The effects of Freewriting on the Quality and Characteristics of Short Essays

Abstract

Writing is a complex task that requires the successful management of cognitive resources. Freewriting is a technique, popularized in the 1960's and 70's, where the writer writes for a set period of time without stopping; only after the time is up does the writer return to revise. The technique has been used widely, and is thought to improve writing, perhaps by reducing cognitive overload. However, few well-controlled studies have been conducted to investigate its efficacy and the consequences of its use. In the experiment carried out here, the effects of freewriting on the writing of short, expository essays was examined. Based on review of the literature, it was expected that the use of freewriting would result in essays rated higher in quality than essays written in a control condition (where no specific writing instructions were offered) and also higher that essays written using another writing strategy, the "polished draft" strategy, in which the writer attempts to write as well as possible from the start. The characteristics and quality of essays composed using freewriting were compared to that of essays composed in a control condition and to essays written using the polished draft strategy. Results suggested that excepting students receiving the very lowest course grades, freewriting had an unfavorable effect that increased with course grade; thus, students with average and above-average course grades saw a decrease in essay quality with the use of freewriting. The use of freewriting was also found to produce essays that were longer, used more present tense (as compared to past and future), and contained a smaller proportion of large words.