Three Quotes To Help Writers

I love the photo/painting for today and the quote by Henry Ward Beecher, preacher and abolitionist during the mid-19th century. Just for fun, here are a few more of his quotes:

   Every artist dips his brush in his own soul and paints his own nature into his pictures.

  Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself.

 A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life. 

The first quote should let you feel quite comfortable with writing in your own way, not as others have done. We've talked about 'voice' being the style in which you write. Beginning writers take time to establish that 'voice,' but I especially liked the words Beecher used to describe the same idea--the part about painting his own nature into his pictures. Or into your writing. You're an individual so you should present that individualism to your readers.

The second quote can also be applied to writers. In a nutshell, he's telling you to be the best writer you can be. How does one accomplish that? By continuing to learn your craft. Read about writing, listen to those who speak about it, practice by doing writing exercises, and never stop learning about writing.

Of course, being the avid reader I am, the third quote appealed to me. I truly feel that my local library is a necessity in my life, and never have I felt it more than in these many, many weeks when it has been closed due to the pandemic. My saving grace has been that I have been able to borrow books from a close neighbor who has her very own library. All writers should be voracious readers. We learn from reading what others have written. Not that we want to copy them. Heaven forbid! No, we read and absorb techniques, characterization, and much more. Then we apply it in our own way in our own writing.

These three simple quotes tell us a lot about writing. If you have time, you might use a search engine to look for quotes by writers. There's something to be gained by reading what successful writers have said.

Ending with a bit of trivia: 
1.  Henry Ward Beecher's sister was Harriet Beecher Stowe, the woman who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin. 
2. The Beecher Bible and Rifle Church in Wabaunsee, KS is named for Henry Ward Beecher, a financial backer for the town who helped smuggle rifles past pro-slavery forces in crates marked Beecher's Bibles at a time when Kansas had entered the union as a free state.

Wise Words From Successful Writers

We learn a great deal from the experience of successful writers. It's up to us to pay attention and put their Wise Words to good use. I'm sharing a list of quotes by published writers whose names may be familiar to you. Use 3 steps to absorb the advice--read, ponder, apply.

“When I graduated from high school I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library 3 days a week for 10 years.”
—Ray Bradbury

“The character that lasts is an ordinary guy with some extraordinary qualities.”
—Raymond Chandler

“Easy reading is damn hard writing.”
—Nathaniel Hawthorne

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect."
--Anaïs Nin

"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

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader."
--Robert Frost

"Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window."
--William Faulkner

"Writing is its own reward."
--Henry Miller

"You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write."

--Annie Proulx

There are hundreds of quotes on writing that you can find with a search engine. Look for them to motivate you, help you understand the process of writing, to be amused and to learn.

Six Quotes On Writing

Today's post is a series of quotes on writing that speak for themselves. Thanks to pinterest for sharing with us. Look at each one, ponder it a bit, then try to apply to your own writing life. Which is your favorite?