“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” - from the Kristofferson/Foster song, Bobby McGee

When what you have to lose is writer’s block, inhibition, or fear, believe me - you can do without it! Kick that feeling of hesitancy out the door and write anything you feel like writing! Who is looking over your shoulder anyhow? Don’t you know that everything you write is subject to revision later on? Why hold back on the first draft? This is our opportunity to let it all hang out!

Use colorful language. Swear in writing if you want to. Use wild, outrageous adjectives like splendiferous, or hugeamungus, or abstractious. Why not make things up? Why not brighten the world with new words? We wouldn’t even know the word supercalifragilisticexpialadocious if some creative writer didn’t have the guts to make it up and write it down.

You know who your biggest censor is? It’s your own internal editor. That’s the first line of defense against increased creative expression. Your inner editor will get to you every time before any professional editors ever have a chance to go over your work.

If you want to grow as a writer, one of the first things you need to do is to kick the internal editor to the back of your brain. Tell that critic to hush… until it is time for a revision. Your first draft does not need any criticism. It only needs your full range of free expression. It needs word freedom, and thought abundancy.

Allow yourself to write down whatever comes to mind. If you find yourself hesitating, move past it. Refuse to back up and change things, and if you write longhand, don’t cross things out. That should wait for the revision.

First drafts are for literary play.

If you’ve forgotten how to play, take an hour to visit a children’s playground and sit on the swing for a while. Meditate on that. And remember that you’re allowed to have fun, to leave your cares and worries behind, and to play as long and hard as any child on the block.

You are a free being! You are free! Let your words reflect the freedom of your heart.