Hey there, Bec here
Freewriting is one of the simplest and most accessible tools available to writers. All you need is a piece of paper, something to write with, and a few minutes.
But what happens if you freewrite for hours? I discovered Peter Elbow’s epic approach when I reread Writing Without Teachers earlier this year. I was so intrigued by it that I ran an experiment with our Breakthroughs & Blocks community - and I enlisted a trusty volunteer to share their process.
This Might Work
In today’s episode of This Might Work, I outline the model from freewriting hero of mine Peter Elbow. He died in 2025 but his legacy lives on. I’m grateful to include extracts from his conversation with in 2022, where he outlines the ‘miracle’ that occurs when we freewrite.1
“I think it’s kind of a miracle. How can a human mind that’s enclosed in one piece of skull, how can a mind all by itself come up with an idea it never had before? You know, in a dialogue, I can understand how I can get a new idea from you, but how can I get a new idea from myself? That’s amazing.”
- Peter Elbow
I ask rail engineer to test it out on the edits of her book about the railway. Have a listen to find out what happens when you freewrite for four hours.
🎧 Listen on Substack: Epic freewriting inspired by Peter Elbow
🎧 Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.
Win a free coaching call
If you’ve been enjoying This Might Work I’d be thrilled if you could leave a review. You’ll be in with a chance to win a coaching call. Simply go to your podcast player of choice, rate and review, then drop us an email at hello@writtenacademy.com and tell us where you’ve left a review. I’ll draw names from a hat next Wednesday 8 July.
Midsummer member meetup
I can’t wait to see our members at tomorrow’s midsummer meetup! A chance to reflect on the year so far with some guided prompts and to ask and me any questions.
🗓️ Wednesday 1st July 2026 6pm BST, 1pm EDT, 10am PDT
☀️ Midsummer Meetup & Midpoint Motivator - Ask Us Anything!
👉 Register in advance - all the details: Midsummer meetup for members
Keep going, Bec
PS I celebrated the midpoint of the year with a hike up the valley to watch the sunset over the standing stones on the local moors and saw the ‘strawberry’ moon rise over the hills.
Listen to Alison Jones on the Extraordinary Business Books podcast, Episode 312: Free-writing with Peter Elbow. I love the bit where he says: “My wife makes fun of me. She says whatever the question is, the answer is freewriting.”
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