Okay, so first of all, my name is not Peter Sidorov. That's a pen name. Don't worry, it doesn't matter. This is my test of writing whatever I'm thinking, without restraint, on FreeWrite Sprinter. This is the first thing that actually got me addicted to writing and journalling in general. When I first heard about FreeWrite, I think it was in an email or on an Instagram ad or something, but I was intrigued. It was a purpose-built device, with an e-ink screen, no auto-correct, and no complicated structure to house your writing or anything like that... it was just a blank screen, with no format on the page, a nice keyboard attached to it, and an OS that doesn't allow any apps or anything to be installed on it. It's like opening Notepad or whatever, turning off any kind of spelling or grammar correction tools, and just typing whatever the hell you want. That's it. Actually, the experience on a FreeWrite is very much like this exact tool, Sprinter. The philosophy behind FreeWrite devices is that they give you a medium for writing that is distraction-free, where you can express yourself without limits. Really, though, what the tool is designed for is a writing "technique" (not really) called freewriting. Freewriting is simply just opening up a page, or taking out a piece of paper and a pen, and just writing whatever you're thinking without stopping for correcting your grammar, or correcting your ideas, or anything like that. You can fix your spelling if you want, I guess, but otherwise, you're just blurting your thoughts out onto a page as fast as you can. You're giving your brain unrestrained space and time to express itself. And I found that, the first time I did it, it was like being in the deepest therapy session with the best listener in the world. I can't explain it in exact terms, but when I freewrite, I feel like I'm emulating the feeling of being understood by someone, even though I know nobody is listening. But I guess, in a way, when you write stuff on a page, you're able to read what you just wrote. So part of me likes to think that your brain sees your exact written words being "read back to you", which makes it seem like you said something to someone who is listening so extremely well that they're able to parrot your words back to you with 100% accuracy. Maybe that makes me sound like a sad and lonely person, but I don't care. It's the single most therapeutic device I've ever found, even including actual therapy with a therapist. When it comes to the FreeWrite device itself, it's expensive. The company who makes them, Astrohaus, has a line of different variants of FreeWrite. The one that I bought, after much contemplation, was the FreeWrite Traveler. Along with a carrying case, I think the total brought me just around $1000 CAD (yes, I'm Canadian). But if you read any of the celebrated reviews about this thing, you'll see a common theme of people doubling or tripling their writing. I was skeptical when I saw that, but now I 100% stand behind it. It has created a regular freewriting and journaling habit for me, and it has even helped me explore creative writing of different forms, like fictional storywriting and even a tiny bit of poetry (which I quickly gave up because I hate the process of cramming my overflowing thoughts into such a narrow space and structure). I lost my train of thought, hang on... this happens sometimes, when you have my brain... but, yeah, I guess I'll just start a new train of thought. Anyway, the idea is that you're supposed to use a device like FreeWrite, or this app Sprinter, or anything simplistic and non-restrictive similar to these tools and just speak what's in your brain with no restraint and no self-judgment. No worrying about what people might think about what you're saying. Because really, think of freewriting as a form of brainstorming, except you're not constrained to any kind of structure or format. Hell, I even find to-do lists oppressive. I hate any kind of structure on a page that cradles my language in any form. I need it to be totally unrestricted. But, at the same time, part of feeling like your reflections on the page are actually totally unrestricted involves thinking about the privacy of your writing and protecting your ownership of it. For that reason, I looked into starting some kind of blog (ugh I hate that word) or whatever on a platform where I can be compensated for my writing while protecting my ownership of it. I don't know much about web3, but I at least know enough about blockchain to know that it can be a solution for proving ownership of my writing and making sure nobody claims my writing as their own. Also, there's a way for me to monetize my work in a way that involves direct peer-to-peer exchange of funds without a middleman and without the need to report anything to a bank or anything like that. I have my reasons to believe that decentralized finance is going to be a staple for millennials (at least) in the future, but that's a topic for another entry. Beyond all this, if you actually partake in this exercise, and if you follow through with the basic instructions of this Sprinter app to just write whatever is on your mind for 15 minutes, you might just find that you will FEEL listened to, whether or not you actually were (which I suppose depends on whether you choose to share your writing). For myself, the exercise of freewriting is unparalleled to any other creative medium. I can type almost as fast as I can think, and screens are ubiquitous, and pretty much every computer-y device has an application for typing stuff into. This activity... freewriting... is my reason for creating this blog or whatever. I hope what I produce here is intertaining and that you find freewriting enjoyable, too.