thoughts on writing
“You have to finish things — that’s what you learn from, you learn by finishing things.”
James Clear • 3-2-1: How to stick to a new habit, how to handle criticism, and 4 types of wealth
We are writers, and we never ask one another where we get our ideas; we know we don’t know.
Stephen King • On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft (A Memoir of the Craft (Reissue))
So many writers write small, shallow things in a complicated, difficult style. I think what I want to do is write serious, complicated, difficult things in a very easy style that is fluid and comfortable to read.
Deborah Treisman • The Underground Worlds of Haruki Murakami
I don’t write to simply generate a 1,200 word output. I consider writing to be an extension of my curiosity, and the writing process itself is what turns a rough idea into a finished product. [...] Writing is a metamorphosis that turns vague abstractions into novel ideas, but you have to go through the writing process to connect the various points... See more
Thomas Klaffke • From Chasing Goals To Falling In Love With The Process
If you have a plan—if you know the end when you start—it’s no fun to write that novel.
Be kind to yourself. Give yourself room. There are years to go. Don’t pummel yourself with expectation. Go easy. Your material will eventually find its way to voice.
Kurt Vonnegut • Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style
This applies to life not just writing
My only ritual for writing is that I do it every morning. I wake up and get to work.
Walter Mosley • This Year You Write Your Novel
‘Blog posts’ might be the answer. But I have read blogs for many years and most blog posts are the triumph of the hare over the tortoise. They are meant to be read by a few people on a weekday in 200420ya and never again, and are quickly abandoned—and perhaps as Assange says, not a moment too soon. (But isn’t that sad? Isn’t it a terrible ROI fo... See more