B.I.C. – no I’ll not talking about the lighter, although using a BIC lighter to get a fire going under a stuck writer may not be a bad idea. BIC means, Butt in Chair, this being the best position for a writer. Discipline is what it takes to continue to crank out words. My blogsite is titled: Need More Words, because that is what a writer always needs. I will qualify that; a writer needs more of the RIGHT words. Sometimes it is words for the story and sometimes it is words coming from someone who gives them wisdom or is there to cheer them on.
Today I want to give you some Words of inspiration from other writers.
“The most important thing for a young writer to learn is that writing doesn’t come easy: it’s work. There’s no point in fooling with it unless you have to—unless you have a need to do it. A publisher friend of mine says that most writers are not real writers; they are just people who “want to have written.” Real writers are those who want to write, need to write, have to write.” Robert Penn Warren
“Ask yourself in the quietest hour of your night: must I write? Dig down into yourself for a deep answer. And if this should be in the affirmative, if you may meet this solemn question with a strong and simple, I must, then build your life according to this necessity.” Rainer Maria Rilke
“The moment comes when a character does or says something you hadn’t thought about. At this moment he’s alive and you leave it to him.” Graham Greene (I love this one)
“Writing is simply the writer and the reader on opposite ends of a pencil; they should be as close together as that.” Jay R. Gould
“Hitch your unconscious mind to your writing arm.” Dorothea Brande
“The discipline of the writer is to learn to be still and listen to what his subject has to tell him.” Rachel Carson
“Get black on white.” Guy de Maupassant
“If you wish to be a writer, write.” Epictetus
I will end with that quote.
Happy writing.
Photos: Courtesy: Morguefile
13 comments:
Those are great quotes--and great encouragement as well. Love for writing, passion for writing, is--to me--absolutely essential. Many people can write. In fact, many people can write well. But to reach more people with your words and to make a lifetime career or hobby out of writing, you have to want it with your heart and soul. And you have to know it's for you. Thanks for the post!
Cindy, you have so beautifully described a writer's heart and soul.
Well said. The Career Novelist by Donald Maas mentions those same reasonings for writing.
Thank you for the quotes - great encouragement. I especially liked the BIC comment. I took a break from writing this summer (other than blog posts) because of other things needing attention. I feel refreshed and now hungry to get back to writing.
Jennifer, I have not read any of Donald Maass' writings. I have heard a lot about his "Writing the Breakout Novel." Our library has the Career Novelist, I put a hold on it. Thanks for letting me know about this book.
Joanna, Glad that you are hungry to get back to writing. I pray that you will "get black on white."
You are amazing Diane. Always kind and encouraging and wanting to share you time and talent with others...thank you...tracy
These are wonderful inspiring quotes.
I like -
“The moment comes when a character does or says something you hadn’t thought about. At this moment he’s alive and you leave it to him.”
It's either Pinocchio or Frankenstein - It's alive!
Tracy, Isn't it true that none of us can make it on our own. I love the warp and weft of what God does in our lives. Weaving people together to make a beautiful thing for his kingdom and his glory.
Susan, Pinocchio or Frankenstein, LOL. So what is the name of a character in your writing that has come alive?
All the movies romanticize writing but it is definitely work.
Diane, Great post, great quotes. I like the one by Gould. It's always interesting to me that if I MUST write and I DO, why do I put it off sometimes?
Thanks for the inspiration, Diane! I needed it. My word s are sort of stuck right now.
Hello Diane -
There are too many characters to name that I wish to come alive. Adryan, Anastasia, Ward, ...
I think of Ezekiel 37, when he saw the valley of dry bones. The bones came together, the flesh came back on, and God breathed his Spirit back into them to make them live.
I need His Spirit breathed into my characters. Its a work in progress.
Susan
Great post. I especially love that last quote.
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