A Short List: 6 Writing Quotes You Need Today
I love a good quote, especially the ones that make you smile, give you pause, or make you feel less alone. These made me do all three.
“If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.”
— Margaret Atwood
In my thirties, life felt hectic as I tried to balance work and little kids. A love of writing hung over my head, but I didn’t have the energy, time, or inspiration. I felt guilty about not writing more, as if I was betraying myself. Slowly I started again, in small chunks, sometimes just wrote an idea or a phrase to come back to. I realized I was never going to have the perfect time to write carved out, much less the perfect words, but regardless, I was doing it. I am doing it.
“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”
— Anais Nin
Lately I’ve been working on essays about my international travels. Recreating the landscape, the food, and the stories from Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Mexico feels like creating a scrapbook with words. I savored each experience years ago, but the memories, carefully crafted on paper, are also so sweet. I hope my readers feel the same.
When your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of excess fat. This is going to hurt; revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done.”
— Stephen King
In the spirit of “kill off your darlings,” (perhaps one of the best quotes/pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten as a writer) this one reminded me to keep paring down my work to the best bare essentials. It often means removing the details I love but aren’t important to the essay or story, or maybe they just belong in another piece. This step definitely burns, but the final product is much improved.
If you haven’t read Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, I highly recommend doing so. The story of his roots and rising success is as riveting as all his other work, with wonderful writing advice sprinkled in.
4. I don’t like to write, but I love to have written.”— Michael Kanin
I edit with a very heavy hand, questioning ever word (in a poem) and every idea or thread (in a story or essay). The process (for me definitely) can be treacherous but reading a finished piece I’m proud of: magical.
5. A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.”
— Thomas Mann
I felt validated when I first stumbled upon this quote. I’m not the only one! It’s not just writing, it’s writing well. It’s writing for a broad base of readers. It’s writing to capture an emotion or moment succinctly. Yes, writing is difficult for me. I am scattered and slow. Self-doubt looms. Yet difficult tasks are often the most worth it, so here I am.
6. Write drunk, edit sober.”
— Ernest Hemingway
My process in Microsoft Word is the equivalent of crumpled balls of paper around a small trashcan (writing, deleting, deleting, re-writing, deleting, re-writing). I am constantly editing, but when I allow myself the freedom to let it flow, usually encouraged by a teacher in a class, I’ve surprised myself at what comes out. Like how you may feel with a glass of wine or two, let yourself go a little.
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While there are workshops, groups, and MFA programs, the act of writing is a solitary endeavor. Yet we are never truly alone in our pursuits and struggles. For anyone who likes to write or even has the gull to call themselves a writer, I hope these make you feel part of a community.