03-13-2018, 04:31 AM | #106 |
Close to the Edit!
Posts: 9,797
Karma: 267994408
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis, Amazon Fire 8", Kindle 6"
|
Reminds me a bit of the golfer Gary Player, who, after being accused of being lucky, said, "The more I practice, the luckier I get."
|
03-13-2018, 07:58 AM | #107 | |
cacoethes scribendi
Posts: 5,809
Karma: 137770742
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Australia
Device: Kobo Aura One & H2Ov2, Sony PRS-650
|
To understand the Burroughs quote you need to take a peek at his career. From Wikipedia:
Quote:
Not only was he prolific, he was playing the field. To me it really does look like he was hedging his bets, perhaps thinking that the people had to like at least one of these story lines. |
|
Advert | |
|
03-13-2018, 01:15 PM | #108 |
Guru
Posts: 999
Karma: 12012526
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Canada
Device: Sony PRS-650
|
I have this vague memory of CS Lewis and Tolkien and something like, "Oh no, not another f.....g elf!" Probably apocryphal.
|
03-13-2018, 02:18 PM | #109 |
Evangelist
Posts: 401
Karma: 1597305
Join Date: Mar 2010
Device: Ipod G4, MacOS 10.12, Calibre, Pocketbook Touch HD 3
|
Is it wrong that I desperately want that to be a real quote from Tolkien? Because that's what I used to say when I was reading his books. Except for the Hobbit (the Hobbit was all about furry toes. Not many elves).
|
03-13-2018, 02:39 PM | #110 | |||
Award-Winning Participant
Posts: 7,316
Karma: 67862884
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: NJ, USA
Device: Kindle
|
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Some snobs elite artistes maintain that popularity doesn't equal quality, and obviously by whatever particular standard they are applying (which sometimes seems to be nothing other than 'popular=not good') they are correct, but for writers hoping to be popular...i.e. reach people, spread a message, or just make living, popularity really IS the sign that they are doing it well, and figuring out how to do that is a key. Kind of a tautology, I guess (popularity is quality if the quality you're going for is being popular), but an often ignored one. ApK |
|||
Advert | |
|
03-14-2018, 10:34 PM | #111 | |
cacoethes scribendi
Posts: 5,809
Karma: 137770742
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Australia
Device: Kobo Aura One & H2Ov2, Sony PRS-650
|
On the subject of luck, see this Scientific American article: The Role of Luck in Life Success Is Far Greater Than We Realized.
Quote:
|
|
03-15-2018, 06:03 AM | #112 |
Close to the Edit!
Posts: 9,797
Karma: 267994408
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis, Amazon Fire 8", Kindle 6"
|
Interesting. The question is, how do you get lucky? And can you improve your chances? My only thought on that is that you have to practice, practice, practice in your chosen field in order to increase your chances of getting "lucky". The author of Embrace the Chaos, Bob Miglani, says "[people] become lucky by studying, working and refining their craft."
|
03-16-2018, 12:35 AM | #113 | |
cacoethes scribendi
Posts: 5,809
Karma: 137770742
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Australia
Device: Kobo Aura One & H2Ov2, Sony PRS-650
|
Quote:
* You are hopefully getting better so that when your chance does arrive you won't miss out because of stupid beginner mistakes. * Each time you publish you are buying another ticket in the "notice me" lottery. This time you just might gain the notice of people that will make a difference; this time you just might find a good match between what you've written and what the people (who are currently looking) are wanting to read. * By publishing regularly you are keeping some books up near the top of the lists, and so improving the chances that people will actually notice you. (Unless you're making good sales your books quickly sink far down in the lists.) |
|
03-20-2018, 09:00 AM | #114 |
Wizard
Posts: 2,502
Karma: 28893796
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Perth Western Australia
Device: kindle
|
That quote "Oh no, not another f***" ended with the word Phylum, not elf. It relates to a vast fossil bed discovered with thousands of fossils of creatures never seen before, and it was attributed to one of the palaeontogists trying to make sense of them.
But it seems even there it is apocryphal. It is amusingly related in Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything". |
12-01-2018, 01:55 AM | #115 | |
cacoethes scribendi
Posts: 5,809
Karma: 137770742
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Australia
Device: Kobo Aura One & H2Ov2, Sony PRS-650
|
Quote:
It's a quote I found interesting on two levels: firstly for the admission that an editor makes such a significant difference, and secondly for the emphasis that you need the right sort of editor for the work you are creating. |
|
08-11-2022, 09:40 PM | #116 | |
cacoethes scribendi
Posts: 5,809
Karma: 137770742
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Australia
Device: Kobo Aura One & H2Ov2, Sony PRS-650
|
I've always enjoyed reading A.A. Milne. There has been such a wide variety that it always seemed that he wrote only want he wanted to write*, and in the introduction to his autobiography I found confirmation of that:
Quote:
* As someone that writes mostly for my own enjoyment, publishing only when it seems like it might be good enough to share, this always sat very well with me. |
|
10-03-2022, 11:55 AM | #117 |
Junior Member
Posts: 5
Karma: 4278742
Join Date: Sep 2022
Location: Ohio
Device: Amazon Kindle 10
|
"A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people." This quote from Thomas Mann highlights the challenges that writers face on a daily basis. In order to produce quality work, writers must often confront their own fears and doubts. This can be a difficult and daunting task, but it is also essential for any writer who wants to improve their craft. The best way to overcome these challenges is to simply keep writing, even when it feels impossible. With each new word, the writer becomes a little bit stronger, a little bit more capable of shaping their thoughts into coherent prose. Eventually, with enough practice, the act of writing will become easier and more natural. Just like anything else in life, the key is to never give up.
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Change single quotes to double quotes | Elfwreck | Workshop | 16 | 04-26-2013 10:06 AM |
Free (nook/Kindle) The Writer's Idea by Jack Heffron [DIY Creative Writing Advice] | ATDrake | Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) | 0 | 04-22-2012 12:48 PM |
Writing related quotes | kennyc | Writers' Corner | 3 | 01-30-2012 08:45 PM |
convert straight quotes to curly quotes | alansplace | Calibre | 3 | 09-25-2010 03:51 PM |