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In his useful and fascinating book Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You, the distinguished author Ray Bradbury issues a very interesting command to writers: “DON’T THINK.” From what I’ve read elsewhere, he has kept a sign with this solemn directive over his typewriter as a constant reminder.

Surely writing requires thought. Doesn’t it? The answer, I think, is yes — but only at the right times.

Bradbury’s point is that writers often get in their own way by allowing fears, critical thoughts, and negative self-talk to inhibit their imaginations. These “Yes, but…” thoughts amount to self-censorship, and how can anyone compose and edit at the same time? When any word you write is potentially the “wrong” word, even starting can seem an insurmountable challenge. I recall a cartoon of a writer sitting at his desk, running through his mental checklist: “Okay, plenty of paper…good pen…good backup pen…lamp angle is right…chair is comfortable…the room is warm…perhaps the room is TOO warm….” Self-consciousness is the enemy.

The inner critic threatens every professional, in any field, who sets a high standard for himself. Think of the pressures an Olympic athlete or an internationally-acclaimed musician must face when it’s time to perform. A thousand possible distractions — crowd noises, technical details, health issues, a pounding heart, the nagging “What if” voice begging to be heard — must be put aside before the reflexes, the practiced perfection, can take over and triumph.

DON’T THINK, then, means get out of your own way. Don’t limit yourself before the fact. Let spontaneous creativity bubble up from your subconscious mind without your conscious mind beating it into submission, conformity, and ultimately mediocrity.

But we do have to get the words right! Sure, but that’s what editing is for. Composition is for getting it out; editing is for getting it right. Editing uses a whole different mindset from writing — suddenly you have to turn ruthless in your criticism of the first draft, and the second, and the third. But even here, the word is criticism, not self-criticism. A bad sentence doesn’t make you a bad writer if you fix it. But it’s up to you to summon the discipline and the objectivity to rewrite it into a good sentence.

Meanwhile, the blank page or screen awaits. So be like Bradbury: DON’T THINK!