Free the free write?

I haven't been free writing. Not regularly.

For years, I've worked under the assumption that I must write every day—like exercise—and that I should start by free writing. (Then again, it's not as though I exercise every day.)

But now, even with the new year and resolutions and all that inspiration, I haven't been free writing every day. And I feel like I haven't been writing. It's kind of a visceral panic reaction.

If I can step back for a moment or two, I notice that I have been writing a little. I just haven't been blah-blah-blah-ing pages of words that might come to nothing. It's different, and I'm not even sure that it's a good thing—but I do feel much more connected to what little I am writing, much more focused, and the writing is much more likely to grow into a real poem (as opposed to getting lost in a notebook, digital or paper).

What about you? Do you try to write every day? Do you try to free write every day? Do you try to free write, whenever you do, for a set number of minutes? What happens to that writing after you're done?

Many questions. Maybe some answers?