A while back, I wrote a post in a writing forum that I’m actually quite proud of. And I thought I would post it here in case any of you might also find some value in it. The big question that everybody has about writing is: how do you do it?
After several failed attempts at writing anything substantial, I eventually found the shortcut that taps into your creativity and gives it free reign. In my experience, it works every time. You see, there are two ways to write: you can apply a slavish dedication to getting it right on the first draft, painstakingly choosing every word as you go…or you can apply the method I describe in the following message that I shared. In this context, I was giving advice about getting past writer’s block. But in practice, I highly recommended this approach for all writing, all the time:
A stream-of-consciousness timed writing helps to grease the synapses every time.
When you’re stuck, open a blank text file (or old-schoolers can grab a blank sheet of paper), set a timer for 15 minutes, and start writing. The rules are DO NOT STOP WRITING, even if it’s innane crap. Eventually, the part of your brain that hasn’t frozen up kicks in and gives you something to work with. Works every time.
It looks like this:
I don’t know why I’m stuck, why can’t I think of anything to write? I usually can think of stuff, but now I can’t, all I can think about it mud. What’s up with that? MUD?! Hmm, that’s an acronym for something, isn’t it? But I can’t think of what it stands for. So now I can’t write AND I can’t think. Bummer.
Jerad bit into the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, without expectation, and his lack of enthusiasm was rewarded with the lackluster flavor he was anticipating not enjoying. He was pretty sure his Dad used the same ingredients his mother did (after all, how many ingredients ARE there in a p-b-and-j)? In fairness to his dad, nothing tasted quite the same since Jerad’s mother died. First there was the shock of the accident itself. He thought he would never get over that odd “missing” feeling he had. The day finally came, though at one time he swore it never would, where he finally gave up that small hope in his mind that she might somehow return, even while he knew it wasn’t possible. She was dead. And after he came to face that fact, life had gotten back to normal. Mostly. But still, nothing tasted good anymore.
That was less than 15 minutes, but it looks like I have a nugget of something if I wanted to work with it. It’s riddled with errors, and I see I have some clumsy phrases, but the goal is to throw a mis-shaped lump of text onto the page that I can later edit.
I can tell you from experience that the stream-of-consciousness approach consistently produces writing that is more nuanced, more raw, and more authentic. In other words, “better.” Every time.
So if you are a frustrated writer, I highly recommend using this method. Quit relying on yourself to come up with the right words all the time, and instead allow the words that are presented to you to flow out onto the page. You’ll still need to edit it, perhaps even substantially, but the core of what you will produce will be absolutely golden. I guarantee it.
