Achieve Quote by Jennifer Egan
“I write my first draft by hand, at least for fiction. For non-fiction, I write happily on a computer, but for fiction I write by hand, because I'm trying to achieve a kind of thoughtless state, or an unconscious instinctive state. I'm not reading what I write when I wrote. It's an unconscious outpouring that's a mess, and it's many, many steps away from anything anyone would want to read. Creating that way seems to generate the most interesting material for me to work with, though.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New Yorker, 2015
Writing by hand for fiction helps access an instinctive, unfiltered creative flow.
In simple terms: Handwriting taps subconscious for storytelling.
Key Takeaway
Try handwritten drafts to unlock raw ideas.
Themes
creativity
process
intuition
Mood
creative
experimental
Type
advice
process
When to use this quote
- fiction writing
- brainstorming sessions
- creative workshops
Key Concepts
cognitive flow
handwriting
creative writing
Questions to Reflect On
- How does physical writing affect your ideas?
- Can digital tools mimic this instinct?
A Different Perspective
Handwriting may be slower and less editable.
