1. Keep your hand moving. No matter what. This allows us to push past the editor, the voice that squeaks in our mind. Your Student Guide discusses this under Freewriting (26) and recommends that if you don't know what to say, then keep writing "I don't know what to say" until the next phrase or word appears.

2. Lose control. No need to follow formalities or consider any kind of etiquette, social or literary.

3. Be specific. A sacred rule for any kind of writing -- let all six senses help you out here. Example: "My best friend was obnoxious about the environment." -- "Gina, my college roommate and best friend, wore a Save the Dolphins T-shirt, kept a recycling bin in our living room, and bought biodegradable hand soap that left an annoying film on my palms." BUT, as Goldberg points out, as you're doing your writing practice or freewriting, be gentle with yourself and don't worry if you can't always be specific.

4. Don't think. No, don't check your brain at the door. Just let yourself honor "first thoughts," as Goldberg calls them, rather than spiraling out into "second thoughts" or "thoughts on thoughts," the space where the squeaky editor hangs out. In other words, go with the first thought.

5. Don't worry about punctuation, spelling, grammar. Goldberg gives no further explanation for this one. The rebel in me loves rule #5 almost as much as rule #6.

6. You are free to write the worst junk in America. I always substitute "galaxy" or "universe" for "America" (alternatives that Goldberg also suggests), because of my cosmos-sized obsession to write a perfect sentence.

7. Go for the jugular. Goldberg's explanation: "If something scary comes up, go for it. That's where the energy is. Otherwise, you'll spend all your time writing around whatever makes you nervous. It will probably be abstract, bland writing because you're avoiding the truth. ... Don't avoid it. It has all the energy. Don't worry, no one ever died of it. You might cry or laugh, but not die."

Now you're ready to freewrite, to practice writing, to journal. And, if you still face the paper or computer screen and blank out, then click here for some writing prompts to get you going.