Writing Tips: The Brain Dump

Hi my Peeps! It's been too long since I've written you guys, and I am so sorry for that! It's been a busy time for me lately. In truth, it's going to be a busy year, but that is something to dive into in another post.

Today, I bring you a guest-post from my very good friend, Cherlyn! Recently, we were discussing my writer's block, due to my mind/imagination being stuck in a different story/world from the one I am trying to write (Jane's story), and Cherlyn tells me I need to "brain dump". Somehow, I had never heard of this amazing concept until this very conversation. Crazy, I know! Anyway, I knew as soon as I learned what "Brain Dumping" was, I knew I had to share it with you all :) Enjoy and Happy Writing my Peeps!

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Brain Dump

The art and discipline of writing can take on many different forms depending upon the individual. For me, writing is equivalent to healing. I am able to work through feelings and experiences, and turn them into something I hope is beautiful or at least useful for this world. Even if it’s not beautiful or useful to others, my heart and mind are closer to a feeling of peace once it’s all out. While I’d love to say I am letting my introspective self-run wild full time, that isn’t the case in my current stage of life. This creates an internal tension almost daily (if not hourly) and I’m constantly struggling against thoughts, feelings, hang-ups, hurts, and bundles of inspiration that beg to be written. In order to focus on whatever task or other responsibility is at hand, I practice a nifty thing called the Brain Dump.

I’ve read about the concept of the brain dump many times over the years. The practice is often used in forms of meditation, stress reduction, or as a time management strategy. While it can serve all of those purposes, I have inherently always used it in close relation to my writing. A brain dump can be a list, lyrics that inspire a certain feeling or scene, notes about a character, or a journal entry in a character’s point of view, to name a few. Below are a few ways the brain dump has been a useful tool for my writing so you can evaluate if you’d like to add it to your own writing toolbox.

·       Future Material

Rarely have I sat down to write a piece without it having first been born in a notebook or journal as a brain dump. At first dump an idea is generally all sparks and no structure. When there isn’t a good chunk of time to flesh out an idea, dump it. When an idea strikes and you’re working on something else that demands your attention, dump it. Whether it is a line of dialogue, a magical dress you see your character wearing while dancing into the night with her love, or the skeleton of scene, get it out of your brain and onto the page. You’ll have it to come back to once you are sitting down to write.

·       Inspiration Isn’t Static

An inspiring idea may not wait around for you to give it the time it deserves. Many times I’ve neglected to write something down, only to have it slip through my fingers. As writers we’re often told we should write regularly and not rely upon inspiration to guide our way, because inspiration won’t always show up when needed. What a bummer when inspiration does come around and we ignore it! Continual brain dumping not only captures our ideas; it helps keep the ideas coming. Creativity begets creativity. Don’t let an idea go, dump it. You may soon find you’ll be dumping many more.

·       Dump to Diamonds

I’m certain a huge part of every one of us desires to write a brilliant first draft, never having to go through the painstaking process of editing. Unfortunately this is not a desire rooted in any form of reality! However, I do think the brain dump can move us a little bit closer to solid first drafts. As a pre-writing practice somewhere in the middle of outlining I like to brain dump about my characters. I put myself in their shoes and write out thoughts, feelings, and reactions to different events within the story. Keeping these dump drafts handy once I’m actually at the page can add depth to a scene. While writing a scene I may be driving the characters, but the brain dump material allows the characters to show me where we should be shifting gears towards the best possible way to tell their story. This helps a first draft immensely.

Happy brain dumping!
~Cherlyn Tom