Creative process Quote by Will Self
““Don't look back until you've written an entire draft, just begin each day from the last sentence you wrote the preceding day. This prevents those cringing feelings, and means that you have a substantial body of work before you get down to the real work which is all in ... the edit." [ Ten rules for writing fiction (part two) , The Guardian, 20 February 2010]””
About This Quote
Source Article: Ten Rules for Writing Fiction (Part Two), The Guardian, 20 February 2010
Writing continuously from the previous day's ending prevents writer’s block and builds a substantial draft before editing.
In simple terms: Write daily from where you left off.
Key Takeaway
Write each day from your last sentence.
Themes
writing
productivity
creativity
Mood
motivational
pragmatic
Type
instructional
creative
When to use this quote
- novel writing
- blog posts
- academic papers
- screenplays
- journal entries
Key Concepts
drafting
habit formation
flow state
Questions to Reflect On
- How does daily continuation affect story coherence?
- Can this method work for non‑fiction?
A Different Perspective
May stifle revision if the draft becomes too rigid.
![“I'm trying to break myself of that habit [of not writing out a first draft ] because I'm working on a couple novels and I know if I tried to write those books the way I wrote the stories it would take me years to finish.” quote by Donald Ray Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ba5/donald-ray-pollock-7796_book_i-m-trying-to-break-myself-of-that-habit_3077738.jpg)
![“[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)
