Always running late

Ages ago, Talia tagged me for some quotes by writers about writing. I haven't had much time to look, but here are some that have smacked me in the face from the pages of my journals:

“The work of art which is most ‘worthwhile’ is the work which would need a hundred works of any other kind of art to explain it. A fine statue is the core of a hundred poems. A fine poem is a score of symphonies.” Ezra Pound, Vorticism

“The story behind each word must be told so there could be no mistake in the meaning of what had been said.” Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony

“A poem is never a put-up job, so to speak. It begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness. It is never a thought to begin with.” Robert Frost

"...save yourself from these general themes and seek those which your own everyday life offers you; describe your sorrows and desires, passing thoughts, and the belief in some sort of beauty--describe all these with loving, quiet, humble sincerity, and use, to express yourself, the things in your environment, the images from your dreams, and the objects of your memory." Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

"Just once I'd like to hear a writer tell the truth about why he can't deliver. Just once I'd like to hear someone say: no words. The reason no one says it is because when there are no words, nothing will save you." Betsy Lerner, The Forset for the Trees

"Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life as well. It's about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy... a permission slip: you can, you should, and if you're brave enough to start, you will. Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink." Stephen King, On Writing

Some of you might snicker at the King quote, but despite his mass market appeal, On Writing is one of the best books I've ever read.

I reserve the right to add or delete quotes as I see fit.

Happy 4th of July.