| Automatic writing is a fantastic writing exercise, | | | | 1. Decide on a topic, issue, headline, give yourself |
| particularly if you've ever suffered from writer's | | | | something to write about. This way you don't find |
| block. Automatic writing is an effective and | | | | yourself staring at a blank page before you've |
| efficient method to keep the words flowing and | | | | even begun. |
| your work moving forward. | | | | 2. Give yourself a time limit. The boundary of the |
| Writers block occurs when a writer begins to | | | | time limit is important. That way there is a |
| doubt the words flowing from their pen or | | | | beginning and an end. Sometimes knowing there is |
| appearing on the screen. Self-criticism can happen | | | | an end point is all you need to unlock the brain, |
| in an instant: one second you are happy with your | | | | especially if you're in the throws of writers |
| work, and in the next you can't stand it. Every | | | | block.Start with a one minute time limit, and work |
| word is more awful than the next. When doubt | | | | your way up to ten or fifteen. |
| creeps in, the easiest and the worst thing a writer | | | | 3. Then you begin to write. Pen to paper, fingers |
| can do is to stop writing. It's easy to put the pen | | | | to keyboard. Once you start the exercise, don't |
| down and move the fingers away from the | | | | stop writing till the time limit is up. If you get |
| keyboard. It seems to make the most sense; if | | | | stuck, write about being stuck. Write the same |
| you stop writing, then you stop the awful product. | | | | sentence over and over again. The same word. |
| The thing is that once you stop writing, it can be | | | | Anything to keep moving. Anything to fill the time |
| quite difficult to start again. The fear of what | | | | limit. |
| you'll produce lingers on. One second of not writing | | | | It's important not to evaluate the content. This |
| can lead to a day, a week, a month and your | | | | exercise is not about content. It's about the act |
| project officially stalls. | | | | of writing and fighting against self-criticism. To get |
| Writers can use automatic writing to prevent the | | | | into the habit of continuous writing. To override |
| urge to put the pen down and pull the fingers | | | | the instinct to stop. To keep the channel from the |
| away from the keyboard. The purpose of the | | | | brain and imagination to output open. |
| exercise is to keep writing and not stop, | | | | The more you practise automatic writing, the |
| whatever the quality of the content. | | | | easier it will be to push on when you get stuck in |
| The exercise unfolds as follows: | | | | the middle of a project. And that in the end is the |
| | | | ultimate goal: the writer must keep writing. |