Freewriting and Chaos (in response to Hsiao-wen's post)

I think Hsiao-wen’s angle on "order out of chaos" revealed some good criticism on the concept . I also liked what she said about freewriting—that it sometimes makes essays vague.

I try to freewrite everyday. It allows me to work out a field of subconscious thoughts, but the result of that kind of writing sometimes leads me to a larger field that I can plow. Plus, I think too much freewriting can often lead the writer in the wrong direction from the topic of a paper.

I think it’s difficult to find good ideas from freewriting, and it’s even more challenging, as Hsiao-wen wrote, when we try to cull those ideas from chaos.