Quote of the Day: “Funny v. Interesting”
"If you can't be funny, be interesting" — Harold Ross, founder of The New Yorker (via The Writers Almanac)
Thought of the Day: Annie Dillard on Writing, Giving and Ashes
"“One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now. The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.”
— Annie Dillard (via The Writers Almanac)
Quote of the Day: “On Learning as a Writer”
“Writing is a job, a craft, and you learn it by trying to write every day and by facing the page with humility and gall. And you have to love to read books, all kinds of books, good books. You are not looking for anything in particular; you are just letting stuff seep in.”
— Stephen Dobyns (via The Writers Almanac)
Quote: Roald Dahl on Nonsense…
"A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men." — Roald Dahl
Thought of the Day: Kurt Vonnegut on Kindness.
"We are healthy only to the extent our ideas are humane."
— Kurt Vonnegut
Thought of the Day: “Ideas and Confetti”
"Ideas are like confetti. Toss them in the air and run underneath!"
(via his
interview in The Paris Review)
Thought of the Day: “Optimism and Othwerise”
Thought of the Day: “The Temple”
"Writing becomes your own temple. You just move in and make sure everything flows and the right divinities are in effect."
— DJ Spooky (in his wonderful book Rhythm Science).
Thought of the Day: “We Will Need All of Them.”
“I wish for these young artists what I wish for all of us: a cool head in a crisis; a knack of lateral thinking; grace under pressure; and a sackful of good luck. We will need all of them.”
—Margaret Atwood (speaking at Davos this past week).
Thought of the Day: “Better”
"When everybody does better, everybody does better."
—Jim Hightower (whose daily commentary is thankfully now available as a podcast)