Quotes on Writing
By Natalie Bright
You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.
–JACK LONDON
The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.
–THOMAS JEFFERSON
There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.
–W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM
Tears are words that need to be written.
–PAULA COELHO
Easy reading is damn hard writing.
–NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE
Take Your Vitamins
By Nandy Ekle
I believe in taking vitamins. I’ve taken tons of vitamins of all letters for lots of years and they have kept my body healthy.
But I’ve ben running low on vitamin “w” for a while. So I pulled out a certain book and began re-reading it. Sure enough, I found my spirit and inspiration returning.
So, what is that certain book, the one full of the vitamin I crave? It’s the book, On Writing, by Stephen King.
My admiration for Mr. King is no secret. In fact, I dream of actually being considered his peer some day. But in order for that to happen I have to write more than am right now. I have the desire, I have the stories, I think I even have a slight touch of the talent. The only thing I’m lacking is the energy. And this probably because of a lack of exercise, due to my extremely low levels of vitamin w.
And so, I turn to Mr. King to recharge me. And, of course, no one can ever read On Writing and NOT feel inspired to suddenly sit down and write a thousand page novel or two. Now that my w levels have returned to normal, I will begin to exercise—tomorrow.
Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.
Outtakes 156
One Word
By Cait Collins
Have you ever considered how many different sentences you can write around one word? For some unknown reason, I got to thinking about maple syrup and I started considering possibilities..
Maple syrup is derived from sap tapped from sugar maples.
Sap is the life blood of the tree. Like human blood, sap carries nutrients throughout the plant.
A young tree not over four inches in diameter at chest height is a sapling.
Kids are sometimes referred to as saplings.
Amber is not a stone; it’s tree sap or fossil resin. At times, the sap would encase an insect, trapping it forever in the hardened resin.
Pitch is often a medicinal resin (sap) obtained from various conifers.
Heat saps my strength.
My computer battery life is sapped by prolonged usage.
That poor sap never stood a chance against a woman’s wiles.
What a sap!
The neighborhood kids’ antics are sapping my creative juices.
One base word is a noun and a verb depending on the way it is used in the sentence. There are many words in our language with multiple meanings. Taking the time to explore words not only increases a writer’s vocabulary, it provides opportunities to be more creative in your writing. Words are a game. Enjoy.
Wordsmith Six 