13th July 2016 | for Creatives | creative process, writing, Toni Morrison, the creative life |
"I type in one place, but I write all over the house."
"I don't think there's any rule. I don't write sometimes for months. Of course, I write emails every day, I write in my diary every day. I may not touch the manuscript at all, or anything pertaining to it. ... Whether [or not] I hit the keyboard, I'm writing in my head. I'm working on my books all the time. I write best in short, intense periods. A period, say, of three or four months—very intense work. And then I draw back and I read, and I do other things. Again, I don't think there's any rule to any of this. It's the greatest profession because you do it all in your own way."
"Writing, for me, works best as a daily practice, at least when I'm on a project. When I'm on a project, it's good to be immersed in it, to return to it, daily."
"I found myself blessing the secret mind... observed when I thought I was sitting this one out. We never sit anything out. We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out."
"I try to write the first draft very quickly. I don't write the end. I don't write the last quarter. So I write my draft. And then ... my next draft is usually cleaning it up and seeing what's there: 'What do we have here?'"
"Don't romanticize your 'vocation.' You can either write good sentences or you can't. There is no 'writer's lifestyle.' All that matters is what you leave on the page."
Don't miss a single, riveting word! Be the first to hear of new releases, special promotions, and other news and nifty things...