David James Poissant
"Read. This one sounds like a luxury, but if you fail to refill the well of inspiration, how will you be inspired to write words of your own?'
— David James Poissant
for Creatives | reading, creative process, writing, inspiration/the muse, David James Poissant
"Results [of the writing life] vary. Side effects range from obscurity to the Nobel Prize."
— David James Poissant
for Creatives | awards, the successful artist, writing, reaching your audience, KEEP CREATING, the creative life, David James Poissant
"Write what you want to write. Which is to say: Ignore the market. Which is to say: Just because dystopian young adult fiction sells well, if that fiction doesn't light you up, write whatever does. Which is another way of saying: Follow your bliss."
— David James Poissant
for Creatives | create for YOURSELF, artist integrity, writing, reaching your audience, David James Poissant
"Write when you want to write. Write when you don't want to write. Write when the sun is shining and when it rains. Don't write when the tornado's on the way. Take shelter."
— David James Poissant
for Creatives | writing, KEEP CREATING, the creative life, David James Poissant
"Don't be pretentious about your writing habits. Don't tell yourself that you'll only write on days when you have three uninterrupted hours to devote to the enterprise. Grab any half-hour you can."
— David James Poissant
for Creatives | writing, KEEP CREATING, the creative life, David James Poissant
"Writing is like having a baby. If you wait until you can afford to spare the time, you'll never do it."
— David James Poissant
for Creatives | creating isn't easy, writing, the creative life, David James Poissant
"Write. Write when you can, as much as you can. ... Write every day."
— David James Poissant
for Creatives | writing, KEEP CREATING, David James Poissant
"Throw away your television. ... Okay, don't throw away your television. You'll miss it when the tornado's on the way. But, at least, like, unsubscribe from premium cable. ... No, seriously, step away from the remote. You'll never know how much free time you actually have until you give up TV. ... Don't even. If you're watching Game of Thrones, you have time to write. ... Okay, so there are some really good shows on HBO, especially The Wire, but you really, really have to be careful. ... Okay, Six Feet Under as well, but, seriously, that's it. And no more than one episode per day. ... Better yet, do throw away your television."
— David James Poissant
for Creatives | TV series, writing, the creative life, design your life, David James Poissant
"Understand that, from this point forward, in order to be successful in any one area of your life, you will need to neglect one or more other areas of your life. This means that, at all times, you will be either a bad parent, a bad writer, or a bad employee. Get used to being one of these things. The trick is to make sure you're not being all three of these things all at once."
— David James Poissant
for Creatives | the successful artist, the creative life, design your life, David James Poissant