Accidental Genius

If, while reading, you have questions you’d like to ask the author, write them in the book’s margin.

write keeps you attentive and creative throughout the day. Life becomes your material.

Since I was writing for myself, I didn’t name all the “characters” involved in the situation or hack through all the background information surrounding it.

The rule to follow is this: During freewriting, always wrestle with a subject where it holds the most energy for you.

Instead, read through your twenty minutes of writing and note language and concepts that catch your attention. If a line interests you—if it’s well said or contains an idea you might want to develop—underline it. If a line strikes you as a considerable insight, bold it.

When you come to a sentence that stops you, a paragraph that makes you think, or a fact that you may want to consult, highlight it in some way so you can easily put your finger on it again.

Now give your speech to a roomful of high school students. Certainly, high school students can be as smart as the proverbial whip, but you couldn’t possibly deliver your surgeon-specific speech to a roomful of youngsters, could you? You’d have to recast what you say.

To open up a word, write down four things: a word for study, the generally agreed-upon definition of that word, your thoughts on the accuracy of the definition, and a personal definition that suits your eccentric tastes.

In freewriting, always explain to yourself why you think what you think. Often, you’ll realize you have no basis for your belief. What then? Apply a little mental elbow grease, and come up with a belief that will better serve you.

Bradbury, Ray. Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius within You. New York: Bantam Books, 1990. p. 13.