One reason is that I look at freewriting as play. Instead of a bat and ball, I’m using ideas and language. It’s like I’m going to the park. I have fun. Much of the time I’m smiling and rocking in my chair.

A second reason is that I’ve done freewriting for fifteen years, and I know that oftentimes my best ideas come once I think the well has run dry. In other words, when I’m certain I have nothing less to say, then my internal editor relaxes and an unusual thought or two will suddenly crop up on the page.

About repurposing one’s ideas: I agree. If you say something one time only, most people won’t see it, or they might not pay attention to it. If you have something important to say, by all means run with it.

Thanks for the comments.

I wouldn’t say re-purposing previous ideas into new writings is necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it might take a second or third time for someone to read something to really get the idea behind the topic.

Yeah, for me, spending loads of time polishing a single idea can be a trap. The reason: During the polishing I often come up with an idea that seems like it might be better than the original, but now I have too much time and energy spent on the original and am hesitant to abandon it.

I strive, then, to come up with lots of ideas and prose at the outset, which I look at as resources to draw upon. It’s from these resources that I create drafts and, later, finished pieces.

I tried it, didn’t get the opportunity to do it for five hours but did it for close to 3 hours and it worked really well. I got some amazing ideas and the ideas started to percolate after about 40 minutes. I will try it again for the five hours that you suggested. Thank you! Avil

I do know that freewriting works just as well with pen and paper as it does on the computer. When doing the marathon, though, I strongly recommend using a computer because of the amount of writing to be done. Most of us aren’t used to writing cursively for hours on end.