The act of writing is like digging endless ditches with the mind. It requires dogged determination with very little promise of reward. At times, the shovel plunges into rich, loamy soil. Thoughts and ideas fairly fly onto the page. But, more often, you hear the ominous clang of metal striking rock and realize the words must now be pried out in a long, painful process. Since my soil is usually filled with rocks, I've found the following quotes helpful when I feel like throwing my shovel away.
"Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor. Perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness and playfulness and life force. Clutter is a wonderfully fertile ground--you can still discover new treasures under all those piles, clean things up, edit things out, fix things, get a grip."
-Anne Lamott, Bird By Bird
"I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent re-writer."
-James Michener
"I try to leave out the parts people skip."
-Elmore Leonard
"Easy reading is damn hard writing."
-Nathaniel Hawthorne
"There is no Idea Dump, no Story Central, no Island of the Buried Bestsellers; good stories seem to come quite literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky."
-Stephen King, On Writing
"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."
-William Wordsworth
"The best time for planning a book is when you're doing the dishes."
-Agatha Christie
"You will be published if you posses three qualities: talent, passion and discipline. You will probably be published if you possess two of the three qualities in either combination--either talent and discipline or, passion and discipline. You will likely be published if you possess neither talent nor passion but still have discipline. But, if all you possess is talent or passion, if all you possess is talent and passion, you will not be published."
-Elizabeth George, Write Away
Still need some encouragement?
Click the audio player below to hear Marilee's favorite "keep your chin up" song... 222nd Wind by Kacey Jones
