Quote by Wallace Stevens

has a similar ring to it as one by Leonardo who said something like the form was already in the marble before he took up mallet and chisel.

Steppe said:

"While there is nothing automatic about the poem, nevertheless it has an automatic aspect in the sense that it is what I wanted it to be without knowing before it was written what I wanted it to be, even though I knew before it was written what I wanted to say".

Mark Strand "The Weather of Words" p71.

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Yes, what we want to say and what comes out sometimes are totally different. We never know what form it will take under whose perceptions even though we see it as it was within us before coming out.

I often think that's the sort of vision I'd like to have. However, what I've found is that it seldom comes to me (but, sometimes, it does). Sounds kind of like your world, Steppe.

What happens more often with me is that I find a word, a phrase, or some nebulous concept (say, "I want to write a sestina") that turns into something, that takes on its own life and form as I go.

If I could be sure which approach was more successful - or even more fun - I might stick to it.

My mother the Ph.D. often reminded me that, for every truth, there is an equal and opposite truth. In that light, I'm reminded of a quote I saw a few months ago. It said, in some form, the following: Inspiration doesn't always come when it's needed; therefore, a writer needs a plan for dealing with the intervening time.

I'll dig up the exact wording and source of the quote.