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Freewrite Stories: How Author Ivo Senden Finished His Novel on a Freewrite, Pt. 2

May 11, 2017 | 3 min read

This is the continuation of the Ivo Senden Freewrite Story, click here for Part 1

 

"It feels amazing on warm summer days to go outside, sit in the sun and the fresh air and type away. The keyboard has improved my writing speed, the distraction-free device has improved my concentration on the manuscript, and somehow it just feels wonderful to be using a beautiful, dedicated device purely for the purpose of writing." – Ivo Senden

Senden is credited with publishing the first book written partially on the Freewrite. For him, the features of the Freewrite have created a huge boost in both productivity and mood surrounding his writing. The E Ink screen is easy on his eyes, and the design of mechanical keyboard provides comfort during times when he finds flow. These were two facts that were not lost on Senden while he was researching the features of the Freewrite. He was excited to learn that the device is the only one of its kind that has an E Ink screen allowing for readability at any angle and in bright light. Senden says, "Even before I became aware of the advantages of the mechanical keyboard and the non-distraction architecture of the device, the screen alone convinced me to order a Freewrite. "

Alongside his decision to purchase the device, Senden found the Freewrite Community forum to be a particularly helpful source of information for his writing process. For him, the process of preparing to write includes a detailed outline, note taking, and intense editing which he used to do in Word. However, during his first hour of visiting the Freewrite Community Forum, he was able to interact with other writers allowing him to discover better tools to manage his content during the laborious development process.

Because the Freewrite has ergonomic features and limits the ability to get lost in social media, or other online distractions, the device allows users to write in a way that enables them to enter flow. At the end of each of his power sessions, Senden can sync his draft from cloud storage to another application for editing purposes, such as his favorite content management tool. The ability to do the bulk of his writing on the Freewrite means less time he has to spend tied to an uncomfortable laptop with short battery life.

Most importantly Senden says, "It feels amazing on warm summer days to go outside, sit in the sun and the fresh air and type away. The keyboard has improved my writing speed, the distraction-free device has improved my concentration on the manuscript, and somehow it just feels wonderful to be using a beautiful, dedicated device purely for the purpose of writing."

Simply a choice of writing location can be critical to the process of writing and to a writer's ability to achieve that all important flow. As we have learned from Senden, writing outdoors was not an option before he purchased the Freewrite. He would find himself sitting inside on his couch on a warm and sunny day. Meaning for him, a choice between work or enjoying all that a beautiful day has to offer. Now thanks to the Freewrite, he can do both which in and of itself boosts mood and creativity. Senden says, "For me, the Freewrite was the answer to my prayers for an E Ink writing device, and its magnificent keyboard was more than a huge bonus."

Ivo on His Typewriter Restoration Hobby

"The beautiful typewriter you see is 98 years old. I tracked it back to a Dutch constable who used it as early as 1919 to write his police reports. I restored it, managed to find new ink ribbons and actually even used it briefly while I was waiting for my Freewrite to arrive. You can imagine my next door neighbors weren't all too happy with some of my late night writing sessions, hacking away on this antique, mechanical monstrosity. I know for a fact that they love the Freewrite as much as I do."

 

April 01, 2026 0 min read
March 22, 2026 3 min read

If you're new here, freewriting is “an unfiltered and non-stop writing practice.” It’s sometimes known as stream-of-consciousness writing.

To do it, you simply need to write continuously, without pausing to rephrase, self-edit, or spellcheck. Freewriting is letting your words flow in their raw, natural state.

When writing the first draft of a novel, freewriting is the approach we, and many authors, recommend because it frees you from many of the stumbling blocks writers face.

This method helps you get to a state of feeling focused and uninhibited, so you can power through to the finish line.

How Freewriting Gives You Mental Clarity

Freewriting is like thinking with your hands. Some writers have described it as "telling yourself the story for the first time."

Writing for Inside Higher Ed, Steven Mintz says, “Writing is not simply a matter of expressing pre-existing thoughts clearly. It’s the process through which ideas are produced and refined.” And that’s the magic of putting pen to paper, or fingertips to keyboard. The way you learned to ride a bike by wobbling until suddenly you were pedaling? The way you learned certain skills by doing as well as revising? It works for writing, too.

The act of writing turns on your creative brain and kicks it into high gear. You’re finally able to articulate that complex idea the way you want to express it when you write, not when you stare at a blank page and inwardly think until the mythical perfect sentence comes to mind.

Writing isn’t just the way we express ideas, but it’s how we extract them in the first place. Writing is thinking.

Or, as Flannery O'Connor put it:

“I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say.”

Writing isn’t just the way we express ideas, but it’s how we extract them in the first place. Writing is thinking.

 

Freewriting to Freethinking

But how and why does it work? Freewriting makes fresh ideas tumble onto the page because this type of writing helps you get into a meditative flow state, where the distractions of the world around you slip away.

Julie Cameron, acclaimed author of The Artist’s Way, proposed the idea that flow-state creativity comes from a divine source. And sure, it certainly feels like wizardry when the words come pouring out and scenes seem to arrange themselves on the page fully formed. But that magic, in-the-zone writing feeling doesn’t have to happen only once in a blue moon. It’s time to bust that myth.

By practicing regular freewriting and getting your mind (and hands) used to writing unfiltered, uncensored, and uninterrupted, you start freethinking and letting the words flow. And the science backs it up.

According to Psychology Today, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex goes quiet during flow state. This part of the brain is in charge of “self-monitoring and impulse control” – in other words, the DLPFC is the tiny home of your loud inner critic. And while that mean little voice in your head takes a long-overdue nap, you’re free to write without doubt or negative self-talk.

“With this area [of the brain] deactivated, we’re far less critical and far more courageous, both augmenting our ability to imagine new possibilities and share those possibilities with the world.”

Freewriting helps us connect with ourselves and our own thoughts, stories, beliefs, fears, and desires. But working your creative brain is like working a muscle. It needs regular flexing to stay strong.

So, if freewriting helps us think and organize our thoughts and ideas, what happens if we stop writing? If we only consume and hardly ever create, do we lose the ability to think for ourselves? Up next, read "Are We Living through a Creativity Crisis?"

 

Learn More About Freewriting

Get the ultimate guide to boosting creativity and productivity with freewriting absolutely free right here.You'll learn how to overcome perfectionism, enhance flow, and reignite the joy of writing.

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March 16, 2026 2 min read

Picturethis. Imaginetryingtoreadapagethatlookedlikethis,withnospacestoseparateonewordfromthenext. No pauses. No breath. Just an endless procession of letters that your brain must laboriously slice into meaning, one syllable at a time.