Posted by Mark Shaw on May 13, 2009
Looking for some zesty quotes, hemingwaywantabes? Well, look no further than the terrific biography of legendary writer Thomas Wolfe by Andrew Turnbull. Here are some examples:
“The creative life is often a groping, a terrible stumbling until the artist finds himself doing what his subconcious has demanded all along.”
“The most reckless people, I believe, are those who never gamble at all.”
“Tenacity is one of the chief elements of talent – without it there is little damn talent, no matter what they say.”
“You can change your skies but not your souls.” (Horace)
“What is required of a writer – integrity of purpose, a spiritual intensity, and a final expenditure of energy that most people in the world have no conception of.”
Wow, good stuff, right. And here’s another quote I read recently. Can’t recall who said it. Perhaps you can help me:
“If you can’t be great, at least be interesting.”
Posted in Hemingway and Great Quotes | Tagged: Author, Books, Editor, Ernest Hemingway, Fiction, Hemingway, Literary Agent, Mark Shaw, Non-Fiction, Publisher, Shaw, Writer | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Mark Shaw on May 6, 2009
Hello Hemingwaywantabes – hope all is well. And that you are writing away toward that day when you hold your published book in your hands. All the hard work is then worth it as you clutch the book to your chest like a newborn baby.
Recently, I noticed a good interview with literary agents in Poet’s and Writers’ Magazine, a terrific read for aspiring authors. One simple piece of advice: “When you think your book is completed, spend another year on it.”
I’m not sure a year is required, but the point is that when someone says their book is “done,” it probably isn’t. One common mistake aspiring authors make is to submit material before its time. Then rejection is the end result, when perhaps with some more hard work, the manuscript could have been improved significantly.
I noticed this recently when reviewing a manuscript I’ve written about the JFK assassination. While perusing my text, I was amazed at how much I could improve the flow. Every time we revise, the book gets better, and I would encourage you to re-write, re-write, and then re-write some more. In fact, when people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them I am a re-writer.
Posted in Hemingway and Simple Advice | Tagged: Agents, Books, Editing, Ernest Hemingway, Fiction, Hemingway, Literary Agents, Merton, Non-Fiction, Publishers, Re-writing, Thomas Merton, Writers, Writing | Leave a Comment »