Day #31 Quotes for Writers

“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” Richard Bach

This is the quote that I keep ever in front of me on my office desk. It’s a reminder to simply keep writing and never give up on my dreams.
Every writer is an amateur at first.
No writer is born a professional.
It takes time, practice, persistence, and patience.
If you’re reading this or if you have read this series, you are well on your way to becoming a professional writer. You are taking time to learn more about your craft.
Now continue to practice it.
That’s how you become a professional writer.
It’s not chance or luck.
You just have to stick with it.
That’s all.

Green traffic light image courtesy of fabrisalvetti on flickr

Day #30 Quotes for Writers

“It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous.” Robert Benchley

Talent is no longer a prerequisite for becoming a famous author. I find that very sad, but it’s the way of the world.
But that’s not the greatest trouble when it comes to writing talent.
The biggest problem is that so many great writers don’t believe in their own ability.
So they do nothing.
I’m convinced that if more people attempted to get their writing published, we would soon discover that most of what is out there now is rubbish and true treasures would be found.
Talent is not the only measure of writing success.
What you choose to do with it is the other half of the equation.

 Image of man typing by TheGiantVermin on flickr

Day #29 Quotes for Writers

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”  Samuel Beckett

Just don’t quit!
That’s the message.
We learn something from every experience we encounter, whether success or failure.
Failure should never be the stop sign that makes us quit writing.
Failure is only an unsuccessful success.
Keep writing. . . no matter what.


Image by stevendepolo on flickr

Day #28 Quotes for Writers

“When a book leaves your hands, it belongs to God. He may use it to save a few souls or to try a few others, but I think that for the writer to worry is to take over God’s business.” Flannery O’Connor

It’s wise to remember that our job is to write. We are to put in writing the words we are given. That is all.
What happens to our writing once we’ve obeyed is up to God.
Maybe it will be published and affect millions of lives.
Maybe it will be published and affect a few key people.
Maybe it’s just for us.
It is not for us to take on the care of what happens once a work leaves our hands. It’s not for us to worry whether it is received with accolades or criticism.
Our only job is to obey and write.

Day #27 Quotes for Writers

“Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old-fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he’ll eventually make some kind of career of himself as a writer.” Ray Bradbury

The same principle applies to anything. If you stay with it and consistently practice, you can succeed at anything.
You may never be a best-selling author, but you can make writing your career.
Just as you would learn any other trade or skilled job, you can learn to write and be published.
The question is- Are you willing to stick with it until you succeed?
Click the button to read more in the series 31 Days of Quotes for Writers.

Image of boy at laptop keyboard courtesy of Morten Liebach on flickr

Day #26 Quotes for Writers

“An original writer is not one who imitates nobody, but one whom nobody can imitate.” Francois-Rene, Vicomte de Chateaubriand

The best way to be a writer no one can imitate is to simply be yourself. You are the only you.
It’s true that some writers have a unique style all their own that clearly sets them apart in a way that other writers can’t imitate. But you don’t have to have an off-the-wall style to be different.
Nobody says things the same way you do. Nobody has the same body of knowledge or the same life experiences. No one else sees life through your pair of eyes.
Learn from the greats, but in your writing be yourself.
To read more in the series 31 Days of Writing Quotes, click the button.

Typewriter image by mariancall on flickr

Day #25 Quotes for Writers

“Authors with a mortgage never get writer’s block.” Mavis Cheek

Something about having bills due, needing food on the table, and a roof over our head, chases writer’s block away.
I’m sure that if every writer required an income from writing and had no other source of money, writer’s block would be but a myth.
We do what we have to do when we have to do it.
If writing is our paycheck, we learn to overcome all obstacles, including writer’s block.
If it’s a hobby or isn’t paying the bills, we are free to throw writer’s block around as an excuse for not doing what needs to be done.
Something to think about the next time you’re tempted to claim you can’t write.
To read more in the series 31 Days of Writing Quotes, click the button.


Money image courtesy of 401(K) 2012 on flickr