Move It or Lose It — Exploring Rule #2: Write Fast
by Michael L. Wilson
Some people call it free writing, speed writing, or automatic writing, but whatever you call it, it is designed to do one thing: circumvent your Inner Critic.
You know your Inner Critic, don't you? That little voice in your head, the one that screeches that you cannot possibly write because you barely can spell. And who is going to read your drivel anyway? You should spend your time on more productive hobbies such as quilting, vegetable gardening, or reading mind-enriching books of great authors who you can never hope to emulate.
The best way to write creative, inspired words is to write fast. So fast that your Inner Critic doesn't have time to keep up with your fingers. You don't stop, don't pause for inspiration, and don't struggle searching for that perfect word. Write down the word that is good enough for now, or if you are really having trouble thinking of a word, just insert a blank space using an underline to create a fill-in-the-blank option for later.
You don't want to worry whether the word is appropriate for your situation, channel in the words that flow directly from your brain raw and unedited. Also don't worry if you accidentally write down the wrong word. There will be time to engage your Inner Critic later in the writing process, but now is not the time.
If you are stuck and don't know what to write down next, just repeat your topic word or the last word that you wrote on the page (as if you are stuttering) until your brain gets bored with repeating itself. Think about how effective the punishment was from your sadistic 3rd grade teacher who made you write the following sentence during your recess: "I will not bark like a dog while the teacher leaves the classroom to take an important phone call at the office." By the 75th sentence, your mind screams at you to dash from the room, run to the merry-go-round, or climb the ladder of the big slide, or do ANYTHING but write this stupid sentence one more time. But you know that failure to complete your task will only result in prolonging your agony another day or two or three. So you plod along being boring and repetitive, and try to ignore your cramping hand. Your brain will override the Inner Critic when the choices that you give it is either write the same thing over and over again, or give me a fresh, unedited word. The brain will select the fresh word every time.
Writing fast also allows us to unlock the uncensored creative unconscious that has the energy to drive a project forward, reveal hidden truths and ideas that you may not have considered before. Writing fast leads to breakthroughs and insights that will amaze you. Writing fast can remove the Inner Critic from the project just long enough to allow you to express yourself in the clearest, truest form possible. And that is what writing fast is all about: clear, creative writing.