Wednesday, September 06, 2006

On Writing


I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train. - Oscar Wilde

When I write, I feel like an armless, legless man with a crayon in his mouth. - Kurt Vonnegut (he went to Iowa, you know.)

This is what separates artists from ordinary people: the belief, deep in our hearts, that if we build our castles well enough, somehow the ocean won't wash them away. I think this is a wonderful kind of person to be. - Anne Lamott, from "Bird by Bird."

Writing is like prostitution; first you do it for love, and then for a few close friends, and then for money. - Moliere

Write without pay until somebody offers pay; if nobody offers within three years, sawing wood is what you were intended for. - Mark Twain (I think I'll ignore this advice.)

If I had to give young writers advice, I'd say don't listen to writers talking about writing or themselves. - Lillian Hellman (I knew I liked her for a reason)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oscar Wilde - "Only the shallow know themselves"

"If you find a box labelled American Dry Goods, you can be reasonably sure it will contain nothing but their novels."

Froggymama said...

Froggyaunt - this is the front window of our apt, and our cat, Peanut. We have some truly ugly apartments across the street, so the view isn't great. But the other windows have pine trees that give us the illusion that we're living in the forest. But only when we're really drunk. Just kidding. Thanks for all your support. It's nice having an incentive to write, other than my writer's guilt.

musingwoman said...

Hi, I found your blog through kidsquared.com I’ll definitely be back.

It's nice to meet a fellow quote-lover. And Bird by Bird is one of my favorite books on writing.