Monday, June 17, 2013

Words of Wisdom Regarding Writing

These are some of my favorite quotes on the topic of writing. I can identify with most of these, or find them ironic, humorous, or pithy. Maybe I should warn you, I REALLY like quotes on writing. Here goes...Enjoy!

“If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.” ― Isaac Asimov

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” ― Ernest Hemingway

“You can make anything by writing.” ― C.S. Lewis

“Let me live, love and say it well in good sentences.” ― Sylvia Plath

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” ― Stephen King

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” ― Anaïs Nin

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” ― Robert Frost

“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

“If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” ― Stephen King

“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” ― Mark Twain

“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” ― Saul Bellow

“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it.” ― Lloyd Alexander

“Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.” ― E.L. Doctorow

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” ― Philip Pullman

“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” ― W. Somerset Maugham

“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” ― Anton Chekhov

“Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly -- they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.” ― Aldous Huxley

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” ― Stephen King

“Being a writer is a very peculiar sort of a job: it's always you versus a blank sheet of paper (or a blank screen) and quite often the blank piece of paper wins.” ― Neil Gaiman

“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I'm afraid of. ” ― Joss Whedon

“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It's that easy, and that hard.” ― Neil Gaiman

“Write the kind of story you would like to read. People will give you all sorts of advice about writing, but if you are not writing something you like, no one else will like it either.” ― Meg Cabot

“The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words.” ― William H. Gass

“The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say.” ― Anaïs Nin

“You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” ― Jack London

“You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald

“I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.” ― James A. Michener

“The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” ― Albert Camus

Monday, June 10, 2013

Do You Book Group?

Book clubs and groups are a great way to learn about new books and share your love of reading with others. I have a local book group I attend occasionally, and I am also a part of several groups on Goodreads. I'll admit that I'm not the most regular attendant at these groups, but I still enjoy being a part of them, and often I read the books even if I can't make it to the meetings.

Book groups offer several great advantages. If you find a group you fit well with, you have a network of other enthusiastic readers who understand your love of books and can help you find new books to read. Hopefully, you'll enjoy most of these books, but it will also challenge you to step out of your book-box and try some things you may not have otherwise. You'll likely be surprised from time to time.

Interestingly enough, a book group can open up new opportunities for you. I've come across several authors who are willing to do free skype chats with book groups (something they won't do for you personally, but will do for a whole group). You can even ask for review copies of books and may get them sometimes for free (assuming you are actually willing to write the reviews). I recently sent out free advance ebooks of a novel I'm currently writing (In An Instant) to a book group who offered to read it and give me their feedback. I greatly appreciate this as an author.

You'll also have a group to discuss the book with who can help you see it from new and interesting perspectives. This is fun and will help you understand things you may have missed initially. You'll bring those expanded perspectives to every book and interaction you face in the future.

And, book groups are a great way to get out and do something a little different from time to time. If reading is something you enjoy, or would like to get into a little more, I highly recommend finding a book group that shares your tastes and interests.

Are you a member of a book group? 

What are you're thoughts on book groups?