Fun with Writing Quotes

WRITE!

That’s right, that’s what today is about.

Writer’s write. That’s what we do when we cut to the basics—when we ignore the pesky guidelines, when we push aside the outlines and the character sheets, when we manage to BICHOK—Writers write.

But sometimes, we reach a point where we get discouraged. Or we suffer from a bout of writer’s block. Or life keeps getting in the way.

How about a little inspiration? Let’s explore some fun quotes on writing.

You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you. ~Ray Bradbury

Well, if that isn’t a call to write every day, I don’t know what is. Writing is like any talent, I’m sure. It fades a bit if you don’t use it. Don’t use it long enough, and it has to be redeveloped—if it’s even still there.

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow

Yes! The voices in my head are normal. I just tell people I’m a writer, and suddenly it’s okay that I talk to myself, answer myself, carry on whole conversations with myself. And it’s only mildly amusing when I start dancing around the living room as I act out scenes.

I try to leave out the parts that people skip. ~Elmore Leonard
Noble advice—good habit. DO NOT write the parts people skip. ‘Nuff said.

The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible. ~Vladimir Nabakov

I included this quote because one thing I love about the blank page is the infinite possibilities. As writers, we have the power to make anything happen. Anything. If we want a hero to rescue a damsel-in-distress, we can. If we want the damsel to save the hero, hey, more power to our uniqueness. If we want aliens to come down from outer space and zap the hero and damsel to their spaceship and do experiments on them—well, we may need a little help—but it’s still entertainment!

Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov

This quote just makes me want to go back through my manuscript and find as many “moons” as I can to improvise a more elegant way of showing. A challenge issued—I will prevail!

Ink and paper are sometimes passionate lovers, oftentimes brother and sister, and occasionally mortal enemies. ~Terri Guillemets

A wonderful quote of the overall writing experience. I know that there are many days where I fight to get words on the page; it’s like dragging a cat to the bathtub. But there are quite a few days where I don’t struggle so hard and manage some decent headway. Then there are those rare days when it all just clicks. The characters, the plot, action, dialogue—it’s all working and I write with such fervor until I am completely spent.

What’s your experience?

Successful People

For those who follow my Twitter/Facebook updates, you know that I’ve had trouble getting back into my novel. Due to severe morning sickness and general lack of motivation, I have barely touched my novel since last December. Add to that a healthy dose of guilt because I’m not working and let’s just say I haven’t been in a good place when it comes to writing and anything writing related.

By some miracle, though, this past week and a half I’ve had a strong desire to write. Something. Anything. Hence the increase in blog post frequency (aren’t you the lucky ones?). However, a couple of days ago, that ambition became more focused. Work on your novel. Still, every time I even pull it out and look at it, I feel totally lost. Like the time away has distanced me too much from the novel to move on. So what do I do now?

I chatted with a friend online and she tried to encourage me and help me draw up some kind of plan…but I still wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t know these characters anymore. I remembered there was a lot I wanted to change about the plot, but couldn’t recall exactly what. I began to feel that familiar sense of defeat.

Then I ran across this quote on a friend’s Facebook update:

“Successful people pull dreams from the sky, put work clothes on them and call them Goals.” –Dave Ramsey

For some reason, after reading that quote, everything snapped into place. My motivation, a plan, and a reason to keep at it. The quote itself didn’t seem to have a lot to do with my situation, I still don’t think it does. What stuck out to me was the fact that dreams take work. Not that I didn’t already know that, but I think I needed that reminder. Writing is not an easy pursuit. Like an unused muscle, I can’t expect to jump back in and be able to just go like I did before. I have to build up to it. Work at it.

I’ve decided to print out what I have of my novel and do a good read through. If at the end I feel inspired enough to finish the last 20-25K, I’ll do that. If all the stuff I want to change still weighs heavy on my mind, I might just have to go back and fix the novel first. Ready or not…here I go!