Welcome to another installment of Ten Quote Tuesday! If your creative juices have trouble flowing today, then read these quotes to nudge awake the sleeping muse.
If there is a particular quote you enjoyed, let us all know with your comments below.
Check out last week’s episode here.
Quotes
“To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.” -Herman Melville
“. . . All artists’ work is autobiographical. Any writer’s work is a map of their psyche. You can really see what their concerns are, what their obsessions are, and what interests them.” -Kim Addonizio
“A novel rough draft is like bread dough; you need to beat the crap out of it for it to rise.” -Chris Baty
“A good book isn’t written, it’s rewritten.” -Phyllis A. Whitney
“I just sit at my typewriter and curse a bit.” -P.G. Wodehouse
“A writer, I think, is someone who pays attention to the world.” -Susan Sontag
“Becoming a writer is about becoming conscious. When you’re conscious and writing from a place of insight and simplicity and real caring about the truth, you have the ability to throw the lights on for your reader. He or she will recognize his or her life and truth in what you say, in the pictures you have painted, and this decreases the terrible sense of isolation that we have all had too much of.” -Anne Lamott
“A word is not the same with one writer as it is with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket.” -Charles Péguy
“Always carry a notebook. And I mean always. The short-term memory only retains information for three minutes; unless it is committed to paper, you can lose an idea forever.” -Will Self
“Don’t you wish you had a job like mine? All you have to do is think up a certain number of words! Plus, you can repeat words! And they don’t even have to be true!” -Dave Barry
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Image credit: Simon & His Camera via Flickr, Creative Commons.
I love this picture.
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Thanks for these two:
“A novel rough draft is like bread dough; you need to beat the crap out of it for it to rise.” -Chris Baty
“A good book isn’t written, it’s rewritten.” -Phyllis A. Whitney
I am just working on my second draft and the despair at reading the first draft has been difficult to overcome!
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Rewriting is like a treasure hunt. The first draft is a big pile of rocks and dirt (words); rewriting is finding the gems in all those rocks. It’s hard work and it takes hours. Sometimes there are a lot of gems lying around, easy to pick up, and sometimes you have to hunt for them. it’s frustrating and wearisome, but in the end, what you have is something awesome.
Don’t be discouraged. Keep working and you’ll have an awesome book. I’m just rewriting my first published book (I have the rights back). It’s not bad, really, but I’ve changed in my writing style, so want to see what I can do with it this time. I can see my weaknesses. and it’s okay — I can just make this book stronger.
You can do it too. Best luck on the rewrite.
Deb
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Thanks for the support. I have found a some gems and will keep going, but at the moment it just feels like there’s a long way to go…
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Reblogged this on jbiggarblog and commented:
Sometimes as writers we just need a little nudge in the right direction 🙂
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I especially like the PG Wodehouse quote! Thanks!
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Susan Sontag … we may not look like it, and we may not see the things other people see, but in our own way, we’re always paying attention. 🙂
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Some good ones today!
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The only redeeming quality of Tuesday is TQT. As always – thanks, Ryan.
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Awe thanks!
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Love the Chris Baty quote. My new mantra! Thanks!
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Loved the Chris Baty quote. That was funny, and very true. LOL
They are all great, though. Thanks
Deb
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Beating the crap out of rewrites is something that I am not yet skilled at doing…. Hence, my love for flash fiction. The rounds on the ring for the beatings are shorter.
Always carry a notebook…. not there yet either.
This week you outdid yourself! Great advice!
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