What is Gateless Writing?

A meditative labyrinth as seen at the 2022 Gateless Writing Teacher Training in Madison, CT.

Picture this: You, like many of us, want more creativity in your life. So you schedule a writing session in your calendar just like any other appointment. But when you sit down to write, every word feels wrong. You can’t seem to get more than a sentence out before you second guess yourself and erase everything you’ve written so far.

Why is it so difficult to sit down and do something I actually want to do? you wonder. You worry that you simply don’t have any good ideas, or that your writing abilities just aren’t up to snuff. Maybe you’re not as creative as you thought, and your writer’s block is proof that you should just give up.

I have some news for you, friend. The problem in this scenario isn’t you. The problem is the idea that receiving criticism is the only way to make better art.

Each of us has an inner critic that began to grow when we were small, fed by experiences that made us feel scared, ashamed, or “less than.” Your inner critic learned from these moments and began to build walls to keep you safe from feeling these emotions again. But when it comes to unlocking creative potential and exploring the self through art, the critic often keeps us from showing up authentically on the page because it paralyzes us with the fear of rejection. In other words, we criticize ourselves before someone else can.

Enter the Gateless Writing method, a framework developed by acclaimed author and Fulbright Scholar Suzanne Kingsbury. Based on principles of Zen inquiry and creative neuroscience, the Gateless method removes the fear of rejection from the creative generation process, allowing you to quiet your inner critic and access parts of the self that have been locked away.

You have a voice and a story to tell, and Gateless has the power to amplify it.

How Gateless Works

The Gateless method creates a safe “container” — a supportive environment where creativity thrives rather than withers. This is achieved by setting guidelines around how writers treat themselves and others in the circle and by creating a structure for giving and receiving feedback on the work that is produced.

Each Gateless salon begins with a short meditation or reflection, which varies depending on who is leading the workshop. It can include everything from breathwork to music to creative movement, but the goal is always to help you connect with your body and begin to the open the mind. The salon leader then offers a short prompt designed to spark new ideas or direction for your writing session.

During 15–25 minutes of independent writing, you are free to follow where the prompt leads you or explore something completely different altogether. The only requirement is that you create new work during the session (the circle is not designed for editing writing created outside of the workshop) and that your writing does not exclude, disenfranchise, disrespect, or support violence against historically marginalized and oppressed groups.

As you write, try to let the piece unfold naturally rather than trying to control its trajectory. If you get stuck, attempt to tap into the five senses, and allow yourself to follow whatever comes up for you, even if that means writing about what it feels like to be stuck. Don’t worry about things like punctuation, grammar, or spelling.

Then it is time for feedback. Each writer in the Gateless circle will have an opportunity to read their work aloud. The key guideline here is not to explain or disclaim the work before you share. As you read, the other participants will listen closely for things that stand out to them and may take notes to help them during the feedback portion.

When commenting on the work, Gateless participants provide feedback only on what they loved about the piece or what struck them as powerful and resonant. This is not the time for criticism, suggestions, or advice. Each piece is treated as fiction, and comments should always pertain to the piece itself and the way craft is used within it, not the writer as an individual.

To make this separation of the self from the work more distinct, any feedback around the voice or perspective in the piece must always refer to the “narrator” or the “author” rather than addressing the writer by name or as “you.” The reader’s job is to listen quietly and to resist responding to comments, explaining the piece, or asking for suggestions.

The magic of Gateless isn’t just in the writing. It’s also in the process of deep active listening. As you listen for what moves or inspires you in another writer’s work, you begin to notice craft techniques and creative approaches you want to try in your own writing. What’s more, hearing other writers receive supportive feedback on their craft choices primes your brain to be less fearful of experimenting with something new.

A pivotal aspect of creating a Gateless environment is confidentiality: What’s read in the circle stays in the circle, and writers are encouraged to resist the urge to ask other participants for advice or additional thoughts outside of the workshop.

The Science Behind Gateless

Our brains are intrinsically wired to focus on the negative. That’s because in the early stages of human evolution, we needed to focus on potential threats around us in order to survive. But as neuropsychologist Dr. Rick Hanson argues, we can actually shift this hard-wired “negativity bias” by training the brain to focus on the positive. This is essentially what Gateless does—it reinforces positive associations with writing, teaching the mind to recognize creating and sharing your art as something that feels good.

This is not the only way Gateless draws from our scientific understanding of the brain. Some research has linked heightened creative thought to lower levels of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter and hormone that is released during the body’s “fight or flight” response. This study found that subjects with lower norepinephrine levels were more likely to make novel connections and discover new ideas during creative innovation. That means the elevated levels of norepinephrine associated with stress and anxiety — such as anxiety around being rejected or criticized — can prevent your brain from accessing its full creative potential.

Gateless methodology builds on this concept by developing creative spaces that are less likely to trigger your fight or flight impulse. When you enter a Gateless circle, you can expect deep, focused attention on your work and nurturing feedback on your strengths. Your brain is no longer preoccupied with worry about how your writing will be received, and therefore has less reason to produce norepinephrine that can inhibit creativity.

Research on the brains of jazz musicians found that during spontaneous improvisation, processes in the prefrontal cortex associated with conscious control and self-monitoring were suppressed. This left the limbic centers of the brain, which are involved in behavioral and emotional responses, unregulated. In other words, removing critical analysis from the creative process allowed the musicians to access heightened emotion and shut off self-censorship.

There is still much we don’t know about the brain, but we do know this: when we let go of our inhibitions, our creativity can soar. And that’s exactly what Gateless Writing is designed for.

See for Yourself

Interested in experiencing a Gateless salon for yourself? As a certified Gateless Writing teacher, I will be hosting a free virtual Gateless Writing workshop on Dec. 8 from 8 to 10 p.m. ET to introduce my community to the power of this method. To keep the session intimate and ensure everyone has time to read aloud and receive feedback, this event will be capped at 10 participants and advanced registration is required. Head to this link to sign up!