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For the past few weeks, I've been battling a bad case of bronchitis, which is part of the reason I haven't updated lately. So, partly to remedy my recent lack of content and partly to indulge my own desire to blog again, I've decided to present a list of wonderful quotes on writing. The following 20 quotes should give you plenty to think about where your writing is concerned and will hopefully motivate, encourage, and inspire you to keep on keeping on!
The Quotes
"The chief glory of every people arises from its writers." ~Samuel Johnson~
"The good writer seems to be writing about himself, but has his eye always on that thread of the Universe which runs through himself and all things." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~
"It is by sitting down to write every morning that one becomes a writer." ~Gerald Brenan~
"The best antidote to writer's block is ... to write." ~Henriette Anne Klauser~
"One writes out of one thing only--one's own experience. Everything depends on how relentlessly one forces from the experience the last drop, sweet or bitter, it can possibly give." ~James Baldwin~
Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish. ~John Jakes~
Writing eases my suffering ... writing is my way of reaffirming my own existence. ~Gao Xingjian~
"One writes to make a home for oneself, on paper, in time and in others' minds. ~Alfred Kazin~
I must write it all out, at any cost. Writing is thinking. It is more than living, for it is being conscious of living. ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh~
"A classic is classic not because it conforms to certain structural rules, or fits certain definitions (of which its author had quite probably never heard). It is classic because of a certain eternal and irrepressible freshness." ~Edith Wharton~
"The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think." ~Edwin Schlossberg~
"A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: 1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?" ~George Orwell~
"Keep writing. Keep doing it and doing it. Even in the moments when it's so hurtful to think about writing." ~Heather Armstrong~
"You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist." ~Isaac Asimov~
"The first step in blogging is not writing them but reading them." ~Jeff Jarvis~
"The way you define yourself as a writer is that you write every time you have a free minute. If you didn't behave that way you would never do anything." ~John Irving~
"A writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, because everything she does is golden. In my view, a writer is a writer because even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway." ~Junot Diaz~
"Inspiration is wonderful when it happens, but the writer must develop an approach for the rest of the time ... The wait is simply too long." ~Leonard Bernstein~
"Learn as much by writing as by reading." ~Lord Acton~
"There's always something to write about. If there's not then you need to live life more aggressively." ~Min Kim~
So, get out and live--and then sit down and write!
To your success!
Jeanne
Sources:
Love Quotes and Quotations
ThinkExist.com
The Quotations Page
Do you enjoy reading quotes on writing? How do they help motivate and inspire you? Which of the above quotes are your favorites?
"Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives." (Viktor Frankl)
Some of the wisest observations about life have an uncanny way of applying not just to life in general but to specific, narrow segments of it. For example, if we substitute "writing" for "life" in the above quote, we'll see just how true this statement is.
Inspiration: Driven to Write
Many of us write because we feel driven to write, because writing is such an integral part of our intellectual makeup that we can hardly imagine not writing. In fact, putting pen to paperor hands to keyboardcomes as naturally to us as breathing. And in one sense at least, for us writing is breathing, because when we write, we freely inhale the crisp, clear air of expansive thought before exhaling a stream of ideas, fully formed, to the world. That's why the highest form of this unbounded inflow of ideas is called Inspiration.
Planning and Goals: When Inspiration Tarries
Our inner drive to express ourselves through the written word does much to motivate us in our quest to have our ideas heard, to influence others, to make our mark on society, to earn recognition, and yes, even to change the world. Yet, the Inspiration that fuels that drive often eludes usparticularly in the early stages of the creative process. And this is where the pull of goals can spur us on, drawing us forward and giving us the impetus to begin writing and to stay with the task until Inspiration deigns to visit us.
Bridging the Gap Between Goals and Inspiration
This is such an important lesson for writers to learn. Though Inspiration is certainly the ideal for which we continually strive, it may sometimes be a luxury for which we simply cannot wait. When deadlines loom or personal projects seem stalled, we often must depend on the conscious goals we've previously set for our work to keep us on track and prevent us from giving up. Then, as we allow the magnetic attraction of our personal or professional plans to lure us forward, we so often find our project suddenly picking up speedgaining forward thrust, if you willas the subconscious motivator called Inspiration gradually kicks in and begins actively propelling us toward our deliberately orchestrated outcome.
Recognizing the Value of Planning
Our favorite writing times, of course, are those where Inspiration is our early visitor, coming upon us unannounced and uninvitedand particularly when this well-loved yet often fickle visitor's influence precedes, or even initiates, a project. Yet, it's wonderful to know that even when Inspiration tarries, we always have our old friend Planning to get us on our way!
While Inspiration may be our closest friend, let's not ignore our loyal sidekick Planning, who will always be there, standing quietly in the wings, patiently waiting to help us achieve our literary goals.
To goals and inspiration!
Jeanne
What have you discovered about goals and drives, planning and inspiration, as you've traveled your own writing path?
Join the Conversation!
If you love blogging, social media, and other Web-related activitiesand enjoy writing about themyou won't want to miss this opportunity to get in on Age of Conversation 3! Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton are gearing up for their third annual collaborative AOC book project, for which they plan to bring together 300 authors from a multitude of backgrounds, fields of expertise, and geographical locations.
Last year's AOC 2 cover
Choose Your TopicBefore it's Filled!
Like Age of Conversation 2, AOC 3 will be divided into "themes," of which there will be 10. If you hurry, you'll get your choice of any one of the 10; however, only 30 authors will be allowed into each category, so your promptness (or lack of it) will determine whether or not you get your top choice.
Busy? AOC Writing Is a Breeze!
All of us live incredibly busy lives, but one great thing about AOC 3 (and its predecessors) is that each author's contribution to the project is a single 400-word chapter on his/her chosen topic. So you can see that this isn't an extremely time-consuming project. In fact, I'm confident that if you decide to get involved, you'll actually enjoy this wonderful opportunity to wax eloquent on whatever aspect of Web relations ignites your passion and sparks your imagination. An AOC chapter is the equivalent of a medium-length blog post or a short essay; so most writers/bloggers should have no trouble at all fitting it into their schedules.
Hurry to Ensure Your AOC 3 Slot!
Slots are going fast (almost half had already been filled by previous AOC authors by the time the call for authors went public); so, if you think you might be interested in participating, don't wait!
For more information about the project, visit Drew's and Gavin's blogs and get the inside scoop:
Age of Conversation III -- call for authors, at Drew's Marketing Minute
Calling All Authors It's the Age of Conversation 3, at Servant of Chaos
Let Your Words Countfor Posterity and Charity!
Like previous AOC projects, all proceeds from Age of Conversation 3 will go to charity. This year's recipient has yet to be determined; however, I understand that authors will have a say in choosing the organization that will benefit from AOC's profits this year. (Both previous AOC editions raised funds for Variety Children's Charity.)
Get on Board! The AOC 3 Train Is Ready to Leave the Station!
Why not become an AOC 3 author and use your writing talent, social media savvy, life experience, and/or business acumen to help make both the virtual world and the real one a better place!
See you in Age of Conversation 3!
Jeanne
What are your thoughts on participating in a collaborative book project such as this one, where all proceeds are donated to charity? Would the altruistic aspect be enough to inspire you to participate--or would your need for monetary compensation make you less likely to become involved? Would the wider exposure, the lure of having your work appear in print, and/or the great PR of donating your skills to a worthy cause play into your decision at all? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
September 29th 2009 20:02
I recently wrote a post about increasing your writing income by selling reprints. To help you get started doing that, I'd like to point you to a few of the many publications that accept previously published work. You'll find many more on such websites as Duotrope's Digest (which is where I found these
[ Click here to read more ]
September 26th 2009 22:38
September 21st 2009 19:00
September 17th 2009 18:04
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Comment by Jeanne Dininni
on A Few Quotes on Writing to Keep You Encouraged and Inspired
Writer's Notes
Bronchitis is certainly no fun, is it? And, for such an unwelcome "guest," it certainly does seem to hang around long enough! Can't wait to be rid of it! (Remind me not to "invite" it back again next year!)
I love quotes about writing--and other topics as well. The Asimov quote is a great one. How easy it is for us to give up when we don't meet with instant acceptance, which is only natural. But, I think we need to keep our goals and dreams firmly in mind, refuse to give up, and stubbornly pursue the prize. It's the only way to gain any measure of success.
Thanks for sharing!
Jeanne