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Thought for the Day Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of ...

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Paul Whybrow

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Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can't try to do things. You simply must do things.

Ray Bradbury

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Ok I'll take this from Ray, because he's obviously one of those who would get lost in the labyrinth of their own navel otherwise. But No. Thinking is good. My mother used to say it to me with desperation after every bone-headed thing I did. "THINK FIRST, child." Finally it sank in.
 
This point is actually on point with one of the first lessons I got from a brilliant writing coach I worked with for a decade. He related it to learning to shoot in a warzone, rock and fire. Don't spend your time aiming, as the results aren't different enough to matter. Apply that to writing and it's the old Fletch lesson, just type, as fast as you can. which gets at the overarching writing lesson of another writing coach, always move forward.
It's actually quite a deep insight, isn't it?
 
This point is actually on point with one of the first lessons I got from a brilliant writing coach I worked with for a decade. He related it to learning to shoot in a warzone, rock and fire. Don't spend your time aiming, as the results aren't different enough to matter. Apply that to writing and it's the old Fletch lesson, just type, as fast as you can. which gets at the overarching writing lesson of another writing coach, always move forward.
It's actually quite a deep insight, isn't it?
I completely agree with you. When I first read that quote, I misunderstood it. After reading it four times over, I finally undeerstood what Bradbury was saying. Thinking is great, but you can't really create when you allow your conscience to police your actions. Allow the night wathman/woman to stop policing you. Let your creativeness to flow.
 
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