I was bored, hitting the Stumble button in my toolbar when I came across oneword.com. It’s a simple writing exercise designed to help people like me who often suffer from debilitating writer’s block. The idea behind it is you get a single word at the top of the page and a box to type in for sixty seconds. You’re not supposed to think, just write.
It’s that second part of the equation that is toughest for me. Shut off my brain? How? Why? When? … OK, I’m doing it again. Over thinking.
The first time I tried it, I was given the word ‘Modern’. OK, easy enough. I started out with the line “Modern life can be complicated, but not as complicated as …..” and I just stopped. Staring into nowhere, my brain was struggling for what to say next. In seconds, it was obvious I had failed the test.
And therein lies the complexity. The idea of writing nonstop for a minute about a single word presents the writer with a challenge. Do I simply define the word and give examples of its use? No, of course not. That would be boring. So a word like ‘modern’ could spark all kinds of output from each person.
The site gives you a new word each day, so I will try again. I just wanted to stop and tell all of you about it.
See Also:
oneword.com
