Stream of Consciousness writing, in literature, has two definitions. One is that it’s a narrative style within certain texts that describe the happenings in the flow of thoughts from the minds of its characters. The term with this definition was originally coined by the psychologist William James, who stated, “Consciousness … does not appear to itself chopped up in bits. …It is nothing jointed; it flows. A ‘river’ or ‘stream’ are the metaphors by which it is most naturally described.” Essentially, it’s like an inner monologue given by your protagonist.

The second definition of Stream of Consciousness is a writing technique or exercise that involves writing without editing, pausing,  or hesitating- simply putting pen to paper and not stopping (often with an allotted time frame). For those of us who struggle to keep ourselves from editing as we go, this is an especially helpful technique to practice regularly. It’s also a great way to combat writer’s block or when you’re having trouble with a particular scene/section of your book. In addition, mastering the Stream of Consciousness writing technique, or writing completely unfiltered, will help you get inspiration on what free unedited thoughts look like (in case you’re ever planning to attempt a Stream of Consciousness narrative).

Complete the following exercises in order, using the ten-minute timer below for each one.

1) Write about you- your day, what’s going on in your life right now, your desires, your fears. Don’t be afraid to get personal, no one is going to see it. The important thing is to not pick up your pen from the page. Don’t pause or hesitate- just keep writing. This will serve as the warmup for the rest of the activities.

2) Grab a book, any book. Go to page 72 and copy the first full line on the page. Make it the first line of your story. Now, go to the first page and find the first sentence. Make this your last line. You now have a beginning and an end: write the story. Start the timer!

3) In ten minutes, write a story that includes the following words: moonlight, chair, crow, window pane, haggard, sidewalk, lounge, shell, jar.

4) Personify the walls of your house or apartment. What do they think? What do they see and observe about the comings and goings of the day? What is their opinion of what they observe? Do they have a name?

5) Using a character from your book, play the ‘I remember/don’t remember’ exercise. This is where you alternate every other sentence between something they remember and something they don’t. For example, I remember growing up in Georgia, picking tomatoes from the garden. I don’t remember a time where I felt safe.

6) Think of that scene in your book that you have been struggling to write for a while (you know the one). Take a minute to picture the events as they need to unfold. Start the timer and write the scene. Don’t make it perfect, and don’t pick up your pen or stop to think… just write.

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Remember our dialogue exercise? If you haven’t completed that one yet, follow the link here because we’re going to use it again. If you need a refresher, here are the specs:

Setting: A small dive bar, midday on a Sunday afternoon. The bar is scarce, just a few patrons. There are two younger men who seem to know each other, but it appears everyone else came alone. Most of them are older men, in their early 50’s. The bartender is a relatively handsome young man in his early twenties.

Character One: A young man in his mid-twenties. He loves classic rock and country music, just graduated from a nearby college with a degree in Creative Writing, and he grew up in Texas.

Character Two: A young woman in her early twenties, currently attending a nearby college and aiming to graduate a semester early. She’s double-majoring in business and communications and her favorite shows are House of Cards and Grey’s Anatomy.

Character Three: A middle-aged man with a military history. He has a wife and two kids, grew up in the south, loves watching Sons of Anarchy and The Sopranos. He’s currently trying to quit smoking.

1) Select one of the scenes of dialogue that you’ve already written. Select one of the two characters in that scene and write the scene from that person’s point of view. Remember, think about how they’re perceiving what is said, what they see, etc. And don’t forget to also consider how the other person in this scene is reacting and feeling about what is said, what they see, etc.

2) Take that same scene and these same lines and rewrite the piece again from the other character’s point of view. Differentiate between the first perspective as much as possible. Create misunderstandings, missed opportunities, etc., so the reader can see a clear difference between how the first and second person felt about this conversation and why.

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