Ten writers for children. All with something to say.

3/16/11

A Few Current Favorite Quotes...

I have favorite quotes in files and favorite quotes on the walls of my studio, in notebooks and sketchbooks. I yearn to collect them all in one place, especially when I am about to lead a workshop or a class and I want to offer some of them as inspiration or to press a point with more authority than just my own words.

This morning the first quote I offer, I came across a couple of weeks ago and it feels very timely. The second one I have taped to my studio wall and sticky-noted on my computer. I don't know who said it, but a friend sent it to me when I was doubting my writing capabilities and it helps. The third is absolutely true and inspires me every time I read it!


“Stop thinking this is all there is…. Realize that for every ongoing war and religious outrage and environmental devastation and bogus Iraq attack plan, there are a thousand counter-balancing acts of staggering generosity and humanity and art and beauty happening all over the world, right now, on a breathtaking scale, from flowerbox to cathedral…. Resist the temptation to drown in fatalism, to shake your head and sigh and just throw in the karmic towel…. Realize that this is the perfect moment to change the energy of the world, to step right up and crank your personal volume; right when it all seems dark and bitter and offensive and acrimonious and conflicted and bilious… there’s your opening. Remember magic. And finally, believe you are part of a groundswell, a resistance, a seemingly small but actually very, very large impending karmic overhaul, a great shift, the beginning of something important and potent and unstoppable.” --Mark Morford, columnist and culture critic for the San Francisco Chronicle


Just give yourself over to setting stories in motion –

you will soon know which stories

capture your imagination

and seem unstoppable,

which stories demand to be finished.

Till that time, begin and begin and begin.

"You must write for children in the same way as you do for adults, only better." - Maxim Gorky


4 comments:

Christy said...

Thank you, Lauren. These words are exactly what I need to hear.

Edie Hemingway said...

Lauren,

I love the first quote, which seems so apropos to the news this week of the ongoing disasters in Japan. There are so many people out there making the best of a frightening situation and others who are doing their best to help!

And, boy do I need the second quote about giving myself over to setting my stories in motion and waiting to see which ones capture me and keep moving forward.

David LaRochelle said...

All of these quotes resonate with me, Lauren. The second one in particular reminds me to put my energy into those stories that excite me and stick with me, not just the ones that I think might sell.

Unknown said...

Inspiring to catch up on all this wisdom shared. Thank you.