Just realized writing prompts work better when I set a timer

I spent last Saturday trying to write a story from a prompt about a haunted vending machine and got nowhere for 45 minutes. Then I set a 15 minute timer and forced myself to just type garbage until it went off, ended up with 400 words that actually had a plot. Has anyone else found a weird timing trick that unlocks their writing?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_chen6217d ago

Ever tried writing to the sound of a really annoying song on repeat? I had a phase where I'd listen to elevator music loops and somehow the irritation made me crank out pages faster.

charlies3717d ago

Nah, deadlines just make me freeze up worse.

the_holly17d ago

Oh yeah I read something about this actually. There was this writer I heard about on a podcast who said deadlines make her brain go completely blank too, so she started setting "false deadlines" three days before the real ones just to trick her brain into working. The funny thing is she said it only worked about half the time because her brain eventually caught on to the trick lol. But I think the core idea makes sense though - the pressure of a real deadline is too intense for some people, so maybe breaking it down into smaller fake deadlines feels more manageable? I've been trying it with work stuff and honestly it kind of helps sometimes, even if I feel silly setting a deadline for something that isn't due for weeks.