Writing and inspiration

dawinsor · Aug 20, 2005

Someone I know posted the following quote in their blog. It's from Stephen Koch's The Modern Library Writer's Workshop:

"Productivity is the only path to confidence...Since writing is what generates inspiration--and not the reverse--abundant writing produces abundant inspiration. The two most dangerous enemies of a young writer's time are his or her mismanagement of time and an undue vulnerability to self-doubt and self-criticism. Both most be dealt with firmly. Paul Johnson is right: "A bad novel is better than an unwritten novel, because a bad novel can be improved; an unwriten novel is defeat without a battle."

I thought I'd share it here because it seemed so right to me. When I write, ideas start to shake loose. If I waited for ideas first, I'd never write anything.

rowriter · Aug 20, 2005

Agreed! Even bad novels can be difficult to write, lol. So many writers have given up without even knowing whether they were good or not. (Which is, well, better for competition, I suppose...)

Writing and inspiration

dawinsor

Dorothy A. Winsor

rowriter

Bibliophile