Writing spontaneously & without judgment can strengthen creativity and destroy writers block.
Getting Spontaneous
Photo:erichhh
Find a comfortable place.
An easy chair, a coffee shop nook, the end of a pier…
now write.
Don’t think. Don’t judge.
Merely allow yourself to experience the flow of creativity that seems to well up from nowhere.
Intuitive writing, automatic writing, free-writing, stream of consciousness, whatever you call it, spontaneous writing can be a very powerful exercise in your writing practice.
Spontaneous writing relaxes the mind and can annihilate writers block because you are not judging or limiting your expression, but simply letting it be what it is. Over time this practice will greatly strengthen your focus and flow on topic-based writing because your mind is conditioned to the act of spontaneous creativity.
This liberating and simple technique gained momentum during the surrealist movement in 1920’s Paris with writer/poet Andre Breton at the helm.
Breton instructs:
“Attain the most passive or receptive state of mind possible. Forget your genius, your talents, and those of everyone else… Write quickly with no preconceived subject, so quickly that you retain nothing and are not tempted to reread. Continue as long as you please.”
Your Turn
Take 5-15 minutes to scribble or type without fear or hope and you may be surprised what beautiful turns of wordplay and inspiration can be discovered by your unconscious mind.
Community Connection:
A thread on the Travel Writing & Photography forum has been created for you to share your spontaneous writing and help create a more supportive community of writers and travelers. Let’s all hold hands!
Want to learn the craft of travel writing?
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7 Comments... join the discussion!
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Great advice! Editing as you go can really get in the way sometimes. This is a great way to just let go and see what comes out!
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I always remember the stream of consciousness exercises we did in my writing class in highschool. Those were always my favourite.
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And doing this every day helps get over the “I don’t feel inspired today” problem. How hard can 5 – 15 minutes a day be? Well, for me, harder than it sounds. But I always feel better after, even if I was SURE I wasn’t in the mood to write.
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What a great idea! When I sit down in front of my computer in the morning, or my notebook, I find the first few sentences the hardest. Some days instead of persisting, I find distractions (doing the dishes, vacuuming the floor, reading Matador postings. . .) and don’t get a single word written. I’m going to try this, thanks!
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Great reminder! Apparently it doesn’t matter how often I’m presented with this suggestion (In addition to Breton, remember Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones and Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way?) I always seem to forget this seemingly simple advice. Thank you….
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This is good advice, but I would add on another piece of advice that I have found personally useful when having to brainstorm writings or really anything. I think it first makes sense to come up with a problem, issue or topic that interests you and then go from there, moving around until you’ve honed in on some specific or tangential element of that issue that fascinates you.
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