#3 cannot be emphasized enough. If I cling to one rule of writing, it's the idea of being willing to write a truly terrible first draft. Writing is a form of art in which the "performance" aspect of the process is known only to the writer, but I've found that the act of simply getting my ideas on a page for the first time is the most exhilarating part of the process, and I've discovered many emotional truths during those moments when I'm not merely typing, but riffing on my existing ideas, discovering a narrative voice by performing them at my keyboard.
#3 cannot be emphasized enough. If I cling to one rule of writing, it's the idea of being willing to write a truly terrible first draft. Writing is a form of art in which the "performance" aspect of the process is known only to the writer, but I've found that the act of simply getting my ideas on a page for the first time is the most exhilarating part of the process, and I've discovered many emotional truths during those moments when I'm not merely typing, but riffing on my existing ideas, discovering a narrative voice by performing them at my keyboard.