Through writing, we can discover things. By putting thoughts on paper and collecting them, we organize our ideas, revealing necessary paths for the development of our texts and assessing their plausibility when we engage with them honestly. This process unfolds in several intermediate steps. From my own experiences, I can outline three phases of writing that I have personally observed.
The ideation phase cannot be planned. While on vacation, during a walk, whenever we are relaxed, ideas suddenly emerge out of nowhere. It is important to jot them down and gather them in a suitable place.
In the organizing phase, I review the collected text material and find headings and subheadings for the content structure of my book. It often requires reorganizing the contents. A structure gradually emerges as more content is written down.
In the execution phase, one connects the individual ideas and paragraphs. A magical effect occurs during this process. While writing, new insights automatically become visible. An idea often acts as a catalyst for a higher-level understanding when it encounters other ideas within a text. That’s why I refer to this type of writing as catalytic writing.
There is no rigid sequence in which these phases must be traversed. One approaches a topic iteratively, requiring multiple loops in each phase. The choice of phase depends on the current mood. On one day, you may feel more inclined to organize, while on another, you may feel more like writing. Inspiration is transitory, and one must immediately seize it when it arises.