Hence, students appear to be unmotivated, unable to sustain their writing, and unwilling to revise. Creative writing provides an opportunity for students to regain control of their writing by providing a platform from which to express themselves. As students begin to find their voice, the overall strength and quality of their writing improves as they look for the most effective techniques to present their subject matter. The benefit of free writing is that kids are not inhibited in what they can write. They can write about living in outer space or a personal experience at home.
Free writing allows students to explore their own issues in their own way.
The benefit of freewriting, however, can also be the detriment. Writing prompts and more structured activities provide students with some context for their work. Writing exercises and prompts should be vibrant enough to beg that a story be told. Notice how the following first lines of these short stories work on the imagination as potential writing prompts. I could tell the minute I got in the door and dropped my bag, I wasn't staying.