Natalie Goldberg’s “Rules of Writing Practice”
1. Keep your hand moving.
When you sit down to write, whether it’s for ten minutes or an hour, once you begin, don’t stop. If an atom bomb drops at your feet eight minutes after you have begun and you were going to write for ten minutes, don’t budge. You’ll go out writing.
2. Lose control.
Say what you want to say. Don’t worry if it’s correct, polite, appropriate. Just let it rip.
3. Be specific.
Not car, but Cadillac. Not fruit, but apple. Not bird, but wren. Not a codependent, neurotic man, but Harry, who runs to open the refrigerator for his wife, thinking she wants an apple, when she’s headed for the gas stove to light her cigarette. Be careful of those pop-psychology labels. Get below the label and be specific to the person.
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.
5. Don’t worry about punctuation, spelling, grammar.
6. You are free to write the worst junk ever.
7. Go for the jugular.
If something scary comes up, go for it. That’s where the energy is. Otherwise, you’ll spend all your time writing around whatever makes you nervous.
[...] the rules for writing practice, do your first 10-minute exercise beginning with ‘I [...]
[...] the rules for writing practice, write for 10 minutes, without stopping, starting with: This [...]