Quotes from Famous Writers

Need some inspiration to pick up the pen (or pull out the keyboard)? Here are a few choice quotes about writing that always get me going (taken from http://www.quotegarden.com/ ):

"The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say."
~Anaïs Nin

"And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt."
~Sylvia Plath

"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." ~Toni Morrison

"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

"I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter."
~James Michener

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."
~William Wordsworth

"Easy reading is damn hard writing."
~Nathaniel Hawthorne

"A metaphor is like a simile."
~Author Unknown

"If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster." ~Isaac Asimov

Enjoy and happy writing!

Recession, Recession

Recession, Recession
by Stephanie Moreland
(adapted from "Homework! oh Homework!" by Jack Prelutsky)

Recession, Recession, I hate you, you stink.
I want to flush you away down the sink.


You're tiring, you're boring,
Wish the markets were soaring.


But Recession, you've done nothing but cause us much strain.
I think someone should drag you out in the rain...

On my door Mr Bills keeps on knocking
And my checkbook is shocking...


Now part-time and full-time are the jobs I must take
To pay my bills on time so they won't be late.

Now my clients are dropping
And there's no money for shopping...

Oh, Recession just please pack your things and go
I just want to live in peace with my dough!

Recession, I'm giving your pink slip today
Three cheers, Recession's leaving, so hip, hip, hooray!

Now don't say you're sorry,
We don't want to hear your sob story.

Just hit the road, Jack, and don't you come back here no more.
If you ever come back here, we'll just have to settle the score.

Next time it won't be that pretty,
And I won't be this witty....

Now don't let the door hit you,
Where the good Lord split you...

Good-bye Recession, we hope that we see you no more!

Courage

It's really scary to be a writer. If you're me, anyway. A wise person once told me that you should "write what you know". But, what I know is scary and I don't have the courage to reveal it yet. As with any other human that walks the planet, I've had my fair share of trials and tribulations. My biggest problem is not a shortage of stories---it's the shortage of courage. I don't want to be naked in front of the metaphorical classroom. The thought of revealing my most hidden fears and life-altering events makes me shake in my shoes.

But, I do know that any writer who's worth a flip tells the truth---at least their version of it. But do I run the risk of offending anyone? I could try my hand at fiction, but as much as I read it, it just never squeezes my hear the way a good true-to-life work of non-fiction does. That's why I love writing about travel---it's all about the inward journey coupled with the external escape that gets my motor running.

I wish I could run to Target, pick up a bottle of Courage, and take a swig at a time. I think I'm a decent writer, and I've even gotten paid for it a few times. But, I never submit anything. Despite that, through my public relations connections, I have access to many editors and publications, I just never take a deep breath and send the hallowed query. I need to get over it and just take the plunge.