Where the Free Writes Flow

 Free writes can be written anywhere from the kitchen table to a luxury restaurant, a park bench or a sandy beach.

One of Rick's and D-L's favorite places to Free Write when they are in France is L'Hostalet. In Geneva, when joined by Julia in person for a Free Write, there are local cafés although a couple of times, they've been at one or the other's homes.

Free Writes can be done by one or many responding to a prompt generated by others or the free writer him/herself. 

 Rick and I are about to head to Geneva so this was the last chance we had to sit Free Write at L'Hostalet. We're sharing the ambiance which we will miss until return in the autumn.

Tables are under the mulberry tree. The café faces out on a square and is surrounded by several hundred-year-old plus houses of different colors. No matter how hot, if there is a breeze anywhere in the village it comes here. 

The old mairie (town hall) has been converted into a music school and sometimes we can hear the students practicing with various degrees of success. On the corner, is a sign in French, Catalan and English telling the village's history. The small square commemorates the brave women of the village who stood their ground against the Vichy in WWII.

The square is also used for concerts, programs and Saturday night street dances.   

We don't usually bring our dog to the Free Writes, but we will at other times. Sherlock when he hears "boys" and "go" he is at the door. To him, waiting for the hotel's cats to go in and out of the cat flap is entertainment better than any television show. That's Misty in the photo. Melinda, a black and white cat, loves to walk just out of range of Sherlock's leash, giving him the cat equivalent of the finger.

 Then with our tea, coffee or hot chocolate drunk we are ready to write. The timer in the photo above is for tea, one, two or three minutes. We time the writing with a watch. When we are with Julia in Geneva she has a timer for the writing itself.

 We've done this well over 100 times, considering the Free Write almost sacred. Although we can be flexible on where or when, we still try for 10 a.m. on Tuesdays.

Writers don't need to go to France or Switzerland to Free Write, but I recommend finding a spot or spots where to feel comfortable. It isn't important whether Free Writes are in a beautiful notebook with a special pen or on the back of a letter with a chewed off pencil. What is important is that it's used as a method to stimulate creativity.

We publish our examples on this blog because we want to. We find it interesting to look at our different or not different approaches to the same prompt. We have other writers. using our prompts. They want to remain anonymous. 

I personally find not only is Free Writing a stimulant to my other writing, but a positive balance to all the horrendous things going on the planet.