Dear reader, you have been ever so patient with me, I am so grateful.
I have decided to put together a little post on wonderful writerly quotes that give me comfort in those dark depressing moments when I think I am wasting time and should just burn the lot, erase the usb drive and delete all files called “Writing” on both computers.
“You start into it, inflamed by an idea, full of hope, full indeed of confidence. If you are properly modest, you will never write at all, so there has to be one delicious moment when you have thought of something, know just how you are going to write it, rush for a pencil, and start in exercise book buoyed up with exaltation. You then get into difficulties, don’t see your way out, and finally manage to accomplish more or less what you first meant to accomplish, though losing confidence all the time. Having finished it, you know it is absolutely rotten. A couple of months later you wonder if it may not be all right after all.” – Agatha Christie
You can change your story anytime you like. Just start a new chapter and begin again. It’s your story.
~Dorothy Mendoza Row
“Start early and work hard. A writer’s apprenticeship usually involves writing a million words (which are then discarded) before he’s almost ready to begin. That takes a while.”
David Eddings
I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter. ~James Michener
Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov
Write your first draft with your heart. Re-write with your head. ~From the movie Finding Forrester
I hate writing, I love having written. ~Dorothy Parker, may not be exact wording
It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous. ~Robert Benchley
“Writing is a lonely job. Having someone who believes in you makes a lot if difference. They don’t have to makes speeches. Just believing is usually enough.” ~ Stephen King
And finally –
Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia ~E.L. Doctorow
That last one makes me laugh. Glad to know I’m in a good crowd!
Don’t give up. I find the more I write, the more I wonder why — and then I read the story and fall in love with it all over again. I need to remember to love the process.
My favourite reader is my husband who loves everything I write and tells me what a great writer I am. Then he pulls the book apart in exactly the right places and challenges me. My daughter shines a laser on the manuscript and CRITIQUES. She tells me things I don’t want to hear always, but are absolutely guaranteed to make the story stronger and me a better writer.
Both are forms of encouragement and I need them. If there’s a way I can encourage you, let me know. I’m always here if you need a friend, a writing buddy, or a kick in the bum. Keep going. You aren’t rubbish, just a writer in the process of writing a great book.
Thanks Deb, I appreciate all the help you give me with my writing, your always encouraging, both you and Leah , and all the great writers I’ve met via facebook 🙂 And I will call on you when I need some writer buddy support.
Any time. I’m always here.
Loved the quotes. Don’t stop writing whatever you do. I reckon the good thing about being self critical is that you’re not always right anyway. Other people see things differently. But it is scary putting your heart into anything.
Thanks for the encouragement Mel, I think the self criticism is part of the process, as it seems even the greatest go through the same highs and lows 🙂