Have I got your attention? Good. Now join me in a scenic tour of Free Writing -- Unnamed Writers' Style.

By Steve Rowell, Treasurer
Unnamed Writers’ Group

I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is this: If you occasionally (or in my case, routinely) have writer’s block, free writing is one way to rejuvenate the creative juices in your writing efforts. Free writing helps with fiction, non-fiction or just working outside of your comfort zone.

The bad news: Free writing, if you let it, can be about as interesting as driving across Nevada on Highway 50. Sure, there are a few points of interest along the way ("Look, Ma, a tumbleweed!"), but most travelers adopt the strategy of cranking up the CD player and putting the pedal to the metal.

You might decide to follow the same strategy with free writing. After all, you have been writing for decades, you are published or you are close, or you love structure, or you just read grammar and speeling spelling rules for enjoyment. I understand. But consider this: There is always a Nevada Highway Patrolman on duty on the other side of that Fallon haystack. And he or she goes by the name Internal Editor. And he or she won’t care that you found the speed limit a little annoying.

Free writing is that special place where you can tell that patrolman to take a hike!

Perhaps I can help. I don’t promise to thrill you, or even entertain you, but I can point out the most important aspects of this tool and take you through a few examples to help you make positive changes in your writing practice. If you and I connect, we may be able to even jump-start your confidence in writing outside your comfort zone. If not, guess what, you still may have a little fun experimenting with something you find interesting or frightening or just plain weird.

Imagine for a minute that you’re an MFA student or an overworked accountant or an American League baseball player. If you are that imaginary baseball player, pretend that two years ago, the leadership of the league decided that soccer, not baseball, would be the game you played. Imagine they gave you new balls, fields and fewer players and expected you to figure out the rules -- and win. For a long time, you felt overwhelmed, confused and uncertain; finally, you came up with your own cautious way of playing the game. Now, imagine they’re finally providing you with the rules.

Well, free writing is sort of like that. Except the rules are very, very simple. There is a certain amount of time to write (usually determined arbitrarily, ten minutes, or by a throw of two dice) and there is a word or phrase that is randomly selected to write about. You must write for the entire time. Keep that pen moving no matter what. Now, for the kicker. You have to read what you wrote to a group of fellow writers! Ouch!

Oh, yeah. Did I tell you not to worry about spelling, grammar, formatting, or even the legibility of the exercise? Yep, don’t mess with anything but getting down what is coursing through your mind at the time. Whatever it is; guess what, it is all yours. Your voice, your creation.

One recent free writing session went this way:

The challenge: Write for ten minutes about ‘cages’. Three free writes focused on caged animals and internal struggles. Two others were about imaginary cages and confines we find ourselves in occasionally. And, one said, "I heard ‘Cajun’."

We wrote about two other topics that day. And we had fun writing and sharing our works.

You now have an idea how to free write. You have all the complicated rules for free writing; that is, all three of them. Of course, as in the imaginary story above, you have probably developed your own style, voice and method of editing, revising and rewriting your work. Now, and this is important. Forget it all!

The Unnamed Writers’ Group sponsors a free writing group on Tuesday evenings at 6:00pm at Barnes and Noble BookSellers on South Virginia. We usually write from 6:00pm to about 7:30pm, or so.

If you want to give it a test drive with no speed limits to annoy you, drop by. Or call me at home for more information on how to disable that radar unit occasionally. And, above all, keep writing! Steve Rowell. 425-8635.