given, or sometimes not. From there, the professor will just say, “Write what comes to mind”. And then, all the students are instructed to write. That’s it. Write.Â
Simple, right?… apparently not for me.Â
Instead, I found myself staring at a blank page, as though I had never written a day in my life. Or worse, I write complete nonsense; I’m talking more nonsensically than my typical uncohesive writing. This had me thinking, what about class free writing is so difficult? I mean, I enjoy writing, I constantly write about whatever nonsense comes to mind in my free time… so what’s the difference?
And then it dawned on me.
As much as I benefit from my own chaotic writing, this is different. The nonsense I write in my journal holds a purpose, usually has a meaning, and in the chaos, is cohesive to me. Whereas writing for the sole purpose of “writing” makes it feel like a chore rather than something I find enjoyment in.
And here is my thing: I understand that in academia, you are required to write about all sorts of things, some of which may not particularly interest you. To me, that is fine. Assign me a research paper about visual rhetoric, and I may not enjoy the topic or love working on it, but then again, there is a purpose to the paper. Whether it’s to demonstrate your knowledge, get a good grade… whatever it may be.
So, to me, if you are going to conduct a class where you integrate freewriting as a part of class time and its curriculum, I have a suggestion. Don’t make me write, make me want to write. Because, as an avid writer who feels like they can’t function without writing, dedicated freewriting seems to be a lackluster attempt at encouraging students to write. Instead, I propose that professors, teachers, and class conductors do some of the groundwork and find avenues that will make students want to write. Give students a reason, motivation, or purpose, and/or find compelling, thought-provoking topics that are going to empower students to put their thoughts on paper. From my experience, these are superior ways to encourage routine writing.