As a writer, do you ever feel like you’re trying to hammer your way through a brick wall with only your fist as a tool? This is normal. Repeat. This is normal.
In the incredibly solitary world of being a writer, it is important to recognize that writers follow similar and common patterns. One of those patterns is the pain of starting. You put down some words, even a paragraph, and then groan out loud because obviously you are a fraud and a failure. I mean just look at the screen. How do you expect to create anything when that is all you have to offer?
But like I said, this is an age-old pattern and because it is so common, I have gathered some quotes that seasoned writers (and one inventor) have shared. This is not only to reassure you that you’re not alone, but it is also to offer you some sound advice for getting yourself in gear.
“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy, and that hard.” – Neil Gaiman
“When you’re stuck, and sure you’ve written absolute garbage, force yourself to finish and then decide to fix or scrap it – or you will never know if you can.” -Jodi Picoult
“Just start writing, then keep writing. That’s the only advice any aspiring author needs. Ignore the unsure voices in your head, the negative voices of naysayers, the 10-step plans from magazines, and even the advice of “experts.” They were all exactly where you are now…and the reason they succeeded is that they started writing and kept writing. Success isn’t guaranteed, or course. But the first step toward success is always—simply—to start writing.” — Asha Dornfest
“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” ― Terry Pratchett
“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” ― Jodi Picoult
“Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.” — Jane Yolen
“You fail only if you stop writing.”— Ray Bradbury
“If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.” — Margaret Atwood
“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” — Richard Bach
“You have to resign yourself to wasting lots of trees before you write anything really good. That’s just how it is. It’s like learning an instrument. You’ve got to be prepared for hitting wrong notes occasionally, or quite a lot. That’s just part of the learning process.” — J.K. Rowling
“Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.” — Anne Lamott
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” — Thomas Edison
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