Hey everyone,
There is nothing more essential to a creative career and the writing of good stories than the ability to trust your gut and work from instinct.
That’s why first drafts should be written quickly, without research, without obsession, and definitely without overthinking. Because the moment you introduce thought— the editor— into the process, you start losing the heart of what you’re trying to say and get bogged down in the intellect of it.
Good stories are born from the heart, not the mind.
And here’s something that seems counterintuitive to most writers: When you trust your gut? Speed naturally follows.
This idea that speed of writing leads to lesser-quality work is entirely false. And yet the myth continues to thrive.
Speed that comes as a result of working from the gut often leads to much higher-quality writing because you’re working from instinct, heart, and gut, and not from analysis.
Think of that essay that just gushed out of your fingertips in the heat of the moment. When you wrote from passion, was it quicker or slower? Good writing or bad writing?
When you’re in first draft mode, you need to be writing fast, without thinking, without overwhelming yourself with possibilities.
What is the story you want to tell? Tell it.
Cheers,
Natasha