Freewriting is a technique that requires you to stop judging what you write and simply let your mind wander in order to generate ideas freely and creatively. To freewrite, set a certain amount of time, say ten to fifteen minutes, and then simply write, generating as much text as you can in the allotted time. While freewriting, try not to stop; if you cannot think of anything to say, simply write “don’t know what to say” over and over until an idea comes to you. If you find it difficult to avoid editing yourself, try turning down the brightness on your monitor or lowering the screen on your laptop until you can no longer see what it says.

A variation on freewriting is focused freewriting. In focused freewriting, you begin from a specific topic, returning to the beginning topic whenever you find yourself getting off track.