Something I do…even though I shouldn’t.
At times I’m scatterbrained while writing. I’m not sure if this paragraph should go here or there, I’m just trying to get it on the page.
So I do what I call blind writing. I’m focusing on one sentence at a time, knowing it flows from the previous, but I don’t pay attention to the whole. You could say I’m blind to it…
I do this at work sometimes. I write for a local community paper and at times the article I’m working on just doesn’t want to happen. But I have a deadline (usually fast approaching) and I’ve got to get it done.
So, I kind turn off my inner critic and just write one paragraph at a time, filling the information and quotes in as I go. But by the time I’m at the conclusion, I have no clue if it’s a coherent piece.
It usually is. Sometimes I’ll rearrange a few things, but that’s normal with any editing.
But I’ve probably just confused you.
Blind Writing: when you’re blind to the whole–writing in the moment.
I do think it’s a bad habit to pick up, (I’ve written about how you should pay attention while writing), but sometimes it’s good when you just need words on a page. It helps you to stop over thinking, overanalyzing. You’re simply in the moment writing words.
Memoir of a Writer 
Oh, I think you’re never blind while writing – your muse is there, on your shoulder, guiding your fingers, thought you may now know it.
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Still seemingly vacant. Haha. Sometimes it’s like I black out while writing. Didn’t really want to put that in the post, because how am I supposed to explain. It’s kind of like when I use to have to do oral storytelling for a class- after I was done, it was like I couldn’t even remember being up there. Like, my mind shuts of and only the current exists.
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Oh, yeah, speaking in front of people — even a business meeting with too many people — I get zoned; my mouth moves, words come out but I don’t remember a thing.
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I remember one of the assignments in college was literal blind writing. Our teacher had us put a cloth over our computer screen so we couldn’t see what we were typing. It had the similar effect to what you talk about, forcing you to focus on writing as you go instead of planning or looking back at what you’ve already written. In writing it’s good to focus on what you’re writing instead of constantly worrying about grammar, focus, etc. That’s for later editing. I completely agree with you!
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Oh man, if I did that there would be so many errors. I can type fine, but I’m the person that looks up and down at the keyboard while doing so haha.
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There’s anything wrong with this kind of writing at all! Yes, you want to be able to be focused and deliberate in some of your work writing, but there’s also a legitimate use for this more stream-of-consciousness stuff. I actually mentioned it in an earlier post of mine https://givemepenandpaper.com/2018/06/06/getting-ideas/
The benefits of this sort of meandering exploration is it gives us tons of new material and ideas, and it allows another part of our minds, the subconscious, to do the heavy lifting for a change. So don’t stop, enjoy it for what it is!
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Typo at the start there, it’s supposed to say “There isn’t anything wrong with this kind of writing at all!”
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I do that with poetry. Sometimes I don’t know what the poems even about until I’m finished. I go sentence by sentence probably 70=75%. The other times I think about the end product all the way, but it’s not as fun. It’s more like work.
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With poetry I find I’m usually more successful if I’m not paying too much attention to the whole. If I do, it’s always obvious I was trying to push a certain aspect of the poem.
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I kind of did that with my last book. I couldn’t find the inspiration and I didn’t know where it was going. I still wrote every day. There was a lot of rambling just to get words on the page. I’ve done three massive overhauls. I hope it’s a lot better now.
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I haven’t tried this with novel writing – which may be why I have yet to reallllllly start it.
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I don’t recommend it. It makes for a lot of editing.
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I enjoyed reading this it’s thought provoking.
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Interesting, I think I do this when blog writing. It helps to get the flow going. Then with a little editing the piece comes together.
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Like others, I do blind writing as well. Sometimes I don’t know what happens next in the novel/story, but I know that there’s a scene, chapter, or insight demanding to be written, so I write them not knowing where they go. As others note, it’s the muse conducting the activity. When I edit and revise later, I’m often surprised by what was written. Like you say, I just wasn’t in that moment when I wrote it; I was just writing.
Cheers
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