Zen Writing

The process of writing can reveal ideas and thoughts in the unconscious mind that are not revealed by simply thinking about a problem and asking yourself for an answer. However one of the challenges in writing is knowing what to write. This technique avoids that problem.


Directions
You need to be in quiet place where you will be undisturbed for at least 15 minutes. Make sure you have a pen that is working perfectly and paper with a good surface that makes it easy to write. Sometimes the experience of the pen moving on the paper adds to the experience whereas having a faulty pen or paper with a bad surface can distract from the process. You will also need a timer.

Start by asking yourself what it is you want to accomplish? Are you trying to solve a problem or understand something that is confusing.

Set your countdown time to 10 minutes and begin writing. To overcome the problem of not knowing what to write its often helpful to write down what it is you are trying to do. For instance if you have a problem with a design and you want to know how to get a pint into a half pint container then start by writing something as simple as

I want to get a pint into a half pint container and I don't have a solution,


then just keep writing for the full ten minutes. If you encounter the problem of not knowing what to write next, then write that down but don't stop writing.

As we noted about the general process of creativity, it’s important not to judge what you write; just keep writing for the full ten minutes.

At the end of the ten minute period you can review what you have written to see what to do next. If your writing has produced a clear answer, then you are complete and you know what to do. However, if you are still looking for an answer there are several paths you can take:

• Continue writing if you feel that you can write more about the subject


• Alternatively do some analysis on what you have written to help you see what problems and issues are involved