“Everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”
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About this quote
Creative work begins when you choose action over waiting for permission. Start by putting a sentence down, even if it feels raw or awkward; that single move breaks the pause. Expect self-doubt to try to shut you down before the piece has a chance to breathe, and treat that doubt like background noise. Set a small rule you can keep—ten minutes, one paragraph, or a first draft for your eyes only—and keep going.
When to use it
- At the newsroom, when I'm assigned the profile of a neighbor who lost everything, I tell myself to write the first messy draft and tidy facts later.
- As a grad student stuck on the chapter about depression, I set a 10-minute timer and write without editing to get past the critic.
- When I need to tell my parents I'm leaving the family business, I knock out a blunt letter first so I stop rehearsing apologies.
- Before pitching a risky product idea, I sketch the odd concepts I fear will fail so I can build on the ones that survive.