Automatic Writing

Everyday, we have millions upon millions of thoughts. Where they come from and where they go is a mind numbing concept. So often, they are forgotten and, often, not even noticed. For most this is perfectly acceptable.

If however, you endeavor to be creative in any type of capacity, these are potential gems being lost without due consideration. If only there was a way to capture these "things" before they are lost. Luckily for all of us there is. That is where automatic writing comes in.

Unfortunately, the education system has stifled many a would be creative in this particular field. A field that should be accessible to everyone. This isn't to say that the rules and conventions of writing such as grammar, form, etc, do not serve a purpose in reining back the unwieldy mess that can come from unorganized ideas. Even so, the word writing brings to mind many a boring image of long hours of essays we don't care about, emails we'd rather not pen, resume's. This boredom often seeps into non academic writing as well. That book we've been trying to finish, lyrics to a song, or even just a short poem. Always we are having to keep our audience in mind by staying clear, concise and organized. This is a good thing though, after all, if it weren't for keeping these at the forefront we probably wouldn't be understood.

While I concede that writing is a form of communication and relaying ideas to others, so many leave it as just that. I posit that it is an invaluable tool of infinite possibility. All we have to do is turn off that voice in our head telling us that we are no good. This is easier said than done though. Or is it?

All I want you to do is take a piece of paper, lined or plain, and write EVERYTHING that comes to your mind. No filter, no inner voice judging, and you don't stop until the page is completely filled. That's it. If you find it difficult, then turn on your favorite songs as you do it. Keep in mind however, that what you listen to will influence the result. Also setting a theme or intention for what you want to write can help in the beginning.

If you did it, you may be surprised, upset, confused or downright disgusted at the result in front of you. Whatever you are feeling afterwards, take 2-3 minutes to think about why that is. Then, read through what you wrote and every time you feel anything, positive or negative pause and ask yourself why. If you don't have any reaction then just choose a random passage, read it again, and ask yourself why you wrote that.

The answers you get aren't as important as the questions themselves. This process teaches you to be inquisitive about your own thoughts. When we question the contents of our own unfiltered thoughts on paper, we gain a greater knowledge of our internal life and how we think. Also, depending on the content of your writings, you will come up with combinations of words that don't occur in any other place. Study these sequences and think of their possible meanings. Psychoanalyze yourself and come up with the weirdest most off the wall interpretations of yourself and your writings. Go Down The Rabbit Hole.

Love, Peace, and Fun ;)