Writing, Parenting, Writing Prompt
Parents, Join Me And Play The Streams Of Consciousness Writing Game!
There, There, Write it All Out in 15 minutes
A couple of days ago, I was scrolling my homepage and came across an article by Linda Caroll.
I thought this looked pretty cool, so I clicked on Linda’s article, giving it a read. When finished, I thought to myself, I wanted to join in the fun and give the bizarre experiment a try.
The basics behind the Stream of Consciousness Writing
Open a blank Medium page, set a timer for 15 minutes, and write freely without fear. Yep, write about whatever until the time is up, and NO Editing — YIKES!
The idea is to write whatever comes to mind; doing so helps relieves one's fears making writing easier. Hmm… I don’t know, but it sounds like a fantastic idea, especially for parents. All that bottled-up stress-WHEW! We need to channel it somehow, so why not write it out playing the Streams of Consciousness game?
I am all in, so here I go…
I am coming off the post-Covid brain, and I still feel a bit foggy; hence, this experiment gives me an excuse to recharge my mental batteries.
Also, I am a single mother of 4 adults, grandmother of a one-year-old boy, and mom of 2 feline fur babies.
To all of you young parents: if you think changing diapers, 2 AM feedings, and colic is bad, you are in for a rude awakening. This is the easy part. The real fun begins when the little ones start walking, getting into everything, and coming into their unique personalities.
Get ready for the dreaded “NO,” shopping mall temper tantrums and the dinnertime vegetable heckler. 🥦
Furthermore, you still have yet to encounter the teen years, hormones, dating, and, well, never mind. You will see-MOO-HA-HA! 🤪
I have done it and seen it all. Just imagine, 3 of my children are girls-YIKES! Needless to say, but I will anyway; it has not always been a picnic.
Adding to the equation, I am a single mom; yep, I raised my four lovelies on my own and am pretty damn proud.
Parenting is never easy, whether single or happily coupled. Often, the day feels like it either doesn’t have enough hours, or we can not wait until nightfall, and all children are asleep snug in their beds. Aren’t they darling when they sleep?
Of course, the waking hours are splendid! One of my favorite recollections: daughters 1 and 2 darn near fist-fighting over the television remote while I scramble like a lunatic trying to locate my baby son(child #4), who I know I put in his bassinet for a nap yet is no longer there.
Amid the ultimate hissy fit, daughter #3 exits the playroom with her baby brother cradled in her arms. Mind you; I saw her not even ten minutes previously with her baby doll. I swear it was a doll. NOPE! My darling three-year-old took it upon herself to remove her preemie sibling because she wanted to change his clothes.
Repeat after me: CALGON, take me away!
Yes, that was stressful; now a humorous family story. 😂
Thank goodness for my cats. One calico Fiesty little charmer, and one older Maine Coon male, who isn’t the brightest apple in the bunch, I might add. I was just recalling the morning when I woke to a weird dragging/clomping sound coming from my living room. I jumped out of bed to find my dear old Max scuffling across the wooded floors with his front left paw in one of my slipper booties!
He didn’t want to give it back, and I wasn’t mad at him.
Ahh.. the memories.
No, I am not going mad. I am writing whatever pops into my mind, and it oddly feels refreshing. 🙃
Parent writers, give the streams of consciousness writing a try. No one will judge you. There, there, let it all go. I bet that once you start clackety clacking at the keyboard, you will find that you have a whole lot to say. Albeit 15 minutes may seem like a long time, however, I am closing in on the buzzer at this very moment.
Let it all go. You will feel better. I know that I do. Heck, I think I potentially have some new story ideas from participating in this little experiment.
I could go ahead and publish this now in one of the publications I edit for, but I want the editors of Illumination to take the reigns. I am ignoring the red flags from Grammarly and typing to my heart’s content.
Ahh, the freedom…
Additionally, opening up to vulnerability, now that is what writing is all about. Yes, I feel some of the lingering Covid smog lifting from my brain. Hopefully, my taste buds will return to normal next. Peanut butter has tasted like poo since my positive testing status.
Speaking of poo, I smell my one-year-old grandson. He ran by me a second ago, and well, it is pamper(or Nappy, I am a dual British citizen) changing time.
Perfect timing as the 15-minute buzzer is near.
My grandson’s mother, my beautiful eldest daughter, is doing errands to prepare for a business trip to Vegas this week. Oh, Vegas sounds lovely about now. I am imagining myself sitting at a bar sipping a seven and seven in between rounds of slots. 🍸
Don’t judge me. I am overdue for a melt down-JOKE!
So, there you have it, parents. Need a break or want to vent some pent-up thoughts? Give the streams of consciousness writing game a go, and don’t forget to tag me!
I am shouting out Rick Lewis. It appears that this Streams of Consciousness Writing thing traces back to him. Going farther back, it all originates with Fahri Karakas.