Just Write

A daily practice of writing fearlessly, without judgement, can bring motivation and focus.

What must a writer do every day? Just write. Even a little. Every day. One of my favorite writing habits is an easy form of journaling that greases the wheels of expression and brings clarity. It goes like this:

1. Put your timer on for 10-12 minutes.

2. Press pen to page and write continuously.

3. Accept what comes. No thinking. No judgement.

The physical act of writing here is essential. Longhand with a pen is definitely better. It keeps the autocorrect gremlins at bay, and squashes the urge to edit your work; this is not the time to craft the perfect sentence. Run on, friend.

What you write—sweet or sour recollections from yesterday, observations in your garden, momentary fantasy— does not matter. Allow whatever comes. Start with lalalalalalala if you have to, or recount the dream you had last night, and just keep your pen moving. Don’t think; just write. The page accepts with no judgment. For this exercise, be like the page.

You may have heard of a similar exercise called a brain dump, useful for times when a writer is blocked or stuck, or as a strategic balm for the overscheduled. But just freely getting words on a page without looking back or manipulating a list can offer the simple and immediate effects of motivation and clarity. Besides, your thoughts and words are not all waste or clutter. The act of writing itself can bring ideas into focus. And in this practice you are focussing on working that writing muscle. This work is about process, not product.

As opposed to the brain dump, I prefer to think of this practice as brain ablution, where I hydrate my neurons for slicker thinking and wipe away the cookie crumbs of madness that have collected in my gray matter overnight. You can think of it however you want. Are you business minded? An exercise like this can be your morning meeting for all those thoughts that have been circling your mind, where you get them all a cup of coffee and tell them to snap out of it: get on board with the mission or be terminated. Sporty? Sideline the weak and niggling notions, send your strong ideas out to the field, and get out the pompoms.

One caution: take care not to summon your inner mob. True, putting anger on the page can be freeing, but that usually requires some mindful followup so that your words do not stoke a greater fire, one that can burn your whole day down.

So, how to begin? If your pen doesn’t move by itself right away, here are a few ideas to get you started:

Gratitude. Name three people you are thankful for and why.

Song lyrics. The ones from the first song that pops in your head. Remember to keep writing, so when you encounter the words you don’t know . . .well, if your pen keeps moving that will be interesting, won’t it?

The nudge of a non-committal prompt. “So, anyway, I was wondering . . . “

Let me know how it goes for you!