One of Gaiman’s most famous metaphors is the "compost heap." He argues that you don’t need to wait for a perfect idea. You need to read widely, watch bad movies, listen to conversations on the bus, and let all that garbage rot together in your unconscious mind. Eventually, out of that compost, a magical mushroom of a story will grow. This liberates writers from the pressure of "originality" in the first draft.
"Stories are the only thing we truly own. They’re how we make sense of the chaos. In this class, I’m not going to give you a formula. Formulas kill stories. I’m going to give you a toolbox." MasterClass - Neil Gaiman Teaches the Art of St...
: Voice is not something you "find," but something that remains once you have written out all the "wrong words". He advises young writers to start with imitation to eventually discover their unique style. The Writer’s Toolbox: Practical Techniques One of Gaiman’s most famous metaphors is the "compost heap
Gaiman famously quit journalism to write comics (losing 90% of his income). He distinguishes between two voices: The Critic (which says "This sentence is garbage") and The Accountant (which says "You are going to starve"). He advises silencing the Accountant during the creative phase. You can't make art while calculating your hourly wage. Later, after the book is done, you can let the Accountant review the contract. This liberates writers from the pressure of "originality"
He holds up a thick stack of rejection slips. "I have a wall of these. From The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction , from publishers, from my own mother. (She said The Graveyard Book was too dark. I ignored her.) The secret to a career is not talent. It’s stubbornness. Finish what you start. Let the work be bad. You can fix bad. You can’t fix nothing. And when you finish? Send it out. Then start the next thing."