Crash & Burn (C&B) is an idea-generating exercise that author and storyteller Matthew Dicks uses to dig up past thoughts and memories.

C&B utilizes what's called stream-of-consciousness writing. Matt refers to it as "dreaming at the end of your pen" because once you're in the flow, it mimics the free-associative thought patterns that you experience while dreaming.

Stream-of-consciousness is the act of speaking or writing down whatever thoughts enter your mind, no matter how strange, off-tune or embarrassing.

The 3 Rules to Follow When Using Crash & Burn

1. You must not get attached to any one idea. The goal of Crash & Burn is to allow unexpected ideas to intersect and overlap one another. It's in these intersections where new ideas and memories are unearthed.

2. You must not judge any thought or idea that appears in your mind. Put everything on the page, regardless of how nonsensical it may be. Don’t bother with proper grammar, punctuation, or capitalization — just spill your guts on the page, judgment-free.

3. You cannot allow the pen to stop moving. Whether you’re writing or typing, don’t let your hand or fingers stop moving. Keep writing words even when you think your mind is empty. Matt uses colors. Basically, he just starts listing colors until one of them triggers another thought or memory.

   Red, green, blue, black, brown . . . I tell kids that brown is my favorite color, and it makes them all crazy, which makes no sense, but in truth, I have no favorite color, which makes them even crazier...

   How to Get Started

   1. Set a timer for 10 minutes

   2. Jumpstart the exercise by choosing an object in the room

   3. Let the ideas flow

Here's an annotated example from one of Matt's exercises:

Bowl of grapes. Grape juice. White grape juice. When I was a kid I stepped on a broken Mello Yello glass bottle and cut my foot — got infected — happened by a pond.

Do this every day and you'll have an endless amount of stories to tell. Enjoy!