Words Are Hard. But Not Writing Is Harder.

December 04, 2023 | 3 min read

“I’m a writer. So why am I not writing?” As writers, we’re known for our love-hate relationship with our craft. After all, who hasn’t settled down to write, only to feel the urgent need to wash the dishes or google an obscure urban legend — or do literally anything else — immediately.

We get it. Words ARE hard. But they’re fun and fulfilling, too. And arguably one of the most instrumental aspects of human existence. That’s why you love to write. And that’s why we’re dedicated to creating distraction-free drafting tools to make writing easier.

But what do you do when inspiration is nowhere to be found? When your muse is on vacation? When you open Traveler and stare at a blank screen?

That’s easy. You pick up the latest addition to your Freewrite arsenal: the Words Are Hard deck.

What Is It?

Words Are Hard is a curated collection of thought-provoking writing prompts designed to make you put down the remote control, or whatever the distraction of the day is, and get writing. Having a clear, simple, creative prompt is the easiest way to overcome the first, and hardest, obstacle of writing: getting started.

Each deck comes with:

150 prompts across 8 writing genres
Beautiful matte black case with gold foil accents and stunning genre illustrations by Matt Pamer (You’re going to want to hang these on your wall.)
A custom embossed wooden block stand to display the prompt you’re currently using

Crafted with care and precision, each card is a work of art. The durable, high-quality material ensures a smooth shuffle and a long-lasting companion for your creative endeavors. Let the cards inspire you for years to come.

A unique aspect of this deck is that the prompts span different genres, so that you can explore every corner of your imagination. Are you a Romance author? We highly recommend trying a prompt from the Science Fiction category to dig deeper into your creativity. Do you usually write Horror? Pick a prompt from the Children’s category to give your thinking muscles a new challenge.

How To Use The Deck

The Words Are Hard deck is designed to be easy to use and adaptable to your personal needs. Just follow these steps to get started:

Choose: Find a prompt that resonates with you. Choose a card that tickles your fancy, or close your eyes and let fate be your muse!
Set aside distractions: Find a comfortable space where you can focus, away from any noise or disturbances.
Set goals: Decide on a word count goal or length of time for this prompt. If you're unsure where to start, set a 10-minute timer and write until it ends.
Write: Start writing without worrying about perfect sentences or grammar. Let your imagination roam, exploring unique interpretations of the prompt. Let your ideas flow freely onto the paper or Freewrite screen. Avoid editing during this stage.
Stay free: Remember, the purpose of the writing prompt is to nurture creativity and generate new ideas, so don't be afraid to experiment, take risks, and explore the depths of your imagination! Let the prompt lead you into unexpected areas, whether it's a new protagonist, a wild plot twist, or a powerful emotion.
Finish & Reflect: How do you feel? Is your imagination alert, the creativity flowing? Keep writing if you're in the zone! Or change gears to whatever WIP (Work in Progress) you’ve got going on. If you’re looking for ideas for a new project, review what you've written and look for ideas or storylines that may be worth exploring.
Repeat: Next time you need a creative kickoff, pick another prompt! Try a different genre for a challenge.

Here are a few tips for exciting deeper creativity:

Experiment with different perspectives.
Blend genres and topics (pick 2 prompts and blend them!).
Engage the senses (and imagine what’s happening with each of your character’s 5 senses).
Commit to the full writing session to practice smashing through distractions and writer’s block.

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of the industry or a budding novelist, a hardcore journalist or a subway poet, the Words Are Hard deck will get your fingers flying and the creative juices flowing in no time. It’s up to you where you go from there!

Make Words Easier

The Words Are Hard pack is a fantastic gift for the writers in your life. It also makes a wonderful group activity for writers. Or, keep a copy of the deck on your desktop for easy access when writer’s block hits.

With the Words Are Hard deck, every shuffle sparks a new story, a fresh idea, and a burst of imaginative energy! Get your set here.

Find Your Freewrite

Prolific writing sessions are born on dedicated drafting tools. Maximize your productivity by writing 2X more.

Alpha

Instant creative canvas. Fast LCD screen with backlight and long lasting battery.

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Traveler

Perfectly portable.Light, compact, and an easy on the eyes E Ink screen.

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Smart Typewriter

Classic and original.Tiered mechanical keyboard and frontlight E Ink screen.

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Ernest Hemingway Freewrite Signature Edition

"Hemingwrite" Signature Edition

Channel Hemingway's legacy. Hand-polished aluminum, leather case, and official signature.

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"Valentine" Special Edition

Fall in love with writing again. Designed with an exclusive carrying case and strap.

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Alpha Cosmic

Out of this world focus.Stay in creative orbit longer with new backlight.

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Wordrunner

All aluminum keyboard for writers with built-in Wordometer and productivity timer.

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Freewriting vs. Thinking

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

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