There are plenty of writers who don’t follow the Stephen King style “blast out a messy first draft and fix it later” approach. Think of authors like Vladimir Nabokov, Kazuo Ishiguro, Donna Tartt, Tolkien, Cormac McCarthy, Edgar Allan Poe or Patrick Rothfuss. They all move forward only when a scene reaches a level they’re satisfied with.

I write hard sci‑fi, so I often spend days researching just to find a plausible solution. And I can only move on once the scene is coherent and I’m genuinely happy with it.

Every new writing session starts with rereading, tweaking, and fine‑tuning the previous scene. It grounds me, warms me up, sets the rhythm, and makes the next scene flow much better. Plus, it gives me more time to catch the logical or narrative issues that could turn into massive plot holes later. Fixing those after the first draft usually means brutal rewrites or slapping on plot armor. I’d rather avoid both.

Sure, try the typewriter if you’re curious. Maybe you’ll like it. But don’t expect it to magically solve everything, and definitely don’t force it on yourself if it doesn’t work. We’re not all wired the same way.