I know three things to be true. First, I have been writing creatively, fervently, like I am chasing after something with my pen since I was in middle school. Second, since the same point in time, I have been wretched with anxiety like something is chasing me. Third, these factors meld like oil and water, and manifest in debt ceiling resolution levels of procrastination.
You may not resonate with this trio in its entirety, but I bet you’ve had a few late night study dates with dread. Dread tells you writing that application or essay is going to suck and you believe him up until a critical deadline or to the point of no creative return. Lucky for you, I have a solution if you are brave enough to try it.
The Most Dangerous Writing App is a free writing program that mercilessly deletes your progress if you stop typing for too long. It has changed my life creatively and academically. You select a certain amount of time, ranging from 5 minutes to an hour, where you must continuously type, with or without a program generated prompt. If you stop typing, your writing will slowly begin to fade, and will vanish entirely unless you begin typing again. Once the timer has completed, you are free to download or copy whatever you have written.
Before you decide that this sounds ludicrous and arguably sadistic, allow me to make my case. The hardest part is getting started. Procrastination is often a coping mechanism for the fear that whatever we write will be unimpressive, uninspired or that the process itself will be boring and insufferable. The Most Dangerous Writing App pushes back against our dread filled, pressurized coma. This is because, once you get started, you must continue to push yourself to generate ideas and get something, anything on the page. Note that this is not when you paint your masterpiece.
Remember, it is easier to make bad writing better than it is to make no writing great. You need to grow comfortable with the shitty rough draft. Your first draft is like a quarry. It must be dismantled and prodded to reap any reward.
So, why the evil timer? Because, it eliminates the fruitless luxury of distraction and avoidance. Additionally, there is comfort in knowing that you just have to tolerate writing for a set amount of time, rather than letting the fear of indefinite drafting overwhelm you.