How to do stream of consciousness writing
Well as you have probable guessed there is nothing to it,
the only thing is you don’t want to be slowed down I find it easier to do on a
keyboard since I can touch type, however most people I know keep journals.
It is very simple.
- Set
a period of time say five minutes, best use a timer with some kind of
bell. - Make
sure there are no distractions. - Now
start the timer and start writing. Continuously write the first things
that come in to your head. This is very important, you will find this hard
at the beginning you will find that it is very usually to plan forward,
but the key to this is to remain completely in the moment. You may find
this very hard to even identify if you are doing this correctly. I even
have trouble. Don’t spelling check, do not go back and edit words or
grammar. If you want to you can at the amend it but only after the set
period of time is up. The whole point of the exercise is to be turning off
the filter and just unloading your subconscious onto the page. Try not to
censor yourself, again this make the whole exercise pointless.
I was told that you go though a set of phases if you are
doing this correctly, a kind of pouring out all the crap you have been taught
to repress. These phase are more topics I’m not sure what orders these phases
are suppose to go in but I don’t think this is a science.
Phases:
- Sex/Obscenity
- Mother and Father
- Death
- God
If you find yourself going thought these phases you are
probable doing the right thing.