Donald Murray assures us that writing is a tool for personal reflection and insight. "The material for writing is in your head," he says. "It will be recovered, relived, understood, and shared through writing."1 In his book Write to Learn, he continues: One of the principal reasons that writers write is to relive life. (Donald Murray)2 I've heard variations on … [Read more...]
Writing Quote: Writing is one of the most forceful ways of learning, perceiving, maturing, expanding (Ruth Vaughn)
Writing gets our words into the world. Writing helps us impact readers. Writing conveys ideas. But there's something else about writing...Ruth Vaughn explains it well in her book Write to Discover Yourself: I am convinced that writing creatively is a beautiful and rewarding experience for discovering one's self. For writing is one of the most forceful ways of … [Read more...]
Writing Quotes: A writer is here to describe things… (James Baldwin)
It's tempting to comment on whatever is hot and trending—to hashtag our way to visibility. It's harder to spot what others miss...to care about it, to bear witness. It's important to pay attention to what others pass by...to see it, capture it, describe it. James Baldwin knew this, practiced this. He wrote: "The importance of a writer is continuous…His importance, … [Read more...]
Gordon Lish: The secret of good writing
Tell the truth (even if you have to tell it slant). "The secret of good writing is telling the truth." — Gordon Lish Source: Project Gutenberg Self-Publishing Press, which cites the source as a Dick Cavett television interview, Aug. 25, 1991. Browse the growing collection of Writing Quotes ___________________________________ 52 Creative Writing Prompts: … [Read more...]
Dare to Write
Eudora Welty, in her book One Writer's Beginnings, recalls the striking of clocks and a gyroscope her father "kept in a black buckram box, which he would set dancing for us on a string pulled tight" (Welty 3). She remembers a summer trip in her family's "five-passenger Oakland touring car," with her mother's hat riding over the children's heads in the back seat, suspended … [Read more...]
It’s Not Talent That Gets Books Written
It's easy to feel you don't have enough talent to succeed as a writer. Words seem to flow effortlessly from that blogger you admire, while you stare at the screen for hours with only two sentences to show for it. You second-guess everything: your ideas, your drafts, yourself. On overcast days, when rain smacks the windows and the gloom settles in, you conclude you … [Read more...]
Our Work Will Flourish When We Consistently Help Others
So much of my growth as a writer has happened in the context of community. For years I tried to figure things out on my own, attending writing conferences and reading books to learn about the publishing world. This was during the 1990s, in the earliest days of the Internet, when websites were static pages and "You've Got Mail" was music to our ears. After years of … [Read more...]
On the careful choice of adjectives and adverbs
In her book Steering the Craft, Ursula Le Guin advises: I recommend to all storytellers a watchful attitude and a thoughtful, careful choice of adjectives and adverbs, because the bakery shop of English is rich beyond belief, and narrative prose, particularly if it's going a long distance, needs more muscle than fat. (45) Write freely in draft mode. Get the story out … [Read more...]
Longfellow: I heard the bells on Christmas Day
I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! –Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Source: "Christmas Bells," Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Browse the growing collection of Writing Quotes … [Read more...]
Want to shine on paper? Write your clearest, truest words
Few people will author a bestseller, speak at conferences, or accept a Pulitzer Prize. Most of us will work steadily over the years, faithfully putting down word after word as best we can. We'll try to stay focused and motivated. We'll chew our fingernails, suck down countless cups of coffee or tea, attend more conferences than we can afford, and check our inbox every … [Read more...]
The Slow-Writing Advantage in a Fast-Paced World
![[C]reating fine work can only be achieved by a slow, consistent dedication to our craft. (Louise DeSalvo, The Art of Slow Writing)](https://annkroeker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/C-reating-fine-work-can-only-be-achieved-by-a-slow-consistent-dedication-to-our-craft-150x150.png)
There's a time to write fast. Just ask any journalist, blogger, or college student. But to improve our skills—or any given manuscript—we may want to stop rushing. When we slow down, we give ourselves the advantage of producing our best possible work. In her book The Art of Slow Writing, Louise DeSalvo claims that by taking our time with writing, we can improve our … [Read more...]
Eleanor Roosevelt: None of us can afford to stop learning
Eleanor Roosevelt nurtured an active, curious mind. She believed that "living and learning must go hand in hand," and her philosophy played out in life and in print. She wrote about curiosity itself and about things that reflected her curiosity. "This part of learning—learning as you go—gives life its salt. And this, too, comes back primarily to interest. You must be … [Read more...]
Mary Pipher quote: Writers can unite people or divide them
Writers can unite people or divide them. Let’s use our words well to inspire a kinder, fairer, more beautiful world. Let's be part of the clean-up team. "Language imparts identity, meaning, and perspective to our human community. Writers are either polluters or part of the clean-up team. Just as the language of power and greed has the potential to destroy us the … [Read more...]
Bradbury Quote: without gusto, without love, without fun, you are only half a writer
![[I]f you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun, you are only half a writer. - Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing](https://annkroeker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/If-you-are-writing-without-zest-without-gusto-without-love-without-fun-you-are-only-half-a-writer.-Ray-Bradbury-Zen-in-the-Art-of-Writing-150x150.png)
In Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury warns us not to get distracted by the commercial market or by experimental, avant-garde work, because most likely we are veering from our true self and the writing most suited to our passions and opinions. He says the writer must be excited. "He should be a thing of fevers and enthusiasms. Without such vigor, he might as well … [Read more...]
Writing Quote: Ray Bradbury on How Art Can Revitalize Us
In the preface to Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury explores what writing teaches us. He says that more than anything, it "reminds us that we are alive." In the midst of draining, depressing, stressful days, writing—which Bradbury broadens to "our art"—helps restore life to us. It's a way to regain stability after getting knocked flat by the death of a loved … [Read more...]
