Creative process Quote by Mary Oliver
““It's very important to write things down instantly, or you can lose the way you were thinking out a line. I have a rule that if I wake up at 3 in the morning and think of something, I write it down. I can't wait until morning -- it'll be gone." [ Maria Shriver Interviews the Famously Private Poet Mary Oliver ( O Magazine , March 2011)]””
About This Quote
Source Interview: O Magazine, March 2011, Maria Shriver interviewing Mary Oliver
Capturing fleeting thoughts immediately preserves creative momentum and prevents loss of insight.
In simple terms: Write ideas quickly.
Key Takeaway
Note ideas before they vanish.
Themes
creativity
mindfulness
discipline
memory
Mood
inspirational
practical
Type
interview
advice
When to use this quote
- writing practice
- nighttime brainstorming
- research notes
Key Concepts
cognitive psychology
habit formation
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you capture sudden ideas?
- What routine helps you retain thoughts?
A Different Perspective
Ideas can be forgotten if delayed.
![“[A]lways get to the dialogue as soon as possible. I always feel the thing to go for is speed. Nothing puts the reader off more than a big slab of prose at the start." (Interview, The Paris Review , Issue 64, Winter 1975)” quote by P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/989/p-g-wodehouse-723_communication_a-lways-get-to-the-dialogue-as-soon-as-p_13316.jpg)
