How to write using the freefall method

"How do I get to Carnegie Hall?"

Answer: "Practice!"

You've heard countless writers and writing gurus tell you the same advice: you learn to write by writing. If you've rolled your eyes at this, you're not alone. It seems like what people are really asking is not "how does one learn to be a writer?" but "where do I start?" If this is the case for you, then the freefall method is something you should try.

A number of years ago I took a creative writing class at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. The class was instructed by Orm Mitchell, professor, writer, and the son of famous Canadian literary icon W.O. Mitchell. The class was built upon a similar structure that W.O. himself taught many years earlier in Banff, Alberta. And yes, we learned to write by writing. The difference with the oft-repeated cliché and the class was that we were instructed to produce 10 - 15 double spaced pages of writing per week for the professor to review. There was to be no structure or assigned topic, no specific plot devices practised, no implanted or suggested ideas to work on. We were to allow the stream of consciousness to flow forth onto the page unhindered by the natural self-editing process. We were instructed to simply sit and type. The idea is that pieces of dialogue, concepts, history, vignettes, truth, emotion, and all manner of content float to the surface of the vast ocean of your mind from the deep "sea-caves" below.

This is only the beginning of the work. The images, words, dialogue, and concepts that float up are not necessarily very good, or useful, or artistic. Much of the time it is downright terrible.

The freefall method produces the aggregate from which the writer prospects. Much like a mining operation, there is tons of dirt and stone removed for every small gem unearthed. To use another metaphor, think of it as separating the wheat from the chaff, but the harvest can be exceptionally poor sometimes.

But the method does produce worthy material. In fact, the gems you discover resonate more deeply with the reader than any contrived material possibly could, because the words and phrases are genuine. The words are rooted in the unique experience and perspective of the writer, offering an insight and depth of perception that can only come from direct experience. Writing can be clever, entertaining, and art-like, but if it is contrived and uses well-tested devices and techniques, it never really contends for literary majesty. The best writing often elicits an emotional insight, a resonating and meaningful comprehension of truth, brought upon the reader through the writer's sincerity.

The benefit of having an experienced English literature professor review your freefall is that he has no attachments to what you've written. Often, after handing in my material, I would be convinced that the following week he would read from what I considered were the truly brilliant sections. I was never right. In my experience, Orm would find and expose to the class the raw, uncensored, deeply personal pieces contained in the freefall. It was the stuff that came out from the deepest reaches of my heart: memories, emotions, regrets, joy, yearnings. This was always read aloud to the group, with the source of the writing kept anonymous unless we ourselves chose to disclose that it was our own, and the class would listen, contemplate, and respond. It gave to me an insight to what resonated in others and why. It also instructed me as to what was wheat, and what was chaff.

The class demanded and required a great deal of fortitude to submit the work in the first place, and took even more courage to sit and listen to the chosen readings and the responses. After a few months, we all began to get more comfortable with one another, recognizing each other's styles and content idiosyncrasies, and we started to provide feedback that was more useful as time went on. For yourself, joining or starting a writer's group, although frightening at first, will provide an incredible return on your investment. Without feedback from others, you may never learn what truly resonates with your reader, what is a gem, and what is aggregate.

If you are considering joining a writer's group remember this: no one is a better writer than you, they are just different. In our class we had a diversity of style and genre, age and gender. There was a horror writer, a teen fiction writer, a poet, a published short fiction author, a humorist, and a few of us like me, wondering where we fit in the literary world. We learned to respect and enjoy each other's writing, riffing off of one another, chatted about what we were reading, and sharing the stories of our life with each other.

Remember, this method is only the beginning of learning to write. But if you feel like there is a story trapped inside of you, this "messy method" of freefall can help to unlock your potential. In future articles, I'll share more insights and experiences that I learned in my encounters with famed Canadian literary authors Alistair Macleod and Michael Winter.