If a sailor is heading out to sea and Thor Heyerdahl, the great adventurer who set sail on the Kon Tiki, appeared to him with advice, all the sailor can and should do is count that day among his luckiest and pay rapt attention. As writers, we too wish we could gain the good fortune of the counsel and company of great writers. Luckily, we still have their words of wisdom to count upon!
Here are three great quotes by great writers, and humble interpretations of what they mean for us mere mortals.
“Let the writer take up surgery or bricklaying if he is interested in technique. There is not mechanical way to get the writing done, no shortcut. The young writer would be a fool to follow a theory.” 
These wise words by William Faulkner tell a writer the only one thing that would make him cherish his creation, even when it is not entirely a successful one. The rules, the techniques, the endless weighing of words and ideas – while these are no doubt essential when you write, they are not the most important apparatuses that will help you create a masterpiece. Vanity may be a sin in the real world, yet some carry it off with aplomb, so it is with a writer and his work. After all, vanity is the essence of every brilliant creation and few artists have been able to produce masterworks without drawing upon this quality. When you write, make sure your words are your own. Use the rules, the techniques and the suggestions to enhance your work, never use them as the core foundation of your creation. Surely, not even because Faulkner says it, but because as a writer, it is your prime obligation to listen to that little voice in your head and heart above all else!
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time, or the tools, to write. Simple as that”
When Stephen King tells you reading is important, there are no two ways about it! Yet, how many of us writers find the time to read? We need to find the time to get a fair share of reading into our tight schedules. I haven’t read a new book in months, and as embarrassing as this confession may be, I find myself running short of fresh paths when I write. I find my words and sentences being formed from the same old rubble I have used to create others, and though they may sound interesting or at least readable to some, they all seem the same to me. Well, writing this post makes me rethink on why I have refused to make reading a part of my daily diet, as was the case before. This quote by King is one to remember all the days of our lives. The words we read and the ideas and thoughts of other writers we come across are quite like the brushes and paints in the artist’s satchel – without them, none of us can do our craft justice.
“The first draft of everything is shit.”
Well, this one’s a powerful quote and you can expect nothing less from Ernest Hemingway! How often have we written a piece and proclaimed it as the best draft you could ever come up with – too often is my guess. Yet, a second or third look helps us point out several shortcomings, and this is what Hemingway wishes to convey. Never pass off your first draft as your final one, because we all know you can do better. Even if we writers are sometimes haughty enough to believe that every piece we write is the best, it helps to remember we are not perfect, yet!
I must confess I began this post as I would any other, and yet, I have learnt so much in the time I have spent writing it. Truly, we have so much to learn from the greats before our time, and those we see in our time too.
Go ahead and read more quotes from our great authors, they are all over the Internet. If you find something worth sharing, pen down a few lines below and we will all learn some more.
Image Credit : Theguardian.com
Image Credit : Biography.com
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