Wild Card: How To Make Great Word Vomit!

So you guys have heard me talk ALOT about word vomit and how we all should all be doing it. For those of you that have missed my explanations in the past, here is a look into the wonderful world of word vomit and how it can change your life forever as a writer and a person.

Soooo, what is it?

Word Vomit is something people have been doing for generations. It is the telling of stories without stopping halfway to edit. It is getting it all out from your noodle to the page without getting caught up in how it comes out. Literally, just writing without stopping to question.

But, won't you have to just go back and edit it later?

Of course, you will. LATER. When you have an idea to write anything, whether it's an email or a novel, you need to get the idea out first. If you're stuck rewriting the first sentence because "you don't know if you're doing it right" or "you think it sounds like trash", you will eventually find yourself very frustrated and probably quitting altogether. Giving yourself space to free write and explore the idea you have is the whole point of Word Vomiting.

So what are the benefits of this?

If you're a writer: Let's say you have this idea for a sci-fi novel. You start writing out all the ideas in your head, but then halfway through, you start to ask bigger questions and start to worry that things aren't going to connect. Sweat. Panic. Crying and running away screaming. Alternate approach: You write out the ideas and when you get halfway through and start asking questions, write down those questions too. Put em in the margins or on a different page and keep trucking along until you feel you've run dry. THEN go back and re-read it and see what you love, hate, and can't live without. Then take those things and do it again. And again. Until you feel like you have a basic string that ties the story together, you will never be able to start asking harder questions like format, genre, tone, and all that wonderful gushy stuff that makes up the writing life.

If you're a normal person: Let's say you have a speech, an email, and a grocery list to write. They all have deadlines and they all seem like the last thing you want to do. Focus first on what you have to write about. If the speech is for world peace, write about all the things you can think about world peace and then see what you can use. If the email is for a request to have a few days off, write it out in word how you would want to ask and then see what you can actually use. If your fridge is empty and you can't think of a meal, write out all the food you want and then go check ya wallet before going to the store. It is literally picking up the physical or digital pen and going for it. Yes, rules, formats, and all that will eventually need to be addressed. But the first "draft" is a word vomit opportunity.

No matter what you are trying to write out, the whole point of writing is to tell someone something. Doesn't matter if it's life-changing or trivial, writing is a form of expression that everyone can enjoy without the fear that you need to be "good" (whatever that means). I challenge you to write with an abandon that makes past word vomiters proud. You are a unique soul with something to say. Don't ever be afraid to share it!

This "article" was written in the spirit of play and the hope that we can all take a step away from language arts and get back into the fun of putting words on a page. Until next week!