Think Fast!

I write a lot about planning, thinking, and mapping your creative projects. It’s an important step for a tightly written, well-structured story. At the same time, however, it’s possible to overthink a story. To over-analyze, or get caught up in the technical details while losing sight of spirit and inspiration. This week, I recommend going with a flow a little more. To undermine your own tendency for analysis, try any number of different think-fast exercises.

• Try some free word association
Think of a word, any word. Then immediately imagine what that word makes you think of, and then what that makes you think of. You get the idea. Stop when an image or thought seems particularly rich in possibility.

• Do a speedwrite. Grab your paper and pen and just write! Go to it! No time to think about it or ask questions, just get something on the page!

• Open a book to a random page, read a sentence and quickly do a freewrite with that sentence as your opening line. Warning: if you plan to use this piece later, cut out the first line. It’s copying and should only be used for inspiration purposes.

These exercises won’t produce polished work, but they can get you up on your feet and thinking of a new creative writing idea that could really take you places. So on your mark, get set, go!