Hi! Welcome and welcome back if this is not your first visit to the blog series Writers’ Favourite Writing Quotes.
The response to the series has been fantabulous (one of my many made-up words) and I am so happy so many of you are reading the blog and visiting my website too!
In Part 2 of the series I have some fantastic quotes from three author friends whose quotes are quite fascinating and really inspiring.
So without further ado let’s catch up with Diana, C.C. and Frank to see how quotes have inspired their writing and creative journeys. Enjoy!
Diana Tyler’s chosen quote is:
“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part
of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t
cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve
got.” Steven Pressfield
Diana says: I love it because it is a powerful weapon against the foe Mr. Pressfield calls Resistance. Resistance, in a nutshell, is the intangible force that often manifests as self-doubt, fear, and inadequacy. Whenever I sense one of those toxic feelings creeping into my psyche, I remember that quote and am reminded that someone out there needs the story that Resistance fights to keep buried and unwritten.
My unique imagination, ideas, experiences, worldview, voice, and writing style are tools designed to work together to create beauty and deliver hope and light to my readers. When I take my focus off myself and the negative thoughts that have seized me and redirect them to the faceless readers I know could be inspired or encouraged by my fiction, the cloud of Resistance dissipates and the words proceed to flow.
To give into Resistance’s lies would be to deprive the world of an incredible, one-of-a-kind gift, the gift of our stories and the ineffable magic that dwells inside them. We must always reject any thought of inferiority, hopelessness, self-pity and comparison the moment they surface and immediately remind ourselves that writing is not only a blessing and escape for us as artists to enjoy, but for others to enjoy as well.
The harder Resistance pushes against us, the more we should be encouraged that there are hungry readers waiting to get lost in and be touched by our work. So keep working. No matter what.
Currently working on: the third book in The Orchid Series (book one, Armor for Orchids, was published earlier this year). Additionally, I’m editing book two in that series, as well as books two and three in my upcoming fantasy trilogy, The Petros Chronicles.
If you would like to know more about Diana these are her LINKS:
Website: http://www.dianaandersontyler.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/dianafit4faith/
Twitter: @dandersontyler
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordianatyler/
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/dandersontyler/
C.C. Hogan’s chosen quote is:
“Extraordinary how potent cheap music is.”
Noel Coward
C.C. says: I am far from the most literate writer or the most worldly-wise, to corrupt another saying, but to me the most important part of writing is not the writing itself; it is the storytelling. Cheap music, whether that is a silly song or advertising jingle perhaps, is potent simply because it does not pretend to be something it isn’t. It is the portrayal of an idea in a simple, straightforward manner that taps into how all human beings work. We really are far less complex than some of us like to pretend. This is probably why the best storytellers were the bards that told and acted out a simple story to the delight of their audience. We would do well to remember them and imitate them and perhaps spend a little less time trying to be somehow ‘great’.
Currently working on: Writing a book that is a spin off from Dirt series two – called provisionally The Dragon and his Rider. Recording the audio book versions of Dirt and The Stink. Planning out a new series for younger teens about a girl who moves to the Moon. Ummm … and a few other bits!
If you would like to know more about C.C. these are his LINKS:
Website: https://t.co/ZlNJCZtFLw
Dirt: https://t.co/T9SWJKNK2q
FB: https://t.co/CjwAJ4X5W6
Twitter: https://t.co/sVZdmkNtib
Frank Regan’s chosen quote is:
“I meet far too many people who are going to be writers ‘someday.’ When they are out of high school, when they’ve finished college, after the wedding, when the kids are older, after they retire. That is such a trap You will never have any more free time than you do right now. So, whether you are 12 or 70, you should sit down today and start being a writer if that is what you want to do. You might have to write in a notebook while your kids are playing on the swings or write in your car on your coffee break. That’s okay. I think we’ve all ‘been there, done that.’ It all starts with the writing.”
― Robin Hobb
Frank says: This quote by Robin Hobb is probably my favourite because for years I put off starting writing until I got my life ‘sorted’. I thought this meant getting a proper job and trying to behave like a grown-up. The reality for me though was I needed to make time for writing, even if it is just grabbing fifteen minutes with my notebook while I drink a coffee. The mere act of creating something leaves me far more ‘sorted’ than all the pretence of being a grown-up ever has.
Currently working on: I am currently putting the final touches to Wreckage a poetry collection and am half way through a draft of a Fantasy Adventure novel provisionally titled Watchers in the Dark.
If you would like to know more about Frank these are his LINKS:
Blog: https://frankregan.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/frankregan17?lang=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madeofsticksandstones/
Thank you for taking the time to read through this blog post! I hope that you will come by and visit again soon. And if you have a favourite quote and would like to be featured in the series please contact me, I’d love to hear from you!
Until next time, happy writing, happy reading, happy you!
