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Has anyone ever done any "nonsense writing"--like, wanting to write something but having no clue what beyond the basics, so just writing down whatever comes to mind and then hoping to make sense of it later? Even if that something is totally ridiculous? Are there any benefits to this?

Like free association? Yeah, I do something like that a lot. Really helps you loosen up and generate new ideas without having to worry if they are "good". Definitely a beneficial exercise, and if you have a couple friends around, can be a fun party game as well.

I do something similar, but only to defend myself against writers block. It always feels good to fill a screen with text.

for a second I thought you mean like Chris Simpsons Artist unless

I sometimes write in jumbled and really awkward sentences to fight off stagnant scenes. I hate being stuck in one paragraph forever just because I don't know what the next sentences should be to bridge the first scene to the second scene. Generally I hate writing nonsense. On the other hand, I love reading nonsense.

If you mean sitting down armed with nothing but a really really basic idea of what you want to write, then I do, but the results are almost always disastrous. It's painful at first, because I feel like it's NaNoWriMo and forcing myself to write for the sake of writing something is stressful for me, haha. There are benefits like writing to get better ideas, but pretty rare for it happening to me.

I've done it myself, actually.
It can be beneficial later because you might use those 'nonsense writings' as basics of your writings later.
Just make sure to write it down so that you won't forget. Bringing a small notebook with you can also help.

I do this all the time just to free myself up before anything big I need to do. It's as simple as jotting down my thought process on the page (as convoluted and vulgar as it might be).

171 wrote:I've done it myself, actually.
It can be beneficial later because you might use those 'nonsense writings' as basics of your writings later.
Just make sure to write it down so that you won't forget. Bringing a small notebook with you can also help.

oh yes, I completely agree. Definitely write those things down. They will help you later on. I always write down ideas which come to my mind. You can still change the text but a 'basic' text is very helpful it makes the actual writing easier. good luck with your writing