Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life

2. Lose control. Say what you want to say. Don’t worry if it’s correct, polite, appropriate. Just let it rip.

It’s better to figure out what you want to say in the actual act of writing.

“Keep your hand moving” strengthens the creator and gives little space for the editor to jump in.

What is the purpose of this? Most of the time when we write, we mix up the editor and creator.

6. You are free to write the worst junk in America.

The writing hand wants to write about what she did Saturday night: “I drank whiskey straight all night and stared at a man’s back across the bar. He was wearing a red T-shirt. I imagined him to have the face of Harry Belafonte. At three A.M., he finally turned my way and I spit into the ashtray when I saw him. He had the face of a wet mongrel who h

So finally a writer must be willing to sit at the bottom of the pit, commit herself to stay there, and let all the wild animals approach, even call them up, then face them, write them down, and not run away.

4. Don’t think. We usually live in the realm of second or third thoughts, thoughts on thoughts, rather than in the realm of first thoughts, the real way we flash on something. Stay with the first flash. Writing practice will help you contact first thoughts. Just practice and forget everything else.

“Not gifted with genius but honestly holding his experience deep in his heart, he kept his simplicity and humanity.”