What’s this business of being a writer. It’s just putting one word after another.~ Irving Thalberg If You Can Talk, You Can Write This book by Joel Saltzman is a short inspiring book that I keep on my writing bookshelf to remind myself of just that. It has exercises and prompts throughout the book and… Continue reading One Book on My Writing Bookshelf
Month: June 2007
A Stretch of Cloudless Sky
The ideal view for daily writing, hour on hour, is the blank brick wall of a cold-storage warehouse. Failing this, a stretch of sky will do cloudless if possible.~ Edna Ferber Edna Ferber was called “the greatest American woman novelist of her day” and I’m guessing by this quote it was her habit to write… Continue reading A Stretch of Cloudless Sky
It’s not easy
“Writing is the hardest work in the world. I have been a bricklayer and a truck driver, and I tell you — as if you haven’t been told a million times already — that writing is harder. Lonelier. And nobler and more enriching.”–Harlan Ellison This writing life I have chosen isn’t easy; I have tried… Continue reading It’s not easy
Perfectionism and writing
Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.Robert Schuller We will write when we’re inspired, when the time and all of the conditions are perfect. When the coffee mug is full, the pencils are sharp, the ream of paper is organized just so… What’s wrong with right now? Right now, start your word… Continue reading Perfectionism and writing
Making Money as a Writer
I never had any doubts about my abilities. I knew I could write. I just had to figure out how to eat while doing this.Cormac McCarthy For me it’s been a struggle making a living as a writer and I don’t think I’m alone. But one thing I’ve learned over the years from writers who… Continue reading Making Money as a Writer
Making Sense of it
“Writing is making sense of life. You work your whole life and perhaps you’ve made sense of one small area.” Nadine Gordimer (South African novelist and short-story writer, 1991 Nobel Prize for Literature) Why do you write? If you have a burning need to get words on paper don’t stop now to answer that question.… Continue reading Making Sense of it
A Talent for Writing
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 Are you a talented writer or are you like many published authors…persistent. Many authors will tell you that they don’t believe they are the most talented,… Continue reading A Talent for Writing
Write a Poem and Submit it
A poem begins with a lump in the throat. ~Robert Frost If you find that even writing one page is too daunting, try writing a poem. A poem can be the bridge from lumpy throat to finished work. A poem can slowly ease you into another day of writing.For inspiration read some poems from the… Continue reading Write a Poem and Submit it
Anticipation
Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn’t wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say. ~Sharon O’Brien Did you ever find a piece of your writing that is so good, you don’t ever remember writing it? Find those bits today, the great… Continue reading Anticipation
The Writing Secret
Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret.– Matthew Arnold I think so many writers are looking for something that’s not really there. I’m a firm believer in writing your truth. When you write your truth readers know the difference. Poems become lullabies stories sing.Today, just… Continue reading The Writing Secret