Stream of Consciousness Writing
Stream of Consciousness Writing
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A Simple Guide
About ten years ago, during my Teaching Through Creative Process and Practice assessment, I introduced my students to stream of consciousness writing. At the time it was part of my research into creative process. I was curious about what happens when we remove judgement and simply allow the pen to move.
A few years later, while working through Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, it became a daily practice. What began as something academic quietly turned into something personal. It helped me to get out of my own way.
I still return to it often. Not because it is clever, but because it works.
What It Is
What It Is
In its simplest form, stream of consciousness writing is writing without stopping.
You let the pencil move.
You follow the thread of thought.
You do not pause to correct spelling or grammar.
You do not try to make it sound good.
If you stop to analyse too soon, the thread can slip away. The aim is not to think harder, but to keep moving.
How I Practise It
How I Practise It
I do not use a timer. I find that stressful. Instead, I work with the length of a page.
For my Morning Pages, I write three A4 pages. It usually takes about half an hour. I continue until the third page is complete.
If I am exploring something specific, I may limit myself to a single A5 page. That feels contained and focused.
I always use a pencil. Usually a pop up one, or two sharpened pencils beside me so I can change as soon as one becomes blunt. That way the rhythm is not interrupted.
The key is simple: keep writing until the page is full.
If You Get Stuck
If You Get Stuck
Do not stop.
If the words dry up, repeat a word again and again until something shifts. I often write the word flow across the page:
flow flow flow flow flow
It may feel strange, but the movement of the hand often unlocks the movement of thought.
As long as the pencil continues, the current usually returns.
Do You Read It Back?
Do You Read It Back?
That depends on why you are writing.
When I was writing Morning Pages during The Artist’s Way, I never read them back. They were there to clear my mind.
At other times, when I am searching for language or clarity, I may revisit what I have written later and gently notice what emerged.
Sometimes it is about release.
Sometimes it is about discovery.
Both are valid.
Writing That Is Not Meant To Be Read
Writing That Is Not Meant To Be Read
If I am writing something deeply personal, I change how I write.
I use very small, joined up letters. I remove the spaces between words. When the page is full, I turn it and write across it until the original words are completely obscured.
When you know no one will read it, you stop performing. You become honest.
This is not the only way to practise stream of consciousness writing. It is simply the way I have found helpful.
Note: This page was never meant to be read - that is precisely why it could be written.
A Few Simple Prompts To Begin
A Few Simple Prompts To Begin
If you would like to try, begin with one of these:
Right now I am thinking…
Today I feel…
If I am honest…
What I am not saying is…
If I had all the time in the world...
I wish I could tell you...
The image of writing at the top of the page came from the prompt:
'The River Speaks - I move while I look at you'
Choose one. Fill a page. See what appears.
You do not have to show anyone.
You do not even have to read it back.
Just begin.
A Few Simple Prompts To Begin
A Few Simple Prompts To Begin
If you would like to try, begin with one of these:
Right now I am thinking…
Today I feel…
If I am honest…
What I am not saying is…
If I had all the time in the world...
I wish I could tell you...
Choose one. Fill a page. See what appears.
You do not have to show anyone.
You do not even have to read it back.
Just begin.
The image of writing came from the prompt:
'The River Speaks - I move while I look at you'
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