How to gain inspiration with 5-minute writing
As writers sometimes we get stuck. Whether it is a scene, character, or just how to get started on an idea. Maybe you have a mood, word, or symbol in your head but don’t know how to work a book around it. Try 5-minute writing.
What is 5-minute writing?
5-minute writing is a quick writing exercise you can do anywhere and any time you have 5 minutes available. Simply pick a word or phrase, set a timer, and write till the timer goes off.
What if you don’t have a word or phrase in mind?
-Here is a site that gives a list of words Random Lists
-RanGen has a great writing prompt generator that offers a word to write to.
-Also do a search on the web can find you hundreds of word generators.
-If you don’t want to go the electronic route you can also look around you and pick an item, room, color, food, shape. I took part in Camp NaNoWriMo’s live writes and they did a variation of 5-minute writing and gave out prompts to write on. It helped add moments to the book I was working on that I wouldn’t have thought of adding. Like current affairs (an earthquake) and how it would impact the group of people.
Now that I found a word what do I do?
-Grab something to write on and with.
-Set a timer for 5 minutes
-Start writing, let it flow don’t force it. (oh but you say that is the tricky part.)
-Save the good and bad stuff you will be surprised what might give you inspiration.
How do you start writing and not force it?
-First take the stress off by reminding yourself that there is no pressure, no one has to see what you write, You are only writing for 5 minutes and no one cares what you write for that 5 minutes.
-Try writing down the word first
-Try making a list or doing free association, (the mental process by which one word or image may spontaneously suggest another without any apparent connection.)
-You can always try again later.
Share your words with me and you can win a special behind the scenes peek at Into the Fire coming in May of this year.
As the Crow Flies 1-on-1 author mentor program has a few seats left. Sign up before January 15th.
I also have a giveaway going on Instagram, for a free copy of my How to Master the Bookend Revision Technique, a $25 value. Head over to Instagram, look me up at @crowshirley, find this graphic in my posts and follow the directions to be entered into the giveaway. Open internationally. See you over there.
If you would like to connect on GoodReads you can find me here
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