Quote by Pearl S. Buck
Yesterday, I posted thoughts about one of my favorite authors, Pearl S. Buck. One thing I forgot to mention in that post was that critics did not treat this author kindly. Her readers, however, loved her early books and continued to look for more. Who buys more books--the critics or the readers? Case closed.
Today, let's take a look at a quote by this gifted author. Pearl Buck's quote tells me something about her personality. She wasn't a dreamer, sitting idly waiting for inspiration. She knew that to write you had to get busy and do it. She must have been a practical person in many ways.
If you worked on a line in a factory, what would the supervisor say if you stepped back and waited to be inspired to do your work? How about a football quarterback waiting for inspiration to move the ball to the goal line? We often hear about those in the arts world waiting for inspiration to write, paint, sculpt, or compose music. Perhaps our best work does come when we are fully inspired.
Even so, there are more times that we must skip that waiting period and 'get down to work.' We need to put bottom in chair and fingers to the keyboard and start typing. So what if the result is not worthy of a prize or publication? We have taken the biggest step--getting down to work.
Once you begin, your mind clicks in and you probably write increasingly better as you go. Don't forget that we have the great gift of being able to revise and edit right up to the moment we submit.
We can also 'get down to work' by beginning with a writing exercise. Most are short but they get those creative juices flowing. The best part is that you are writing, not sitting around thinking about writing.
A lot of would-be writers are dreamers who loll around thinking about writing but somehow never do the actual writing. I'm waiting for inspiration. Reason or excuse? Your call.
If you want to write, the rule is to to actually write. "...get down to work." Good advice from a master storyteller.
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