Imagine you’re in solitary confinement, for an unknown period of time. You have been given pens and lots of paper, but nothing else to read, write or do. You can write whatever you want; the guards aren’t going to read or confiscate it.
What would you write?
A novel?
A daily journal?
A political manifesto?
Things from outside life, as a reminder (i.e., lists of sports teams, names of cities, your favorite foods?)
The great American novel of course!
All of the above. Even with a lack of distractions I doubt I could write a novel straight through. I’d write a lot of notes about all sorts of things just as I do now, very little of which are ever seen or useful again. I might construct crossword puzzles, I can draw a grid and make chess pieces out of paper. I don’t play chess very well, so I probably won’t get much better only playing myself, but it will pass the time. I know how to make a variety of things out of paper, origami and other construction. Maybe the guards will take away things like that but I could practice techniques. There are certain kinds of page filling doodling I used to do in school so I might just do that when I don’t want to think. Maybe I’d storyboard some movie ideas. And I’d work on that novel, many times, but it would never get done, or even very far in any attempt.
I would probably try to write a novel, find it too hard and end up writing a D&D Campaign.
Random thoughts and a list of things I’ll want to google when I am released.
I would likely write all of the above as well as a lot of sketching, maybe a graphic novel and some origami.
Work on my research.
I’d start out trying to write a literary masterpiece, fail and end up doodling, scribbling down random thoughts, writing rude limericks and making paper aeroplanes.
I’d be drafting a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus.
Definitely a novel. And a journal. And I’d draw. That’s about it.
Horrible!!!
How can a person survive without Internet?
I thought that said penis. First thing I thought was, “Avoid the paper cut!”.
Funny you mentioned penis, as I would be drawing dirty pictures, and getting real good at it. I would emerge from solitary a regular Rembrandt!
Assorted mathematical calculations and doodles. Dragon curves are fun.
I’d chew up the paper to make a papier-mâché false wall, wait for the guards to come in and, in confusion, leave the cell door open as one goes to report, stab the remaining guard through the back of the skull with the pen, dress up in his uniform, and make my escape by generating tear gas and blowing a hole through the prison wall using devices improvised from components I find on my way out.
“That was a pretty good plan.”
Stranger
something like this for me as well…only I’m sure I’d screw it up and end up dead. Also, paper airplanes are fun.
Not sure what to write — and frankly worried that Mein Kampf started this way. 
Well, since I’ve been keeping a journal for over 52 years, I guess I’d continue.
All of the above and more.
