Sleep Deprivation Exercise

  The purpose of sleep deprivation is not to write a good piece at that time, or even a potentially good piece. It's really just to render a good deal of your brain inactive. If its resources are limited, then you have to channel all of your energy into writing in order to do so. This means that you don't have the energy to worry about how your story sucks or how the plot isn't believable or how you spelled that word wrong. You just write. And you get the durmed thing done, because the rest of your brain isn't awake enough to stop you.
  No, you shouldn't have to rely on sleep deprivation to turn off your judgemental side every time you write. After doing this enough, you'll hopefully know what it feels like to write freely, and be able to do so while wide awake (and your work will be better when you're awake).

The Excercise:
  Stay awake for 24 hours (or if you're already good at that, make it longer). Do not use stimulants. If you get to the point where you really want to sleep, or think there is no way you can stay awake any longer, stick it out. This will cause your body to call on its reserves, and you will soon be able to stay up and work again, if not on anything extremely complex.
  Pick a random nondescript item, or let images come to your head. Write a story about them. Yes, a story. Do not self-edit. Do not claim that anything is stupid, whether it is or not. Write in whatever authorial voice you're feeling at the time. And make sure to finish the durmed thing. I don't care if you have to add something that makes no sense at all in order to do so, just finish the durmed thing.
  Now go to bed.
  (NOTE: You may not have to schedule a time to stay up in order to do this. You should try to watch out for a time when you were going to stay up anyways, and use that as a convenient oppurtunity to write. I wrote The Hat after having done a craft all night.)