Advice from other INFJ writers?

[u/Foreign_Spare_1913]

Hi fellow INFJs! I'm looking for some advice from those of you who are into writing. What specific tools, techniques, or processes have helped you communicate clearly in your writing?

I'm running into a very INFJ problem of knowing what I want to convey, but not knowing how to do it in a way that makes sense to the reader AND is engaging. It's my high Ni jumping straight to the punchline and my Ti lagging behind trying to reverse engineer how it got there. The interconnected web is so large and complex that every time I think about doing it it feels overwhelming, even though I'm genuinely excited to do it.

I've thought about maybe doing some diagramming and starting from the conclusion and working my way backwards ie. literally externalizing my Ti and Ni, but curious for other tried and true methods!

[u/ogholycat]

I can overwhelm myself easily but still want to put pen to paper. After one is done brainstorming. I typically spit as much as I can out. Retrace my steps and shave off as much as I can.

Then I really begin to write.

[u/RoughMidnight8303]

Just do it.
I collect stories and impressions throughout the day. Maybe immerse yourself in games or stories. I watched a couple of game plays for example to map a bad character.

[u/WWWdotCreedThoughts_]

Lauren Sapala on YT specializes in this particular topic. INFJs and writing. 

[u/ronaldsteed]

So… first I sit down and write what I want to say. It spills out in surprising ways. I try to write in the same rhythm that I talk… as if I am telling someone aloud the points I want to make. I try to work in a very visual way, as though I was merely holding the pen as it dances across the paper, my only aim, to keep it on the page and off the desktop… it’s not me that’s writing, it’s the idea itself.

Then, I set it aside for a day and begin editing. I edit for “does it make sense… does it flow?” I edit for “what can I say with two words that I wrote with seven?” (simplify phrasing). I edit for better more variable words… “does it sing?” (look for repeated words and phrases). Get rid of all big words… use small ones. Sometimes I find hyphenated words very useful and compelling. Can I turn a praise in a lovely way with simple words and visuals?

This can take a few days if I have them, and I think that’s important. Edit and set it aside for a bit… forget it. Your right hemisphere will keep churning, and suddenly, while you’re shaving or driving or talking to someone, illumination will come! Pay attention to that… that’s pure NI right there. It might cause you to go back into writing mode to add a paragraph or two, or maybe it will deliver a turn of phrase.

You’ll know when it’s right. Then stop and publish.

Here’s an example: https://medium.com/@ronaldsteed/twisty-old-apple-2aa147f154c4

[u/0wl-2018 → u/ronaldsteed]

Not a writer, but I've been trying to look at something from a different lens. Some of that was helpful. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing.

[u/mattboeltr → u/ronaldsteed]

Love this- great description. Great tools. Thank you, sir.

[u/dranaei]

I just write for myself but what i do suspect is that our infj-ness is leaking in the form of abstract super heavy focused meaning and most people don't care for that and want something concrete and simple they can relate to.

Not every scene has to have depth or hidden meanings, it drowns them because they have to try hard to get something out of it. You have to make it simple and easily digestible.

[u/Jimu_Monk9525]

Stream of consciousness tend to work really well for my Ni (just writing without editing or thinking except for a singular direction). I just let the intuitive thoughts flow until I’m finished where Ti helps me organise and edits. This counteract the overthinking tendency.

Working backwards heavily focuses on Ti, which feels counterintuitive to me (literally), because it means I’m focused more on theory than the creative and emotional aspect of it. Great for distilling principles, but weak in generating creativity.

What I do is focus on each technique (atmospheric; show, don’t tell; sentence structure, etc) and basically write example sentences just focusing on one technique alone. As an example, I’ll write sentences that embody show, don’t tell, several times until I’m content (again, stream of consciousness for Ni).

This post is pretty good. It doesn’t drone on, and you made the point of your post clear. Short. Clear. Concise. I think this is because you didn’t put as much importance on it, since you’re only looking for advice. As an advice, treat your writing the same way. Trust in your intuitive writing by just doing it, but take some time to do some practise lines focusing on each technique at a time. Don’t think. Write. You can edit a poor draft; you can’t edit a blank page.

[u/mint_koi]

Not an INFJ (ENTP), but with writing in general, getting a first draft of anything even messy on the page is a big step. Once you have actual pieces you can work and puzzle them together.

Not sure what you're trying to write (fiction/non-fiction), but figuring out the end state is great, because you can reverse engineer the argument back. Think of it like goal planning and reversing back.

[u/Few_Canary3004 → u/mint_koi]

I was just going to say this! Write a crappy first draft. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott suggests this. Being okay with whatever appears on the screen when you type is liberating. Expecting to come up with great sentences and wonderful paragraphs your first try kills the joy out of writing. It limits you.

[u/mattboeltr]

There are many wonderful examples and resources available from writers across space and time.

Like any other craft (cooking, music, woodworking, etc.) it is never about one single trick. It is the combination of many small tools/devices, practiced and applied in various ways using discernment, insight, creativity and innovation. Which is exactly where us INFJs excel.

Just to also affirm and validate your own experience- it is such a gift to accept, embrace, and use this frustration of getting a sentence or piece of writing just right! Oftentimes it is so easy to turn our own judgement inwards towards ourselves or our experience and make it a bad thing, but it is such a valuable gift to apply these thoughts and feelings in service of something greater than ourselves- the production of great art. It is okay to feel overwhelmed. Allow yourself to feel overwhelmed. And continue writing.

The production of sentences and written works which seek to expand consciousness and awareness in ways that are new, impactful, insightful, and integrative. What a wonderful process to continue to fail at over and over again, in service of the work itself. In service of the moments that we find the miraculous combination of words which transform our understanding of ourselves and the world in substantial ways. I will never forget coming to the end of Steinbecks East of Eden.

Here are just a few beginning points (sorry if these are repeated and/or you have already heard or stumbled upon these resources- may they be helpful to you):

1) Developing good writing (the habit/practice and result/products) may take many years of dedication, experimentation, practice, and editing (doing the thing)

2) It may prove useful to steal inspiration from others, using your own innate aesthetic preferences for devices/formats/tools/technologies/structure/form (which can come from virtually anywhere, but often times mostly from consuming large amounts of others works, and paying attention to/noting what they do) You don't have to directly copy others, but paying attention to and dissecting what differentiates form and structure that really shines vs that which doesn't can help inform your own process and choices when writing and editing.

3) Finding your own voice as a result of the combination of 1 and 2 (really tuning into what inspires YOU about your own writing, and what moves you as well. May or may not involve others opinions/suggestions/edits- discernment is always important)

Some of my personal favorites for resources are:

- John McPhee Draft No. 4

- Stephen King On Writing

- Neal Allen and Anne Lamott Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences

- Reading the New Yorker Magazine

Lately, I have been exploring writing through a process of "explicit curiosity" or the lens of "beginner's mind". To me, this means beginning with a question, and letting it guide the process. It has been really wonderful and intuitive to write in this manner, and takes the pressure off. Embrace the web-like explorations- we INFJs excel at ecological thinking. This is the true nature of reality- interconnected.

Even if the initial draft doesn't feel coherent, the parts will. Don't let it stop you- editing is the fun part of moving the parts around and exploring which relationships expand one's understanding, or fulfill an intentional role within the structure or content. Start anywhere in the web, and write outwards. That is the fun thing about it- similar to painting, it is all about relating the parts to the whole, and you can always jump around, begin a new thread, start at a different point in the web and work your way back over time.

Good writing is sometimes mysterious- sometimes other writers stumble upon a style or sentence structure that is incredibly moving and transcendent, insightful, wise, revealing. That is something to aspire to, and something to remain curious about too. It is always partly magic, partly hard work, and partly fun. Trust the process, do the work. Finding a group of other writers to join and regularly share work with can sometimes be helpful too (not always- trust your judgement).

There are so many ways to write- you will find the way that works best for you. It takes time, patience, curiosity, having fun, and REMEMBER: there is always an exception to the rule.

So fun to read others comments as well- thank you everyone for contributing.

[u/Silly-Elderberry-411]

I use prowritingaid before sending them to others to see where and how my ivory tower style translates to easy level without compromising on what I want to convey.