How Stream of Consciousness Writing Works

One of the easiest forms of journal writing is stream of consciousness. What is it? This 
is where you just start writing about anything and everything. You don’t have to pick just 
one topic, use a prompt, or even make sense. Just write what comes to mind for a 
certain amount of time or until you’re done writing, and that’s it. It takes all the pressure 
off journaling about the write topic, and just lets you do a big brain dump.

Here are some things to know about this style of journaling.


What is Stream of Consciousness?

As we mentioned, stream of consciousness is exactly what it sounds like – you are 
letting the thoughts in your conscious just flow out onto the page. This is done for a few 
reasons. First, it lets you make more sense of what you have been holding onto in your 
thoughts, even when you didn’t realize it. It is also a good way to do a type of brain 
dump – where you can sort through your thoughts and feelings, and come to terms with 
what you are struggling with at the moment. It is also great when you just don’t know 
what to write about, but want to write. You may be surprised what ends up coming up 
during this type of writing session.


How Do You Start Writing?

The best thing about this style of journaling is that it takes absolutely no planning or 
forethought. You literally just start writing. Put pen to paper and write the first thing that 
comes to mind. It might be what you are grateful for, what you did today, your plans for 
tomorrow, something causing you stress, a decision you are trying to make, plans you 
are excited about, and so much more. You just set a timer or decide on a number of 
pages to write, and go for it.


How Long Do You Write For?

A common question people ask about stream of consciousness is how long they should 
do it for. That is up to you! You don’t need any specific amount of time. If you have a lot 
on your mind, just keep writing until your hand cramps up or you feel like you have let it 
all out. In other cases, you can set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes, or write until you have 
filled up a couple pages in your journal.



