There are a lot of elements when you're writing, or when I'm writing, that are sitting in the back of your mind. I try to let them stay there, because they find their way in more naturally that way.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
When I'm writing, sometimes it gets to that place where I feel like the piece is writing itself and I'm trying not to get in the way.
Some writing is a really nice solitary process, in a way, because you can be a little self-conscious around other people. If it's just you, and you're at your favorite piano, or whatever instrument, and you feel comfortable, then somehow, I always feel like it's opening a door and letting whatever is to pass through pass.
For me, writing is a way of thinking. I write in a journal a lot. I'm a very impatient person, so writing and meditation allow me to slow down and watch my mind; they are containers that keep me in place, hold me still.
I think it's always an adjustment for me, but I do feel like, ultimately, I can kind of write anywhere. It just takes a second to get back in to the groove.
When I'm writing, I write all day. Other days, I sit around thinking. Or I run around from one meeting to another, out in the world. It varies, and I like that.
I write in longhand. I am accustomed to that proximity, that feel of writing. Then I sit down and type.
When you write, you write out of your best self. Everything else drops away.
When you use words, you're able to keep your mind alive. Writing is my way of reaffirming my own existence.
Once I've written something it does tend to run away from me. I don't seem to have any part of it - it's no longer my piece of writing.
I never sit down and write. I just sorta let things form in my brain.