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What is the Purpose of Freewriting?

August 26, 2023 | 2 min read

Unlocking Your Creative Potential with Freewriting

If you’re here, chances are you’re curious about the concept of freewriting. Perhaps you’ve heard the term bandied about in writing workshops or stumbled upon it in productivity blogs. Either way, you’re probably asking: what exactly is the purpose of freewriting, and how can it help me?

What is Freewriting?

At its core, freewriting is an unfiltered and non-stop writing practice. You write as quickly as you can, letting your thoughts flow freely onto the page, without worrying about grammar, structure, or even coherence. There are no red pen edits here, no agonizing over word choice. Just you, your thoughts, and an endless blank canvas waiting to be filled.

The Purpose of Freewriting: Unleashing the Benefits

Now let's get to it: what is the purpose of this seemingly chaotic exercise? Why would anyone want to write without any guidelines? Here’s a breakdown:

1. Silencing the Inner Critic

Your inner critic is the voice that tells you your ideas aren’t good enough, or that you should re-write that sentence for the tenth time. Freewriting helps you tune out that nagging voice, allowing your creativity to flow unbridled.

2. Idea Generation

Stuck on a particular plot point in your novel? Not sure how to begin your next article? Freewriting can serve as a brainstorming session, helping you generate a plethora of ideas in a short time.

3. Overcoming Writer’s Block

This is a big one. The act of writing freely and continuously can help you break through the mental barriers that often accompany writer’s block. It’s like a warm-up before a workout; it gets the creative juices flowing.

4. Discovering Your Voice

Freewriting provides a platform for your authentic self to shine through. Because you’re not focused on polishing each sentence, your true voice can emerge, helping you understand your natural writing style.

5. Enhancing Focus and Discipline

Contrary to what one might assume, the process of freewriting can be intense. It requires focus and discipline to write continuously, making it an excellent practice for honing your concentration skills.

6. Emotional Catharsis

Beyond the realm of productivity and skill enhancement, freewriting serves as a therapeutic exercise. It allows you to express your emotions, fears, and hopes in a raw, uncensored fashion, serving as a form of emotional release.

Why Freewrite Tools?

So, how do Freewrite's line of drafting tools fit into all of this?

Our range of devices is designed to foster an environment conducive to freewriting. With a distraction-free interface, long-lasting battery, and a tactile keyboard that’s a joy to use, Freewrite make it easy for you to get into the flow state, making your freewriting sessions even more productive and enjoyable.

The purpose of freewriting is multifaceted, serving both practical and emotional needs. It’s not just about spewing words onto a page, but about liberating your creativity, overcoming blocks, and enriching your writing journey.

So the next time you find yourself staring at a blinking cursor, remember: just start writing. You'll be amazed at where it takes you.

Write on!

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Freewrite Turns 10: Celebrating a Decade of Distraction-Free Writing

We're just 10 weeks away from a major milestone: the 10th anniversary of Freewrite's launch on Kickstarter. On December 10, 2014, we introduced the Smart Typewriter, then known as "Hemingwrite," to the world.

How It Started

In September of 2014, co-founders Adam Leeb and Patrick Paul entered Hemingwrite into the “Insert Coin” hardware competition sponsored by Engadget. Described as a new digital consumer product for distraction-free writing composition, Hemingwrite aimed to deliver a singular focus on a productive writing experience. A decade later, that core mission remains unchanged.

Hemingwrite was one of 20 inventions competing that week, highlighting early-stage hardware startups from around the world that had not yet received funding or shipped to consumers.

"What the Kindle did for reading, we want to do for writing," said co-founder Patrick Paul at the time."We set out to deliver the same distraction-free writing experience of a typewriter with all of the added benefits of modern technology."

Co-founder Adam Leeb added, "We combined all of the best aspects of the typewriter, theMoleskine, and the computer to create a modern classic."

Althoughthe Hemingwrite concept didn’t win the competition, the initial coverage by Engadget led to another press hit and then another and quickly it became a viral sensation around the world. The project was covered in everything from The Wall Street Journal to The Atlantic. Over 125,000 people came to the simple wordpress website at hemingwrite.com and over 8,000 anxiously input their email asking for updates on the project.

Adam and Patrick knew they had something special on their hands but weren’t sure if anyone was willing to pay for this idea or if it was simply interesting. On December 10, 2014 the Kickstarter campaign was launched and immediately the pledge dollars started rolling in. Within 20 hours of launch, the campaign had raised over $200,000! And just like that, the Hemingwrite distraction-free writing tool concept became destined for reality.

Watch: MAKE @ Engadget Expand 2014: Hemingwrite

How It’s Going

Since that initial launch, we have developed Freewrite into a family of distraction-free writing tools with three distinct models, Smart Typewriter, Traveler, and Alpha. Each has their distinct personality, but the core value of maximizing writer productivity runs throughout.

In 2020, The original Freewrite Smart Typewriter became part of the Science Museum, London’s permanent Printing & Writing Collection.

The name Hemingwrite was dropped in 2015 and then revived in 2021 with the Ernest Hemingway Special Edition Smart Typewriter in partnership with the Ernest Hemingway Estate.

We’ve created Sprinter for distraction-free writing in any browser and WTF where thousands of people every week receive a writing prompt and participate in Writing Time Friday.

The community's achievements over the past decade have been astounding:

Freewrite users have created over 600,000 documents
Collectively,users have written more than 605 million words (equivalent to over 6,000 novels!)

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 10 years but it also feels like we are just getting started.

To kick things off:

One Year Warranty: Now Standard

We are extending our warranty that covers manufacturer’s defects to a full year on all Freewrite devices. This means you can enjoy your Freewrite with even greater peace of mind, knowing that we've got you covered for an entire year.

For more information, please visit our dedicated article on our new warranty policy here: Introducing Freewrite's New 1-Year Warranty: Our Commitment to You

Thank You

As we reflect on 10 years, we're filled with gratitude for the amazing writers who have made Freewrite an essential part of their process. Your passion has shaped our products and fueled our mission.

Here's to the next decade of your writing success!

- The Freewrite Team

Learn more

October 01, 2024 • 2 min read

Introducing Freewrite's New 1-Year Warranty: Our Commitment to You

As of October 1, 2024, we are extending our standard warranty that covers manufacturer’s defects to a full year on all Freewrite devices. This means you can enjoy your Freewrite with even greater peace of mind, knowing that we've got you covered for a full 12 months from the date of shipment. We’re even retroactively applying the warranty extension to purchases made this year.

Here is how our new 1-year warranty will work:

Beginning October 1, 2024, all new purchases now have a 12-month warranty standard from the shipment date.

All device purchases made in 2024 will now have 12-month warranty coverage from the shipment date.

For example, if your device shipped on March 1, 2024, your warranty would have expired on May 30, 2024, but will now expire on March 1, 2025.

If you purchased an Extended Warranty in addition to your device in 2024, you will receive both the new 12-month standard warranty coverage from the date of shipment, as well as the additional coverage period from your paid extended warranty.

For example, if your device shipped on March 1, 2024, with a 2-year Extended Warranty:

Your standard warranty now expires on March 1, 2025, instead of May 30, 2024.
Your 2-year Extended Warranty coverage will begin on March 1, 2025, and continue until March 1, 2027.

Your trust in our products is paramount to us, and this warranty extension reflects our dedication to your satisfaction and our confidence in the quality and reliability of our devices.

Thank you for choosing Freewrite; we look forward to serving you for many years to come. Write on!

- The Freewrite Team

Important Notes:

For devices purchased in 2023 or earlier, the original 90-day warranty applies, in addition to any paid Extended Warranty coverage.
If you purchased your device in 2023 or earlier, without an Extended Warranty, unfortunately, your warranty has now expired.
We are unable to offer refunds for prior out-of-warranty repairs.

Useful Links:

Official Freewrite Warranty Policy

Warranty Support Doc

Learn more