I'm not advocating that you sit around and write in the altogether, although you could if you want to. I am advocating that you feel free when you write because the Muse needs fresh air. She mustn't be stifled. In For colored girls who have considered suicide/When the rainbow is enuf, poet and playwright Ntozake Shange writes about a woman who sometimes sits with her legs open to let her crotch bask in sunshine.
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Sounds like freedom to me.
But if we stick with a cow metaphor about relaxing when we write, let's think about The Happy Cow Creamery. Located in my neck of the woods in South Carolina, it's a farm where cows stroll happily through pastures. I understand that in the U.K., cows roam free on farms, too, unlike a much-too common practice at U.S. mega-dairy farms where cows are pumped full of drugs and kept inside.
Fancy a flight of the imagination? OK, imagine you are a dairy cow and you want to invite the Muse to inspire your writing. Where would the Muse be more likely to visit? If you were standing on wet cement in a barn all day or outside roaming free?
Free writing works best after relaxation—yoga, meditation, a pleasant walk, or a lovely nap. First, take deep breaths, then write absolutely freely to facilitate the flow.
Is free writing the same as writing in a journal?
No.
Journaling usually involves contemplation—you're processing ideas, thoughts, or experiences; you're commenting; maybe you're reporting or riffing memories. Free writing is spontaneous. Boom! Onto the page. Remember, what you're free to write you're free to destroy so don't censor yourself.
The process of free writing is vastly more important than what you write. One of my writing students said free writing is like stretching before working out. Once you've loosened up, creativity flows.
Cows need milking regularly. If they aren't milked, their bags swell up, and they'll bawl miserably. See where I'm going with this? Habitual free writing will go a long way to making you a happy writer. I promise.
But how do you set a habit?
Good intentions? Willpower? Discipline? Those might work, but many writers clasp frustration to their chests and wander through the pastures of their lives moaning pitifully that they can't get any writing done.
Those who study the science of habit formation, advise that cue-routine-reward are the rudiments of a habit. For instance, if you routinely walk your dog, your cue might be his big brown eyes looking at you expectantly at the same time every day. The routine would be a walk down the street, and the reward would be companionship and a bit of fresh air. That, plus he doesn't piss in the house.
What might work for you to set a free writing habit?
Happy writing!
Nan Lundeen
http://www.mooingaround.com/
http://www.nanlundeen.com/
Nan Lundeen's book of poems, The Pantyhose Declarations, is available at www.amazon.com. She is seeking a publisher for her handbook, The Moo of Writing: How To Milk Your Potential.
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