A few months ago, I read an excellent
post about intuition and its place in the writing process. See it here.
It wasn’t news to me that good
writing is intuitive even as it uses the cloak of logical and systematic exposition.
The most precious nugget the post gave
me is the articulation that intuition shouldn’t be confused with a feeling
or an emotion.
Instead, think of intuition as the
mind processing information so fast and connecting the dots before we have the words,
or articulation, to explain it rationally.
Intuition is an awareness of a
high order. Creating without it yields something akin to assembly manuals of
the sort that come with various gizmos. That’s “technical writing,” and writers
of poetry or prose aren’t doing that.
Good writing connects the dots
before we have the words to name them.
Intuitively, I feel think topic is too complex for me.
ReplyDeleteI've always trusted my gut/intuition. I like the way you express it.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, I have enough problems dealing with emotions and feelings without worrying about intuition as well. But I'll read the post to clarify things. I really enjoy Jane Friedman's posts.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's good to follow your intuition, especially if you're a naturally intuitive person.
ReplyDeleteI love that moment in writing when those dots connect. Like you have added a character or a situation that you're not sure about it, but then it becomes something important. I also think intuition comes in when I can just sense that a scene or plot point is not working.
ReplyDelete