Matthew Tombs
Intermediate Summer Literacy Institute
August 10, 2011
 Writing that is free from the burden of judgment and evaluation.
 One way for students to build confidence and self-assurance in
their own writing abilities.
 An outlet. It’s a way for students to free their mind and express
their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and creativity.
 A way to make writing less blocked because words will come
more easily.
 An exercise that when sustained, will lead to a growth in writing.
“Freewriting is an exercise that undoes the ingrained habit of editing, at the same time you
are trying to produce. The habit of compulsive, premature editing makes writing hard and
dead. Ultimately, your voice is damped out by the interruptions, changes, and hesisitations
between the consciousness and the page.”
- Peter Elbow
Based on research by Peter Elbow, Writing Without Teachers
 It is non-stop writing for 10 minutes (give or take).
 It’s not censored (DON’T worry about conventions).
 You must keep your pen on the paper, even if you don’t
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know what to say.
You may move from topic to topic.
It’s not graded or judged.
It can be shared, but it might also be private.
Teacher modeling and participation is recommended.
“Freewritings are vacuums. Gradually you will begin to carry over into your regular
writing some of the voice, force, connectedness that creep into those vacuums.”
– Peter Elbow
Based on research by Peter Elbow, Writing Without Teachers
 Prompts vs. No Prompts
 Shared vs. Private
 Sharing
 Everyone, partners, groups…
 Entire text, paragraph, line, phrase, word…
 Raise hand, find a new person, toss ball…
 Feedback
 “Thank you for sharing”
 No judgment
 Builds confidence in writing
 Saves time
“Never stop to look back, to cross something out, to wonder how to spell something, to
wonder what word or thought to use, or to think about what you are doing. The only
rule to follow is to simply not stop writing.”
– Peter Elbow
 Shared vs. Private Freewrite
 How did your writing change between both pieces of
writing?