Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them

"You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence." —Octavia E. Butler



I'd been writing about three months and was convinced I was going to be the newest literary discovery. That old cliché? Ignorance is bliss? It's a cliché for a reason.



It's all better with friends.

Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them

 "The best thing about writing fiction is that moment were the story catches fire and comes to life on the page, and suddenly it all makes sense and you know what it's about and why you're doing it and what these people are saying and doing, and you get to feel like both the creator and the audience. Everything is suddenly both obvious and surprising and it's magic and wonderful and strange.





You don't live there always when you write. Mostly it's a long hard walk. Sometimes it's a trudge through fog and you're scared you've lost your way and can't remember why you set out in the first place.

But sometimes you fly and that pays for everything." —Neil Gaiman



I want to thank all my lighthouses out there who have guided me through the fog.


It's all better with friends.

Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them

"Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler's heart, kill your darlings." —Stephen King




Earlier this month I killed 10,000 darlings. Last month, 35,000. I'm officially a ms murderer.

(These erasers remind me of scary clowns. Just sayin'.)





It's all better with friends.

Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them

"Remember to load your brain before you shoot your mouth off." —Unknown

Sounds like some western wisdom to me, and although it's appropriate for writers (and everyone else) I thought the amping political climate could use an injection of humor. Wry, but humor.

It's all better with friends.

Wednesday Wisdom for Writers and Those Who Love Them

"Don't get it right, just get it written." —James Thurber



I'm working on this. Really.



It's all better with friends.