For much of my adult life, I thought I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to write about sports and the athletes that captivate us, I wanted an audience to know my thoughts and feelings, but mostly, I wanted to communicate with the world. While face-to-face interpersonal interaction is by far the best and richest form of communication, in my opinion, it is not possible to communicate with the entire world this way. This is why the written word is so powerful.
Other than sports, the topic that I have read the most about is writing. There are a ton of great books out there about writing, and over the next few weeks I am going to post some of my notes from the best books I’ve read about writing.
If you want to write
by Brenda Ueland
- Inspiration does not come like a bolt, nor is it kinetic, energetic striving, but it comes into us slowly and quietly all the time, though we must regularly and every day give it a little chance to start flowing, prime it with a little solitude and idleness.
- Good teachers will say: “Tell me more. Tell me all you can. I want to understand more about everything you feel and know and all the changes inside and out of you. Let more come out.”
- Everybody is original if they are telling they are telling the truth and speaking for themselves.
- No writing is a waste of time – no creative work where the feelings, the imagination, the intelligence must work. With every sentence you write, you have learned something. It has done you good.
- Writing is not a performance, but a generosity.
- Everybody is talented, original, has something important to say.
Hayden Coombs 