Writing Drills

I have someone give me a surprise topic of a few words and I have to cold write about it for 20-30 minutes. It’s basically a writing warmup in stream of consciousness format, but the more I do of these things, the more I’m amazed at how refreshing, furious, and unexpected they are.

I try not to edit anything while I write, and only fix typos at the end. Occasionally, I’ll change a word, but apart from the format, they’re unmodified. Sometimes they’re good, more often they’re not.

I like the experience of cold writing, because what I might begin to write about will transform into something completely new by the end. Sometimes, I had no idea those thoughts were in my head at all.

Have an idea for me? Let me know and I’d love to write about it!