It has been so long I believe I have forgotten what a free write feels. Or in fact what write feels.
But I do know some of the basics. It never starts as a free write. It never runs as a free write. It has many false starts. It always first presents itself as a fancy article on a fanciful serious topic. Like this one started as ‘State Vs Social Media’ and somewhere state decided to defer the judgement to another Monday musings.
It instills fear. It instills trance. It helps you breathe. It makes you anxious. It builds up a theme. It breaks down thoughts.
But no really. What is a free write?
Is any write completely free? Am I not wondering about the snide judgements that shall be passed in closed corridors of the reader’s minds? Am I not afraid my reputation could be at stake with every passing word that runs on my screen.
Has this ever been free? What is free? Something that has no price attached.
Is that even possible? Is there any act which doesn’t attract retribution?
Will I google retribution only to check if I have used it correctly? Yes.
It has been a long time since I began writing. An even longer time when I had started to think I could write. But somewhere between, the charm to write freely went. From five hundred words on a blog to 140 characters in a tweet, it all got measured. Numbered.
We started following. And then be followed.And in due process hunt and be hunted. Freedom was the obvious price to pay.
It stopped being free. Everything.
Tonight when the clock will strike twelve (or has it already?) I will not be free anymore. I would have allowed another day to hold me back. Another idea to possess me. Another dream that caught its strings inside my heart. Another man who may have shared his life with me. Left me with a little more. Left me with a lot less.
Does this make sense to you? At all?
When I started writing, State (friends & family) Vs Richa held a court case where their primary complaint was- it doesn’t even make sense to finish what you have written. Did it make sense to finish writing?
“Make it more simple. More coherent. Less complicated”.
Binary. 0 or 1.
Strip it off the ambiguity. Allow it to breathe. Make it more easy to comprehend.
Did we make it less free by making it more liberated?
Did we remove complexity only to bound it in comprehension?
As a writer is my vision not important to me? Does it have to be communicated the way a reader reads? How about the way writer feels?
435 words.
Of course we were keeping track. It is tough. You never know what we breathe. What freedom we need to give up tomorrow morning for this read.
452 words.
Are words no longer free? Have we writers become our own thought police?
Is this a free write?
Thats me in Venice. Freely posing and sleeping at the same time 🙂
Connecting to MondayMusings
A free write about a free write. And yes, this is a free write.
A multitude of emotions, per say. Having said that, writing is always free when you write it from your heart. Most of the times, we get the devil, erm… alter ego sitting on our shoulder telling all the things that people would be thinking. But at the end of the write up, it is you who would feel content with the little story you write, even if it is an office presentation.
Writing is free as long as one doesn’t commercialize it for monetary gains.
Great points to ponder.. nah.. we are never really free righting.. we are bound by our ethics, principles, cultures, morals, country, grammar, and a many more. But if we write, despite all this, then we are free. Isn’t it? Or is it not?
Sometimes I find your posts incomplete. like you are holding back something or there’s part 2 to your post. This one was like a 10,000 page thesis packed in one note.
So many questions , thoughts , arguments , premises , conjectures, conclusions and yet so many opinions out there in open remain to be debated.
The whole idea of who do we write for – the reader or us. Brilliantly put across. And us being our own thought police .. Yes.. true for me ..
And so many applause worthy points there on feeling liberated. I would be quoting this post for a long long time now.
I was never able to free write something for the public to read. It was always measured with the possible judgements of readers. But there is one place where I have always freely written, the diary. The feel of it is entirely different that no place else can provide. This post of yours is a world of emotions that I’m not sure I was able to comprehend, but it sure must have helped you. Intriguing and thought provoking piece nevertheless.
Whether a free write or not. I think there were a lot of noteworthy points.
When I started writing it was only for me and down the lane when I started understanding the numbers in here, and at times I have left myself drift away. But I now know, no matter what I will write for myself. And numbers shall follow.
You have put forth so many points that has kept me pondering, right now.
Yeah, I think I am my own write police.
Of course this is a free write honey… you are free to write… aren’t you?
Your post was interesting… really gives some points to ponder! Guess we are as free as we think we are… with all strings or no strings attached. Take it as it is and write as you may… like you just have!
Ha ha…. like that …. “Make it more simple. More coherent. Less complicated”.
Like that room. Simple with just two paintings.
Free writes …
And that too 400+ words
What else, agree with the simple words thing .