I first discovered the liberation of limiting myself around the same time the Six-Word Memoirs were spreading like wildfire around the internet. The moment I heard about them, something let loose in me. Six words? I thought. Now I can do that! And I did. Over and over again. It was the easiest writing I think I’ve ever done. They weren’t all good–most of them were really bad, actually–but it was fun and it flowed. I knew I had tapped into something, so I started trying a similar technique on other projects.

When I find that a blank page, filled with all the possibilities of what it could become, is a little too intimidating, I randomly pick a topic or project that I’m supposed to be working on, and then limit myself to writing no more than one paragraph about it. This generally works for me because once I start writing, I usually exceed a paragraph by several pages. And if I don’t, if I can’t get past that first paragraph, well that’s OK, because a paragraph is all I was supposed to write anyway. I can move on to another topic and try again, without feeling bad about not producing an entire essay or article.

You’d be amazed at how much more work I get done when I limit myself this way. By taking the pressure of producing out of the equation, I can get past my perfectionist fears and the overwhelming feeling of “have to,” and just write.

So when you’re feeling stuck, why not try setting some limits? You just might find the freedom you’ve been looking for.

Write Out Loud Exercise #1 – Words of Wisdom

Liz Strauss at Successful and Outstanding Blog(gers) invited her readers to do an exercise this week that I found almost perfect for this post: Write a piece of wisdom in 25 words.

While she suggests you start with a single sentence that encompasses some belief or wisdom, or just something that you “see too much or too little of,” and then edit the sentence until you create a 25-word poem containing your wise message, I’m going to suggest that you forgo the pressure of editing for the Write Out Loud version. Instead, your assignment is this:

Write a single sentence–however long or short you choose, but just ONE sentence–about a belief or lesson you’d like to share. It can be something you’ve been thinking of writing about, or something that comes to your mind in the moment. You can write about one belief/lesson or a whole slew of them. That’s up to you.

Once you’ve written your sentence(s), if you feel so led, you’re welcome to expand on the subject and go beyond your first thoughts. But remember to set that one-sentence limit before you start. You’ll get more out of it in the end. I promise.

Feel free to leave your sentence in the comments (that’s what writing out loud is all about, after all). Also, if you really want to Write Out Loud, why not join in on Liz’s project? Check out her post, write your 25 words of wisdom (or use one of the “wisdoms” you came up with here) and post it on your own blog, linking back to her.

I’ll do it if you do. Now get out there and Write Out Loud!