In my previous posts that have been about continuing your study skills journey over extended break times, I have encouraged you to read as much as you possibly can, and especially, to read what you would like to read, whether any reading has been assigned to you or not. Just as vacations are a great time for free-choice reading, so they are a great time for free-choice writing, too. Just as one of the best ways to become a better reader is to read, so one of the best ways to become a better writer is to write. No matter whether writing is already one of your stronger subjects in school or whether it is something you really struggle with, writing for writing’s sake can help you, not just because it can improve your study skills, but because it can make a positive difference in your life.
There are many types of free-choice writing, and many different ways you can accomplish it. You can keep a diary or a journal, whether to record memories and emotions about the events of your days or to keep a record of your travels. You can write stories or poems, fiction or nonfiction, a few sentences at a time or a novel that can be just as hard to put down when you’re writing as a book you really enjoy can be when you’re reading. You can write about what you read, whether you’ve been assigned to or not, and if the questions that have been assigned to you don’t let you express all your thoughts and emotions about what you’ve read, you can write those separately, just for yourself.
Another great thing about free-choice writing is that you don’t have to plan it, unless you want to. Random thoughts and journal topics, stream of consciousness, stories with plots that change on a dime, the choice is yours. If you do want to plan before you write, the way you plan can also be your choice – brainstorming, outlining, graphic organizers, a lot of detail, or no detail at all – whatever works is fine, because you’re doing it for you, and no one has to read it unless you decide they should.
Perhaps the best thing of all about free-choice writing, especially for those of you who struggle with it, is that form doesn’t matter. Unless you intend for someone to see what you’ve written, you really can just write – editing is optional. For those of you who are better at it, it can be hard to let editing go, and that’s okay – as long as it doesn’t keep you from getting your thoughts and ideas down, whether on paper or on your computer. Writing on your computer will encourage you to do at least some editing, even if you struggle with it, and if you write on paper, erasures, cross-outs, arrows, and notes in the margins are all allowed. If you edit to the point of no longer being able to read the best of what you’ve written, you might want to rewrite or type those parts, so that you are able to return to them or perhaps even share them, but otherwise, just as I’ve made clear throughout this post, anything goes!
Though it may not be as commonly thought of or practiced as free-choice reading is, free-choice writing is another great way to continue on your study skills journey over the summer months. Since the type of writing you do, the amount of planning you do, and the amount of editing you do are all up to you, free-choice writing can be just what you want it to be, and in addition to making a positive difference in your studies, it can also make a positive difference in your life.
I for one am going to be doing a lot of free-choice writing this summer – as I add more and more content to my website! Go to my homepage to sign up to be one of my subscribers, and gain access to all sorts of additional tips, tricks, strategies, and lessons!