Craft, stated vs. revealed preferences, and Octavia Butler's notes

I need to write to know what I'm thinking. Once I've learned what I'm thinking, I need to write to organize my thoughts. Once I've organized my thoughts, I need to edit my writing to make my thoughts better. I can't think without writing, but I also can't really feel . When I put my nebulous, complicated, demanding emotions onto the page, I'm able ... See more

What I write is all mine, it’s a living thing, it’s an extension of me that wanders out into the world. It is desire turned inwards instead of outwards, focused instead of displaced. It’s a way to access self-knowledge and self-respect.

Personally, writing is not how I analyze how I feel; writing is how I resolve how I feel. I find it deeply cathartic.

when you write you want someone to hear it. You do. I mean I don’t write thinking, “Oh Adrian and Kellie are going to love this.” But it’s just that the act of writing comes from a feeling, for me, of connectedness, usually. Or figuring why do I feel at one with this place or with these people or in this job or in this situation. And so just the ac... See more

When I thought about why I write, I came up with many reasons. I do it because it is how I make sense of the world. I do it because it makes me feel connected in a profound way. I do it because it feels good. But perhaps most significantly, I am a better, more awake version of myself for having written. I feel recharged, and I have more patience, c

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