Writing is simultaneously a science and an art. No matter which type of text is your specialty, a certain degree of creativity is required to make words properly portray your perspective, describe events accurately, or help others envision a new world you've invented.
Unfortunately, creativity and productivity are better known as being conflicting than very compatible. But it doesn't have to be that way.
In her 2009 TED Talk, author Elizabeth Gilbert recalls a conversation she had with poet Ruth Stone. According to Stone, she would be out in the fields and hear a poem approaching.
"And then she would run like hell to the house, chased by this poem; she had to get to a piece of paper and a pencil fast enough so that when it thundered through her, she could collect it, and grab it on the page. Other times she wouldn't be fast enough, so she'd be running and running but she wouldn't get to the house, and the poem would barrel through her and she would miss it. It would continue on across the landscape, looking, as she put it 'for another poet.'"
You can tell, even from that small monologue, Stone is skilled at creating images with her words. She eloquently describes how it feels when inspiration strikes a writer. However, inspiration is only part of the puzzle of how to create great texts.
The most well-written works go through countless rounds of edits and, if the author only worked on these when it felt like creativity were bursting through her veins, the work would never be completed. Many people write just for themselves for the benefits of introspection or as a creative outlet. There is nothing wrong with personal writing.
However, those who want to share their work, quickly learn that a B+ completed piece is superior to an A+ piece that sits unseen in a Google doc. And it's tough to finish a novel, or even long article, if the only time you write is when you feel inspiration thundering through you. That brings us to the question that has perplexed writers since the concept of the written word began:
"How can writers be more productive?"
