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I do this in a blank google doc. I light a candle, set a 1 hour timer, turn on ambient music, lean back in my chair and let my fingers fly. I've been trying this without a topic in mind, just letting my fingers go and writing whatever comes up. It's like a meditation combined with journaling, but without the anxiety of examining what you write as you're writing it. Try to go for a full hour and see what you discover. I suppose a caveat is being good at typing, but I have the hours spent typing on AIM in middle school to thank for that.
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when i first started writing lyrics years ago, stream of conscious writing was a great exercise. i wrote nonstop gibberish, random rhymes, or words until i filled up a page or two from there i would then highlight anything that seemed interesting to expand upon - this can work in any writing field really...
i also love the notes app - any idea that comes into my head goes down there. great mini diary or thought collage to get the idea out whenever something comes to mind whenever wherever
as far as what to write about, that’s difficult to answer but i feel like these tools are a great entry point because its a casual low pressure way to get the juices flowing
Mar 23, 2024
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just tried this it was pretty great
Mar 8, 2025
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If I want to just write SOMETHING I'll do some automatic writing. I often get random phrases stuck in my head so I usually start off with one of these and then just... keep going. It doesn't have to make sense it just needs to exist and get you moving. If you get stuck start describing the room, the weather, what you're wearing, what you ate today, etc. being really descriptive with language is always a good exercise.
Tips:
- Don't go into it expecting to write anything good. Maybe you will, maybe you won't, the point is just to write something.
- Don't read it back straight away. Just write and leave it. Come back to it next time you open your journal and see if you can find anything good in there. You might find a good turn of phrase or word you've not used in a while
- Automatic writing is a great way to make use of those words or phrases that you overhear or that get stuck in your head. You might find yourself making sense of them or putting them next to another idea that makes both stronger.
Apr 22, 2024
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An owl visited me and a few weeks later my mom died. I wrote to her in my journal and a man approached me and offered to read me a Rumi poem about being at peace with death. I spoke to my therapist about trusting my gut and taking more chances, and a hawk landed right in front of me on the walk home. Look up moments that feel extraordinary. The universe is in constant communication with us if we listen to it.
Aug 9, 2024
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This also works with suggesting to do a nice favor for someone 'offer to give their cast iron a nice scrub!' He knows I will never do this which makes the joke more fun to play very sincere.
Aug 9, 2024
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I obviously did not but some still believed it
Aug 9, 2024