What I Learned During Free Writing

Sometimes during free writing, we tend to wander off topic. This is fine during free writing, but afterward, it is important to make sure that the focus is clear. Today we are going to learn a way to help us focus and stay on topic, so that the writing is clear.

When I began writing a persuasive letter, I decided to persuade people to read. This was my first attempt, during free writing:

I really like to read. When I was young, I would read all of the time, sometimes even during class. I also stayed up late and read under by blankets with a flashlight. I learned a lot from reading. The first real book I read was Little House on the Prairie, and I learned a lot of history from that book and the other history books I read afterwards. I found it fascinating to read about how they would churn butter while they were traveling. In those days, they could not buy butter from the store, so they had to turn milk into butter. They would put the barrel of milk under the wagon, and as they were traveling, it would turn to butter. By the time they stopped for the day, they would have butter. I think it is important for everyone to know how to read.
While I had enjoyed reading about churning butter, it had no place in my letter. I also realized that I did not have a clear focus for my letter. I decided to write down my focus in six words. When I thought about my audience, I realized that I wanted to write my letter to people who have told me that reading fiction is a waste of time, so I decided that my focus would be “Reading fiction does not waste time.” I then rewrote my