What’s the difference between fluently speaking and fluently writing? I think it’s obvious. Nevertheless, let me philosophize about it. Let me ask: where are no differences between them? Both mean doing something without stopping, without looking for vocabulary, without long pauses. That’s clear. But where are the differences?
Of course, while writing, you have more time for thinking—but not looking for vocabulary, not trying to translate. You just write it down as it flows in your mind. But you have a little more advantage if you write: you can omit some words or replace them with a German equivalent and look for them later. So, you don’t need to stop writing. Bother not about the fluency of words but of the fluency of thoughts.
You can write yourself into a flow. That’s essentially important for creative writing and also essential for writing in your target language. Only in this way you get the chance to write a well-rounded text, like this one and to pick up words from your passive vocabulary asset.
But when I now change my topic after these introductory remarks, and, for instance, want to start speaking about the craftsmen I am now waiting for—to replace our old defective washing machine with the new one—then I have to switch to another vocabulary set, which I may or may not know. Well, I dare to jump into a new field: transportation of the old machine, and taking care not to damage my sensitive floor.
Yesterday we had to prepare this replacement: to loosen all the cables and hoses from the water taps. Which wasn’t simple, because all the parts had not been moved for about six years. I had to move them very carefully, because I was afraid of damaging some parts of the threads. So I used oil to make them more movable. I managed it, and I was proud of my handcraft skills.