Write, Rest, Edit

When you want to write, just write. Do not think about what you are writing, do not edit it as you go along, just write out a stream of consciousness until you are empty. Once you are empty continue writing for another couple of hours. Don’t just think, write. It is in that last hour that the real gems will show themselves. The perfect phrase, the exact description – they arrive when you are at the end of the creative process. Then rest. Do not edit this final text, walk away.

Tomorrow do the same thing. And the next day, and the day after that. Write for days and days, weeks and weeks, write until you can no longer write and then keep going. Then rest. Spend a few days looking at the clouds and walking on the beach. Spend time having lunch with friends and laughing with the family.

Once you have completed this final rest, you may begin to edit. Be gentle on yourself. Do not keep anything in the final edit that isn’t saying just what you want to say, keep it somewhere to use later (or not). Read out loud and hear what it sounds like. Edit, edit, edit. Rest.

You may need to repeat the cycle two or three times, it may take ten or twenty times. Keep writing. In this cycle your book will emerge. I look forward to reading it.