Okay, here it is: the coach’s secret weapon.  The one tip that works for all of his clients, whether they’re grinding out a college application essay,  slogging their way through the dystopian wasteland of their Y.A. novel, stuck in the third act of their screenplay, or trying to encapsulate their entire lives into a readable and engaging memoir.  What is this CIA/KGB/Mossad-worthy weapon?  It's called freewriting.  
(I know: some of you have already heard of this.  But unless you instantly fell in love with it and use it all the time, I’m wiling to bet you didn’t do it right.)

So what is freewriting?   Simply put, it's the best technique to get you writing freely, without worry, thought, or censorship.  And best of all, without delay. 

It starts with a writing prompt.  I usually provide my clients with one after interviewing them about their project (or their lives, if they’re working on a college app or memoir), but you can easily come up with one yourself. Just follow these simple rules.

The prompt should be in the first person:  “I first became interested in orthodontia when I looked into my little brother’s mouth and felt…”  If you’re writing fiction, write from the point of view of one of your characters: “Every night when I put on the bat costume and leave Alfred behind in the cave, it makes me feel…”  Whatever you’re working on, your prompt should feature the word “I”.

Focus the prompt on emotions rather than intellect.  We all hide behind words and “art,” to distance ourselves from emotion.  Sometimes it can lead to interesting work.  But right now you’ve got writer’s block and you need to bust through all that thinking to find the emotional core.  So you want prompts that come from the heart.  “What I love about orthodontia is…” “The thing that excites me most when I see the bat signal is…”  “When I faced the Joker I  felt…”   A particularly potent prompt is “I want…”   Whether it’s our characters or ourselves, our wants define us.  

The prompt should be an incomplete sentence.  The prompt’s job is to nudge you down a path.  To get you going.  A complete sentence gives you an excuse to stop.  

If all else fails, write about your fears of writing.  Sometimes the thing that’s keeping you from writing is the very thing that you want to write about.  So go ahead and explore it.  “The thing that scares me most about this project/essay/script is…”  

Okay, so now that you’ve got your prompt, what do you do?  

Write!  
Finish the prompt sentence and CONTINUE WRITING WITHOUT STOPPING FOR FIVE MINUTES.   Don’t consider, don’t correct, don’t judge and DON’T STOP.  Not even for a second.  Let your mind wander where it will,  but keep circling back to your prompt.  If you draw a blank, write that you have nothing to say.  If you’re distracted, write how annoying that barking dog outside is.  Write what an !@#!&!! Charlie, The Writing Coach is for making you do this, but DO NOT STOP WRITING UNTIL YOUR TIME IS UP.   

Now, take a breath.  And read what you’ve written.  

Look for the seeds of a revealing story, phrases and insights that truly reflect you, or, if you’re working on fiction, for windows into your character’s soul, new insights into her quest.  I’m willing to bet that you'll discover things that you would never have found any other way.  Certainly not in five minutes.

One interesting addendum:  The coach showed this blog to his father, a psychiatrist (insert crack about psychiatrists’ kids here), who instantly recognized the technique.  “But that’s Freud’s free association!” he exclaimed, delighted.  “Freud’s idea was that if you let the brain go where it wants, without thought or censorship, it will find the truth.”  

So there you have it. 
Freewriting.  
Endorsed by American Psychiatric Association.  

HAPPY FREEWRITING EVERYONE!!! 

Let me know how freewriting works for you!  Click on the comment button and share your brilliant prompts!

A new client recently greeted me with the lament, “I’m 17, I’ve been in school my whole life--Nothing has ever happened to me.  What am I supposed to write about?”   I thought she perfectly captured the feelings of every high school senior approaching his or her college application essays.  I also knew she was mistaken.  

Everything happens to you by the time you’re 17.  Most 50 year olds are still talking about high school.  Past glories, painful traumas, risky adventures, inspiring (or appalling) teachers, the obsessive rush of finding that thing you love to do, the horrible realization that your parents are at least as fallible as you… the problem is not that you haven't lived.  It’s unearthing the gems that are already buried in your brain.  

Well, have no fear—the coach has a shovel! ...In the form of 7 tips:    

1) Know your audience.  The admissions officers reading your essays aren’t cold hard judges, waiting, arms folded, lips pursed in a superior sneer, to catch you in a mistake.  They’re friendly people who just want to meet you.  It’s their job to find students who will succeed and be happy at their schools.  They can’t possibly interview every applicant, so they assign these essays as a way to get to know you.  To see who you are, and how you present yourself.  The only question your essay really needs to answer is, “So, who is this kid?”  

2) Brainstorm.  Well… obviously.  But not everybody knows how to do  it.  You don’t sit down at your computer and desperately rack your brains for something to write about, grasping onto the first thin reed of an idea and then closing your mind to everything else.   The object is to open your mind up.  Let your thoughts and feelings bluster and rage without logic or purpose and jot down every idea you have, good or bad.  Don’t decide what to write, don’t concentrate on words—DON’T THINK!  You’re not trying to figure something out.  You’re trying to find something.  

3) Think of yourself as a character in a book.  It’s hard to recognize the patterns of our own lives while we’re living them, but if we step back and look at our lives as a story, and ourselves as the main character, the important moments become clear.  Ask yourself  “Who is this character and how did they get that way?  What are they into?  What sparked that interest?  What were the big events in his or her life and how did those events change them?”   Sometimes the best way to get closer is to distance yourself.    

 4)  Get away from your desk.  A change of scenery can often give your brain the kick in the pants it needs.

5) Read the essay prompts before bed and see if your brain works anything out while you sleep.  Seriously.  This works more often than you’d think.

6) Do something physical: run, skateboard, hike… I bike ride whenever I’m stuck on a story.  Physical exertion really gets the ideas flowing.  Be sure to bring a note pad or cell phone so that you can record your ideas as they come. 

7) Take longer showers.  I know it’s environmentally suspect, but man, it works.  It probably has something to do with being half-asleep.  

Those are thousands of ways to get the juices flowing; these are just some that have worked for me.  The idea is to fool your brain into relaxing.  To get it to stop judging and have fun.  To play.   Because brains at play are really the only ones who ever think of anything new.

How do you get your brain to play?  What are YOUR favorite techniques for getting the juices flowing? Click on “comment” and let us know!