Writing Wisdom

Here are some words of wisdom from some famous writers.
Enjoy!

"Instead of seeing yourself as a famous writer, see yourself inspiring countless people with your work and enriching their lives."
-Eckhardt Tolle

“In real life get out of the way when a person with a gun is running down the street. In your writing life step in front of his path, let him shoot you in the heart. What you fear, if you turn toward it, will give your writing teeth.”
-Natalie Goldberg, from Old Friend From Far Away

Katherine Anne Porter, in her Paris Review interview, talks about the event of a story being like a stone thrown in water. She says it’s not the event itself that is interesting, but rather the ripples the event creates in the lives of characters.

“The essence of thinking like a writer is the recognition that what’s most interesting is what’s unknown, not what is known. Thinking like a writer prizes the question more than the answer. It celebrates paradox, mystery, and uncertainty, recognizing that all of them contain the seeds of a potential story.” --James B. Stewart

Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very;” your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. —Mark Twain