Writing as a Form of Play

I've been reading a new book about the writing process entitled If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland. Her take on it is amazing and I actually agree 100% with what she says. She says that we all have creative potential but that we consistently constrict it by claiming that we must sound a certain way or by fearing that we'll write something terrible. We also set limits by looking exclusively for extrinsic rewards for our craft when we actually can get plenty of intrinsic satisfaction. If we want to paint, sculpt, do wood work or write, we need to approach each art-form as a child would, from the energy of play. And part of this means that we also need to accept the fact that idleness is often part of the process. She states that we shouldn't fret if we sit in front of our journals or laptops gazing into space while we stroke our hair. Inspiration comes in quietly and if you sit and wait for it, your muse/inspiration might just start to slowly blossom giving you a grand idea to work with. Being alone and idle is good for the artist and the more we relax the more we allow things to flow.
In her classes she says she sometimes challenges everyone to write the most terrible story they can and surprises everyone when they find out that no one can. When you accept the idea of writing awfully, then suddenly you can't do it, but when we fret about it, all that we spew out is clunky, awkward or wordy. Although, she also turned it into a game so the whole room probably became very playful and relaxed.
Another interesting thing she talks about is that readers know when the writer is being insincere or dishonest. And by this I mean, whenever the writer is trying too hard for the reader to reach a certain conclusion. They want the reader to see their hero as ________, ________, and _________ so they do everything they can to make it clear to the reader instead of allowing the flow and the pace of the story to gradually reveal those qualities. Doing things like this will make the reader doubt the writer's descriptions. Writers need to write what feels true to them and recognize that what feels true today might not feel true tomorrow because our flow of emotions is constantly evolving.