--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I write when the urge hits me, getting…" description: "\"I write when the urge hits me, getting the words down as fast as I can type and then I step back from what I just wrote and start a dialectical process..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/donald-mckay-55832_back_i-write-when-the-urge-hits-me-getting-th_1635897.jpg" --- # I write when the urge hits me, getting the words down as… ![“I write when the urge hits me, getting the words down as fast as I can type and then I step back from what I just wrote and start a dialectical process where I begin challenging my own writing.” quote by Donald McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/donald-mckay-55832_back_i-write-when-the-urge-hits-me-getting-th_1635897.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/donald-mckay-55832_back_i-write-when-the-urge-hits-me-getting-th_1635897.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/donald-mckay-55832_back_i-write-when-the-urge-hits-me-getting-th_1635897.jpg) > “I write when the urge hits me, getting the words down as fast as I can type and then I step back from what I just wrote and start a dialectical process where I begin challenging my own writing.” [Donald McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-mckay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer captures thoughts quickly, then reviews and critically examines the work to improve it through self‑questioning. **In simple terms:** Write fast, then critique your own words. Key Takeaway Write, then edit with a critical eye. Themes writing self‑critique process Mood introspective analytical Type process instructional When to use this quote - journaling - blogging - novel drafting - academic papers Key Concepts metacognition creative discipline Questions to Reflect On - What questions do you ask yourself when editing? - How do you know when a draft is ready? A Different Perspective Self‑analysis may lead to over‑editing; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/) [Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begin/) [Challenging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenging/) [Challenging Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenging-writing-525098/) [Down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down/) [Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fast/) [Getting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting/) [Hits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hits/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [I write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-write/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start/) [Step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/step/) [Then](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/then/) [Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type/) [Urge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urge/) [Urge Hits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urge-hits-525099/) [Where](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/where/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Urge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-urge-525097/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote/) [Wrote Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-start-288399/) ## Related quotes > [“I can be a gentleman off and on. When the urge hits me. - Tran”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-alasti/i-can-be-a-gentleman-off-and-on-when-the-urge-hits-me-tran/) [Krista Alasti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-alasti/) > [“I wrote at the start that this was a record of hate,...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-wrote-at-the-start-that-this-was-a-record-of-hate/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [It's surprising that readers don't see challenging writing as morally hazardous, when it might be pushing the same kinds of boundaries as art does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/it-s-surprising-that-readers-don-t-see-challenging-writing-as-morally/) [Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/) > [It's very hard to find good and wholesome, edifying and challenging writing for the students to perform. In my classroom I strive to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mauceri/it-s-very-hard-to-find-good-and-wholesome-edifying-and-challenging/) [Patricia Mauceri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mauceri/) > [My urge to write is an urge not to self-expressionism but to self-transcendence. My work is both bigger and smaller than I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/my-urge-to-write-is-an-urge-not-to-self-expressionism-but-to-self/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [I want to write because I have the urge to excel in one medium of translation and expression of life. I can't be satisfied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-want-to-write-because-i-have-the-urge-to-excel-in-one-medium-of-2/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“I want to write because I have the urge to excel in one medium of translation and expression of life. I can't be satisfied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-want-to-write-because-i-have-the-urge-to-excel-in-one-medium-of/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [The intent to preserve and capture something is very different from the urge to share, but they had become intertwined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-spiegel/the-intent-to-preserve-and-capture-something-is-very-different-from/) [Evan Spiegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-spiegel/) > [The urge to create, the urge to photograph, comes in part from the deep desire to live with more integrity, to live more in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynn-bullock/the-urge-to-create-the-urge-to-photograph-comes-in-part-from-the-deep/) [Wynn Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynn-bullock/) > [We live in an age of 'urge'. We do nothing till somebody shoves us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/we-live-in-an-age-of-urge-we-do-nothing-till-somebody-shoves-us/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [That urge to write No one gives a shit on someone's status](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-urge-to-write-no-one-gives-a-shit-on-someone-s-status/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'd always have a sort of automatic urge to share what I'm doing with other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-soloway/i-d-always-have-a-sort-of-automatic-urge-to-share-what-i-m-doing-with/) [Jill Soloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-soloway/) > [Having the urge to write is one thing; acting on it is another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-peter-clark/having-the-urge-to-write-is-one-thing-acting-on-it-is-another/) [Roy Peter Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-peter-clark/) > [The urge that most people feel to have kids is the exact same as the urge that I have to not have kids. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/the-urge-that-most-people-feel-to-have-kids-is-the-exact-same-as-the/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) ## More by Donald McKay > [To come up with the ending to a story and then work backwards is like tying your shoe with one hand only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-mckay/to-come-up-with-the-ending-to-a-story-and-then-work-backwards-is-like/) [Donald McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-mckay/) > [Write in a disciplined manner, but write in a way that is natural to the individual's thought processes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-mckay/write-in-a-disciplined-manner-but-write-in-a-way-that-is-natural-to/) [Donald McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-mckay/) > [I've been a writer for 42 years and, yes, it is a full time job for me. Not a hobby, but serious work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-mckay/i-ve-been-a-writer-for-42-years-and-yes-it-is-a-full-time-job-for-me/) [Donald McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-mckay/) > [I do not write by any set time schedule. I realize there are many writers who follow a daily regime where they arise at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-mckay/i-do-not-write-by-any-set-time-schedule-i-realize-there-are-many/) [Donald McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-mckay/) > [My first novel took 12 years to complete because life got in my way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-mckay/my-first-novel-took-12-years-to-complete-because-life-got-in-my-way/) [Donald McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-mckay/) [Explore all 6 Donald McKay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-mckay/) ## More Back quotes > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I honestly would like to get that Frankie fight back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-mendes/i-honestly-would-like-to-get-that-frankie-fight-back/) [Chad Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-mendes/) > [Drumming's pretty physical. We sit at the back of the stage getting beat up like a workhorse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/drumming-s-pretty-physical-we-sit-at-the-back-of-the-stage-getting/) [Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/) > [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. So I go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-haze/i-never-want-to-look-back-on-any-moment-and-say-i-could-have-done/) [Scott Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-haze/) > [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [It's what the people wanted at the time, but the country could not be half-segregated and half-integrated, just as it could not be half-slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wallace/it-s-what-the-people-wanted-at-the-time-but-the-country-could-not-be/) [George Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wallace/) > [I've always stuck my arms behind my back anyway when trying to block a shot in the penalty area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millie-bright/i-ve-always-stuck-my-arms-behind-my-back-anyway-when-trying-to-block/) [Millie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millie-bright/) > [I'm sure at some point I will get back into coaching, but right now I need to focus completely on my kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ewing/i-m-sure-at-some-point-i-will-get-back-into-coaching-but-right-now-i/) [Patrick Ewing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ewing/) > [Any time someone achieves success before they've earned it, it always comes back to haunt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/any-time-someone-achieves-success-before-they-ve-earned-it-it-always/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/) [Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/) > [Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/back-in-the-really-olden-days-dinner-was-seldom-a-ceremonial-event/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [We're all painfully aware of how suddenly violence can occur, how crippling it is, and how survivors have to find a way back from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/we-re-all-painfully-aware-of-how-suddenly-violence-can-occur-how/) [Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/) > [Ronaldo is just an athlete. He works so hard and back to back; he is always there. But if you work hard, can you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-davids/ronaldo-is-just-an-athlete-he-works-so-hard-and-back-to-back-he-is/) [Edgar Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-davids/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) > [British Forces should be in a position to give back in a ten fold measure any attack that the Germans may attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/british-forces-should-be-in-a-position-to-give-back-in-a-ten-fold/) [Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/) [Browse all 9,709 Back quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I write when the urge hits me, getting the words down as fast as I can type and then I step back from what I just wrote and start a dialectical process where I begin challenging my own writing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donald McKay" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-mckay/i-write-when-the-urge-hits-me-getting-the-words-down-as-fast-as-i-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Back" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-mckay/i-write-when-the-urge-hits-me-getting-the-words-down-as-fast-as-i-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/donald-mckay-55832_back_i-write-when-the-urge-hits-me-getting-th_1635897.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/donald-mckay-55832_back_i-write-when-the-urge-hits-me-getting-th_1635897.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/donald-mckay-55832_back_i-write-when-the-urge-hits-me-getting-th_1635897.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I write when the urge hits me, getting the words down as fast as I can type and then I step back from what I…” — Donald McKay", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Donald McKay", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-mckay/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I write when the urge hits...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-mckay/i-write-when-the-urge-hits-me-getting-the-words-down-as-fast-as-i-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-mckay/i-write-when-the-urge-hits-me-getting-the-words-down-as-fast-as-i-can/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```