I attended a great little workshop at the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Academic Development (IAD) the other day, all about strengthening academic writing habits. True to IAD form, it was a really practical session. And one technique the instructor had us try out ticked all the boxes: free-writing.

It’s a simple, surprisingly energising practice. For ten minutes, you pick a specific topic or section you’re working on, set a timer, and just write. No editing. No backspacing. Absolutely no rearranging paragraphs. Just let the ideas spill out, stream-of-consciousness style, without worrying about polish or perfection.

Anyone who’s ever come across NaNoWriMo will recognise the spirit of it – that on-a-roll just-get something-down momentum. It’s a great technique for getting into a foreign language writing habit. But hearing it framed specifically for academic writing made came at just the right (write?) time for me, after a year of research and note-taking but precious little thesis. Suddenly the blank page felt less like a wall and more like a playground.

Strict Limits : The Key to Free-writing

The key is to be strict. Only after the timer ends do you look back at what you’ve produced. That’s when the real gems show themselves: angle on your argument that rise from your cluttered thoughts, a paragraph you can develop further, or maybe a sentence that unlocks the rest of a larger section or chapter. Even the nonsense is useful – it warms the gears. You’ll be surprised what a sense of achievement you get from it, whatever the output!

I’m now trying to build it into a ten-minute daily habit, and it genuinely feels like I’m making some concrete progress. If you’re facing down a stubborn bit of writing that refuses to budge, this little habit might just help you break the block too.