I’ve been checking in for the last 8 weeks about Sekrit Project, the middle grade fantasy that I’m drafting (see my awesome writing partners Sheri, Margo, and C. Lee). This week, I’m in the final push to complete the MS before I go to my writing conference Write by the Lake next week at the Univ. of Wisconsin (can’t wait! can’t wait! can’t wait!). I may or may not reach my goal, but I’m going to take a short blogging break until Friday to give it all my focus.
Plus, I have Focus Cat to help me:
Being focused will help, but your encouragement has been an amazing support as well, so I wanted to give a little something back.
From now until Friday, just leave a comment with your favorite writing quote, and you’ll be entered in a GIVEAWAY of a book of your choice (open to my international friends as well, because encouragement has no geographic boundaries on the interwebs).
My favorite quote: The worst enemy to creativity is self doubt. – Sylvia Plath
I’ll be writing like a mad woman until Friday (which means NO WEDNESDAY POST).
Be sure to check back on Friday to find out the winner AND for the unveiling of the title for Sekrit Project (it shall be sekrit no more!).
Heard that's a great conference. You can do it! The quote is off a poster in my elementary school nurse's office: keep on keepin' on!
Well, I'm not a writer, but I have a 10-year-old who writes stories like crazy. 🙂 I did come across a couple of quotes that I liked however:
"What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure." – Samuel Johnson
and
"I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter" — James Michener
I'm new to your blog and appreciate all your book suggestions for middle grade and teens — I've got 4 kids (ages 6-12) who all love to read so we need lots to keep everybody busy over the summer. Hope you have a great experience at the writing conference!
Write by the Lake sounds like a wonderful name for a writing conference! And finishing your novel right before you go has got to have you on a real buzz for the conference. I hope you come back and tell us all about it! Here's my fave quote– it's on my blog–
"Write something to suit yourself and many people will like it; write something to suit everybody and scarcely anyone will care for it." (Jesse Stuart)
Oooh, I love that Plath quote. HAve fun at your retreat *jealous*
"One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now."
~ Annie Dillard
Good luck in the home stretch, Susan!! 🙂
Oooh, I want a Focus Cat.
"There's a hell of a distance between wise-cracking and wit. Wit has truth in it; wise-cracking is simply calisthenics with words."
— Dorothy Parker
Oh I love that focused cat! Adding that to my desktop to help with motivation. good luck with your big writing push and can't wait to hear about the Lake conference. Just the name alone sounds drool-worthy.
I just discovered three wonderful quotes from Saumya dave's blog:
"Creative people tend to tolerate uncertainty better"
"Writing allows us to reflect and reflection prevents burnout because we can derive meaning from what we are doing all the time."
"The world wants us to fit into templated narratives and it's a writer's duty to defy that want."
Who to attribute them to? Saumya herself and her literature-loving friends.
"Everyone is talented, original, and has something important to say."
-Brenda Ueland
Write on, Sue!
@Everyone Thanks for the great quotes! They are very motivating! 🙂
Good luck with the final push to finish your WIP.
Favorite writing quote? I'm fond of this one:
"I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell…"
– Richard Wright
"There is a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don't, and the secret is this: It's not the writing that is hard. What's hard is sitting down to write."
— David Mack, from Kabuki: The Alchemy
I admire your dedication and am rooting for you as you cross the finish line.
"I try to leave out the parts that people skip." ~Elmore Leonard
Sounds easy, right?
Have fun in Madison. It's such a beautiful town, we named our daughter after it.
Oh, sure, I have all kinds of quotes in my head until I actually need them. 😛
Good luck with the writing!
To choose just one quote!!! I always go back to C.S. Lewis's advice on writing from Letters to Children:
"In writing. Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the things you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us the thing is “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers “Please, will you do my job for me.”
Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say “infinitely” when you mean “very”; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite."
But then, today, I was reading a blog, and the end of it made me want to stand up and cheer. It may be my NEW favorite writing quote.
"The pen may be mightier than the sword, but it is not mightier than Jesus. He is not limited by genre. He shines in both light and dark writing. He won’t refuse to let you see Him through writing that is less than perfect. He is not diminished by “fluffy” writing. We as writers, as humans, simply don’t have the power to filter Him." ~Kat Heckenbach
http://newauthors.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/put-down-your-sword-and-write/
Now back to the journey to "The End." I'll race you!! =)
I don't think I can chose just one favorite writing quote, but maybe I can narrow it down to three:
"I only write when I'm inspired, and I see to it that I'm inspired to write at 9 o'clock every morning." ~Peter De Vries
"You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children." — Madeleine L'Engle
"Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." — G.K. Chesterton
@Everyone Love the quotes! Sorry I'm not replying to everyone; a virus has laid me low, but the battle rages on.
"Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art." -Henry James
"The best time to plan a book is while you're doing the dishes." ~Agatha Christie
Good luck, Susan, and I hope you are feeling better soon.
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. –Dr Seuss (a genius)
I'm so jealous of the writing workshop. Wish I could go.
I like focus cat. And Rebecca has my favorite saying. I'm gonna repeat it anyhow. 🙂
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss.
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