The writer’s first job is not to have opinions but to tell the truth . . . and refuse to be an accomplice of lies and misinformation.
The fear of becoming old is born of the recognition that one is not living now the life that one wishes.
Susan Sontag (1933-2004) was an American writer, philosopher, and political activist. Many of her works were published as essays.
Make a difference about something other than yourselves.
If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.
Ohio-born Toni Morrison (1931-2019) experienced the ultimate tributes given any novelist when she received the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her ground-breaking novel BELOVED and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Her many awards and published works were a testament to her gifts as a writer.
Writin’ these silly words
Beginnin’ to brew smiles
Fillin’ summer’s catchwords
Drivin’ another mile
Farmin’ at Green Acres
Dreamin’ of somethin’ new
Watchin’ for rainmakers
Joinin’ this harvest crew
Drinkin’ up coffee’s vibes
Entertainin’ new thoughts
Takin’ what life prescribes
Tyin’ self up in knots
Washin’ up them dishes
Knowin’ life ain’t so great
Fishin’ for new wishes
Singin’ with cool George Strait
Thankin’ all for stayin’
Readin’ poetic rhyme
Goin’ without sayin’
Wonderin’ ‘bout next time
Find what causes a commotion in your heart. Find a way to write about that.
If you lose all hope, you can always find it again.
Richard Ford (born 1944) is an American novelist and short story writer. In 1996, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction from his book, INDEPENDENCE DAY.
The act of writing requires a constant plunging back into the shadow of the past where time hovers ghostlike.
Good fiction is made of that which is real, and reality is difficult to come by.
Ralph Ellison (1914-1994) was an American author who is best known for INVISIBLE MAN, which earned a National Book Award in 1953.
World’s complexity
Simplicity seeks appeal—
Enters writer’s mind
Each crafted arrow
Filling this writer’s quiver—
Lasting prose awaits
Enlightened verses
Expressions of flowing waves—
Poet captures life
Good fiction creates its own reality.
You can’t edit a blank page.
Nora Roberts (born 1950) is an American author who has written well over 200 romance novels. She has also written under the pseudonyms of Jill March and Sarah Hardesty.
Writing bridges the inner and outer worlds and connects the paths of action and reflection.
Story is the mother of us all, for we become who we say we are.
Christina Baldwin (born 1946) is an American writer, teacher, and lecturer.
Lying awake in bed, feeling ready to write
Morning light feeling much too bright
Searching in my head for ideas to write about
Will today’s words offer and deliver much clout?
Sitting, thinking, and sitting . . . nothing!
Why can’t my mind create something?
Perhaps more coffee will warm up my mind
Hoping that possible ideas may soon be mine
Do all writers usually feel this way?
With little or nothing to really say
Hunger offers quick, necessary break
Nutritious breakfast, now I will make
Finished eating and returning to my writing table
Satisfied appetite doesn’t make me anymore able
Struggling through another writer’s block
Tired eyes continue watching the ticking clock
Wow! This short poem I now create
Finally, fulfilling my writer’s fate
The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.
Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.
Big Sky Buckeye 