I’m almost done with the first draft of my novel. (There will be many more drafts I’m sure.) And the more I write the more I realize both the importance and value of impulsive writing.
My definition of impulsive writing is jotting something down, either in a notepad or on a computer, not because you have something to write but because you have to write something. The empty page or computer screen is simply crying out to you. And you, the writer, take pity and put words on paper not because they make sense but because you have to fill the page.
So as you’ve figured out by now, what I call impulsive writing won’t be the best writing you’ll do (understatment), but it will bring you closer to finishing whatever piece of work you’re working on. Even if you think that what you wrote is the most non-sensical garbage to ever have defaced a page.
And this is why. Because your first draft will most probably be fecal matter. But the next draft. Yes, the next draft will be a vast improvement. Writing just comes more easily the second time round. It’s just the way it is.
And I think that’s the way it is with many things in life. After the initial stab it’s easier to see what you’ve done wrong and improve or correct it.
So I’m not there yet – at the end of my initial draft, that is. And I haven’t done any impulsive writing today (bad) but I’ve just inspired myself to go write some words and be impulsive. Because I know that my impulsive writing will get me to the end of that first draft. The first stepping stone to success.