Three Little Words

Did you know that you have an internal editor?

I picture my internal editor being a little mouse of a man named Marcus. His small stature, balding head and beady little eyes are a contrast to how brutual he can be when I am writing. Whether I am writing in my journal, writing an article, or working on any of my other writing projects, he will show up uninvited and give his unsolicited opinion on what I have written. And a lot of times he will tell me what he thinks before I've even gotten the words down on paper!

"You're going to write that?!" he says.

"No, no no. That just doesn't make any sense."

You may have been approached by your internal editor, but just looked at him queerly and turned away, like bumping into a man on the street who tries to sell you his shoes. You may have had an ongoing dialogue with him, and have become so frustrated that you don't even try to write anymore.

Don't get me wrong. This internal editor fellow (or maybe yours is of the female persuasion) can be quite valuable. His skills come in handy when you are editing something you have written, such as a research paper or article or story. But he has no place whatsoever interfering when you are writing that first draft, and he certainly should not butt in when you are writing in your journal.

Well, I have a neat way to help you get that writing done quickly and beautifully, and that busy-body won't even know you did it. And you will have so much fun!

It's called the "Three Little Words" Writing Machine. I learned about it while taking a correspondence course on how to write a book in 14 days. Here's how it works:

1. Choose three completely random words.
2. Write as fast as you can for five minutes using the three words.
3. One word must begin the first sentence.
4. The remaining two words must be included in the first paragraph.

Now, it is important to choose your words quickly, and then begin writing with them even quicker. Because if that internal editor of yours gets wind of what you are doing (and remember, he is fast!), he will start in on you before you know it.

You can get the three words from anywhere except your imagination. Two ways that have been successful for me are:

1. Have a friend or partner give you three random words out of a book.
2. Use a random word generator from the internet.

Give it a try. I guarantee that you will be amazed by what you've written after five minutes.