Blackspire

The Automatic Leg

So, I feel like this is kind of a copout, but I’ve never really been good as the whole turn your mind loose and write down what it does. It’s like trying to watch my breath when I meditate. Just a big ol’ nope.

Write without thinking about it. That’s pretty hard. It’s like those “say the first thing that comes to mind” games. Generally, nothing comes to mind. Nada. Blankness. What do you think when I say “cake”? Nothing. What about “shoe”? Nothing. My brain’s got performance anxiety or something, I guess. 

Instructions

Leg 9 – The Automatic Leg: Write a microfiction as automatic writing.

It goes like this: sit down and start writing, like anything where your mind wanders, in fact, start writing before thinking even! No outline. No plan. Let it drag you somewhere. If a fish appears in a wardrobe, follow the fish. If your grandmother is a vending machine, ask what snacks she’s got.

This is an exercise courtesy of André Breton and the Surrealists, who wanted writing to bypass the rational police and let the unconscious speak before it got domesticated.

Of course, you can edit, fix typos and go back to it. You can tidy it lightly afterwards, because we are not animals, except when we are.

Link to the rest of this week’s prompts.