This morning, I unleashed a flood of words on my friend in the Philippines. Paragraphs of random thoughts, dopey ideas, and just pure nonsense. She hasn’t blocked me yet, so guess we’re still friends.

Why do I do this? Mostly because stream-of-consciousness writing is one of my oldest creative habits. It works like a garden hose that hasn’t been open up in years. At first, the water sputters, sprays, and makes a mess. But if you let it flow, it clears. Rust, doubt, overthinking—all of it washes away. And then, suddenly, the words start to run clean, smooth, and creatively thirst quenching, to use a really ridiculous metaphor.

Julia Cameron calls this “morning pages” in The Artist’s Way. Three pages, written by hand, first thing in the morning with no editing or judgment. I sometimes call it clearing the pipe. The goal isn’t polish. It’s movement. Momentum. Discovery. And a little fun.

You don’t need a friend to send it to, although it’s often more fun if someone gets to experience the nonsense too. You don’t need a plan, a theme, or even a coherent sentence. Just open a notebook or a blank document, give yourself permission to write badly, and watch what emerges. Five minutes can clear the rust. Ten minutes can bring clarity you didn’t even know you were looking for.

Late nights and early mornings, those moments of half-wakefulness, they’re perfect for this. The inner critic is weaker, the brain is sloppy, and ideas slip out easier. Messiness is the point. Chaos is the fertilizer for creative growth.

Over time, this practice trains your creative muscle. It builds trust with your own voice. It primes you for the moments when inspiration does show up, so you’re ready to catch it. And sometimes, just sometimes, the words you spill end up being the seed of something bigger.

Want to see what happens when the hose really runs? I expanded on this idea in a full essay on my main blog. Check it out here and see how messy words can lead to clean, surprising clarity.