Natalie Goldberg says . . . “First thoughts have tremendous energy. It is the way the mind first flashes on something.” Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones. Nat’s quote perfectly describes what a free write can do . . . opens us up to ideas and thoughts that lie within us. Try it. Go to the prompts category here or here and choose a prompt. Then write . . . freely. Just Write!
Category: Quotes
An author is an amateur who never quits. — Richard Bach
I love discovering new things about writers. You might remember Richard Bach as the author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. I enjoy Richard’s Bach’s musings. . . here’s the beginning of his September 7, 2014 blog post: “I AM SO SLOW! All my life there have been bright and clear events, all of them happening in plain sight, but I haven’t noticed them, till all of a sudden now. They’ve never been secrets, they’re like friendly dogs, going for walks with me year after year, and I never noticed.” You might enjoy posts by Richard Bach. October 25, 2014 was the publication date of the New Edition of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. It’s the complete edition, with Part 4, written immediately after Part 3, years ago, but never published with the first parts.
Sweet memories are woven from the good times
Sweet memories are woven from the good times. Author unknown. From Marlene: Your writing comes from memory, imagination, good times and bad. Share your memories through your writing. Create good times for readers. Weave your words, like threads on a loom, into a pattern that others can enjoy. Share your story.
“The biggest difference between a writer and a would-be writer . . .”
“The biggest difference between a writer and a would-be writer is their attitude toward rewriting. . . . Unwillingness to revise usually signals an amateur.” — Sol Stein
Art connects us.
“It’s a very deep experience for so many people to read ‘Wild’ and feel what they feel, because of course they’re not feeling it about my life, but about their own. And that’s what art does. It reminds us that we are more alike than different and that our common humanity connects us really profoundly.” — Cheryl Strayed, author of “Wild.”
” . . . it’s not the most gifted. . .” — Norman Mailer
“In writing, as in so many pursuits, it’s not the most gifted but the most determined who succeed.” — Norman Mailer
Maya Angelou sez . . .
Maya Angelou said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Okay, friends. . . you heard The Lady . . . Write! From Marlene: Don’t keep your story bottled up inside you. Write it out. Don’t know what to write about? Check out the prompts on The Write Spot Blog. Choose one. Set your timer for 15 or 20 minutes and Just Write! You can also find writing prompts here.
There is more treasure in books . . .
“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates’ loot on Treasure Island and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life.” — Walt Disney
Writing from the other person’s perspective.
“It’s not easy for us to see the world from another person’s perspective, but as writers, we must do exactly that.” Emily Hanlon, “Falling Down the Rabbit Hole” December 2007 Writer’s Digest Magazine
Doo-dee-da-dee-dum-dee . . .
“Caryl Pagel’s poems float and drift and alight in just the right places.” From “How I Write” in The October 2014 issue of The Writer magazine. Caryl says, “I start with a doo-dee-da-de-dee-dum-dee in mind and rhyme it with a bloop-bee-doop-bee, or something like that. A clearing of the throat. A hum.” Marlene’s Musings: Sounds like a good way to write just about anything. I love watching words fall into place and enjoy the sounds and rhythm of words . . . this goes for prose as well as poetry. How do you feel about words and sounds and rhythm? Tell us, we want to know.